Height Converter
Convert height between feet and inches, centimeters, and meters.
Includes a reference table from 4 ft to 7 ft for the most common height conversion questions.
Type in any field and the others update instantly. Feet and inches work together, so 5 and 9 means 5 ft 9 in.
Height conversions use centimeters as the base unit.
Metric conversions:
- 1 meter = 100 cm
Imperial conversions:
- 1 foot = 12 inches
- 1 inch = 2.54 cm (exact)
- 1 foot = 30.48 cm (exact)
Cross-system:
- To convert feet+inches to cm: (feet × 30.48) + (inches × 2.54)
- To convert cm to feet+inches: divide cm by 30.48 for feet, remainder by 2.54 for inches
Common height references:
- Average woman (United States): 5 ft 4 in (162.6 cm)
- Average man (United States): 5 ft 9 in (175.3 cm)
- Doorway height: 6 ft 8 in (203.2 cm)
- Basketball hoop: 10 ft (304.8 cm)
Those two averages are American. Worldwide the figures are lower, around 171 cm for men and 159 cm for women, because the global average pulls in populations that are shorter than the US mean. Dutch men, at roughly 183 cm, are the tallest national average measured.
Reference table, 4 ft to 7 ft:
| Feet and inches | Total inches | Centimetres | Metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 0 in | 48 | 121.9 | 1.22 |
| 4 ft 6 in | 54 | 137.2 | 1.37 |
| 5 ft 0 in | 60 | 152.4 | 1.52 |
| 5 ft 2 in | 62 | 157.5 | 1.57 |
| 5 ft 4 in | 64 | 162.6 | 1.63 |
| 5 ft 6 in | 66 | 167.6 | 1.68 |
| 5 ft 8 in | 68 | 172.7 | 1.73 |
| 5 ft 10 in | 70 | 177.8 | 1.78 |
| 6 ft 0 in | 72 | 182.9 | 1.83 |
| 6 ft 2 in | 74 | 188.0 | 1.88 |
| 6 ft 4 in | 76 | 193.0 | 1.93 |
| 6 ft 6 in | 78 | 198.1 | 1.98 |
| 7 ft 0 in | 84 | 213.4 | 2.13 |
The format itself is where people slip. A height written 5'6" means 5 feet plus 6 inches, which is 66 inches in total, not 5.6 of anything. To convert it by hand, first turn everything into inches (5 × 12 + 6 = 66), then multiply by 2.54 to get centimeters. Skipping that first step is the usual mistake.
Which system you meet depends on where you are. The US and UK still give personal height in feet and inches day to day, while most of the world, and nearly all medical records everywhere, use centimeters. The conversions above are exact, since the inch has been defined as precisely 2.54 cm since 1959, so there’s no rounding to worry about when you switch between the two.
How we build and check this converter
This converter runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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