Show the formula and working
This converter turns feet and inches to metres and centimetres, and metres back into feet and inches, for anyone in the UK, Ireland and the rest of Europe working with heights, room sizes or old plans. Enter feet and inches separately, the way people actually measure, and you get metres, centimetres and millimetres with the working shown.
Quick answer: To convert feet and inches to metres, multiply the feet by 12, add the inches, then multiply the total inches by 0.0254. So 5 ft 10 in is 70 inches, which is 1.778 metres or 177.8 cm. One foot is exactly 0.3048 m and one inch is exactly 2.54 cm.
What Is a Feet and Inches to Metres Converter?
A feet and inches to metres converter is a tool that changes a length written in feet and inches, such as 5 ft 10 in, into the same length in metres. The formula has two steps: total inches equal feet times 12 plus inches, then metres equal total inches times 0.0254.
Both factors are exact. Since 1959 the international inch has been defined as exactly 25.4 mm, as NIST explains, and the UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 defines the yard as 0.9144 m, the foot as a third of a yard and the inch as a thirty sixth. That makes one foot exactly 0.3048 m, with no rounding involved.
How Do You Use the Feet and Inches to Metres Converter?
- Choose the Direction: “Feet and inches to metres” or “Metres to feet and inches”.
- For feet and inches to metres, enter the whole number of Feet, for example 5.
- Enter the Inches, for example 10. Half inches work as decimals, so 6 and a half inches is 6.5. Leave it at 0 for an exact number of feet.
- For metres to feet and inches, enter the length in Metres. Convert centimetres by dividing by 100, so 175 cm is 1.75.
- Read the result, plus centimetres or the length rounded to the nearest inch, then open “Show the formula and working” to see each step.
How Many Metres Is 6 Feet?
Six feet is exactly 1.8288 metres, or 182.88 cm, usually rounded to 1.83 m. Multiply 6 by 0.3048 to get it. A standard UK door is about 6 ft 6 in tall, which is 1.98 m, and many British ceilings in older homes are 8 ft, which is 2.44 m. For any height in whole feet, multiplying by 0.3048 is the quickest route.
How Do You Convert Metres to Feet and Inches?
Divide the metres by 0.0254 to get total inches, then divide by 12: the whole number is feet and the remainder is inches. For 1.6 m, 1.6 / 0.0254 is 62.99 inches, which is 5 feet with 2.99 inches left, so about 5 ft 3 in. A common mistake is to take 1.6 m as 1.6 feet, or to read the decimal part of 5.25 ft as 25 inches. A quarter of a foot is 3 inches.
How Tall Is 5 Foot 10 in Metres?
Five foot ten is 1.778 metres, or 177.8 cm. The working is 5 x 12 = 60 inches, plus 10 makes 70 inches, and 70 x 0.0254 = 1.778 m. Height is the most common reason people convert feet and inches, because GP surgeries, gyms and clothing size charts usually record height in centimetres while many people still think of their height in feet and inches.
Feet and Inches to Metres Conversion Table
| Feet and inches | Metres | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ft 0 in | 0.305 m | 30.5 cm |
| 2 ft 6 in | 0.762 m | 76.2 cm |
| 4 ft 0 in | 1.219 m | 121.9 cm |
| 5 ft 0 in | 1.524 m | 152.4 cm |
| 5 ft 4 in | 1.626 m | 162.6 cm |
| 5 ft 6 in | 1.676 m | 167.6 cm |
| 5 ft 10 in | 1.778 m | 177.8 cm |
| 6 ft 0 in | 1.829 m | 182.9 cm |
| 6 ft 6 in | 1.981 m | 198.1 cm |
| 8 ft 0 in | 2.438 m | 243.8 cm |
| 10 ft 0 in | 3.048 m | 304.8 cm |
| 12 ft 6 in | 3.810 m | 381.0 cm |
Worked Example: Converting an Old Room Plan
Example: the original plans for a 1930s semi mark the front room as 12 ft 6 in long. A flooring shop wants the size in metres. Leave the Direction on “Feet and inches to metres”, enter 12 in Feet and 6 in Inches. The converter works out 12 x 12 + 6 = 150 inches, then 150 x 0.0254, and shows 3.81 m, or 381 cm. Repeat it for the width to have both measurements in metres for the quote.
Once your room sizes are in metres, the carpet calculator works out how much carpet to buy from the roll width, and the laminate flooring calculator turns the same measurements into packs. Both sit with our other flooring calculators.
Feet and Inches to Metres Converter FAQs
How many metres is 1 foot?
One foot is exactly 0.3048 metres, or 30.48 cm. The figure has been exact since 1959, when the UK, US and other countries agreed a common yard of 0.9144 m. Three feet make one yard, so a yard is a little under one metre.
How many centimetres is an inch?
One inch is exactly 2.54 centimetres, or 25.4 millimetres. Multiply inches by 2.54 to get centimetres. Twelve inches make one foot, so a foot is 30.48 cm, which is why rulers marked 30 cm and 12 inches look almost the same length.
How tall is 1.7 metres in feet and inches?
A height of 1.7 metres is 5 ft 6.9 in, which most people round to 5 ft 7 in. Divide 1.7 by 0.0254 to get 66.93 inches, then take out 5 whole feet, or 60 inches, leaving 6.93 inches.
Is 5.5 feet the same as 5 ft 5 in?
No. 5.5 feet is 5 ft 6 in, because half a foot is 6 inches, not 5. Decimal feet and feet and inches are different notations. In metres, 5.5 feet is 1.676 m while 5 ft 5 in is only 1.651 m.
How do you write feet and inches?
Feet are written with a single prime mark and inches with a double prime, so 5 ft 10 in can be written 5′ 10″. In everyday UK writing, “5 ft 10 in” or “5 foot 10” are clearer and easier to search, and they avoid confusion with minutes and seconds.
How many feet are in a metre?
One metre is 3.281 feet, or 3 ft 3.37 in. Divide any length in metres by 0.3048 to get decimal feet. A 2 metre ceiling height is about 6 ft 6.7 in, slightly taller than a standard door.
Checked October 2026. Sources: NIST: SI units, length, Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1 (legislation.gov.uk), Foot (Wikipedia).