Length Converter

This free online length converter lets you switch instantly between metric and imperial distance units, including millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards, and miles. Just pick your "From" and "To" units, enter a value, and get an accurate conversion in seconds.

Meter (m)
Centimeter (cm)

How to Use the Length Converter

  1. Select the unit you are converting from in the "From Unit" dropdown, such as Meter (m) or Inch (in).
  2. Select the unit you want to convert to in the "To Unit" dropdown, such as Foot (ft) or Kilometer (km).
  3. Enter the number you want to convert in the "Value" field.
  4. Click "Convert" to instantly see the equivalent length.

How the Length Conversion Works

Every unit in this converter is stored as a fixed number of metres. Your value is first multiplied by the "From" unit's factor to get metres, and that figure is then divided by the "To" unit's factor. Because the metre is the shared base, any pair of units converts in the same two steps, with no separate formula for each pair.

The imperial units here are not approximations. Since the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, the inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 cm, so the foot (12 inches), the yard (3 feet) and the mile (1,760 yards) all have exact metric values. These are the factors the converter uses:

UnitValue in metresRelation
Millimetre0.001one-tenth of a centimetre
Centimetre0.01one-hundredth of a metre
Kilometre1,0001,000 metres
Inch0.0254exactly 2.54 cm
Foot0.304812 inches
Yard0.91443 feet
Mile1,609.3441,760 yards or 5,280 feet

Worked Example: Converting Height

In India, height is usually spoken of in feet and inches, while hospital records, passport forms and BMI charts ask for centimetres. Take a height of 5 feet 7 inches. The converter accepts one unit at a time, so convert the two parts separately and add them: 5 ft × 30.48 = 152.4 cm, and 7 in × 2.54 = 17.78 cm, giving 170.18 cm. You can also turn the whole height into inches first (5 × 12 + 7 = 67 inches) and convert 67 inches, which gives the same 170.18 cm.

Going the other way, 170 cm converted to feet shows about 5.577 ft. The part after the decimal point is a fraction of a foot, not a number of inches. Multiply it by 12 to get inches: 0.577 × 12 ≈ 6.93, so 170 cm is just under 5 feet 7 inches. Converting 170 cm straight to inches (about 66.93 in) and subtracting 60 inches for the first 5 feet gives the same answer.

Common Length Equivalents

ValueEquals
1 m3.2808 ft = 39.3701 in
1 ft30.48 cm
1 in2.54 cm = 25.4 mm
6 ft182.88 cm
1 yd91.44 cm
1 km0.6214 mi
1 mi1.6093 km = 5,280 ft
10 km6.2137 mi
42.195 km (marathon)26.219 mi

Where Each Unit Shows Up, and Mistakes to Avoid

  • Road distances and milestones in India are in kilometres, but some foreign car manuals and UK or US travel guides use miles. A speed of 60 mph is about 96.6 km/h.
  • TV, monitor and phone sizes are quoted in inches and measure the screen diagonal, not its width. A 43-inch TV has a diagonal of about 109 cm.
  • Plot and room dimensions are commonly given in feet, as in a 30 × 40 ft plot, while building plans and bye-laws may use metres. Convert each side separately before working out the area, or use the area converter for the final figure.
  • Do not read 5.5 ft as 5 feet 5 inches. It is 5 feet 6 inches, because half a foot is 6 inches.
  • Check which edge of a measuring tape you are reading. Many tapes show centimetres on one edge and inches on the other, so a mark labelled 30 means 30 cm on one side but about 76 cm on the other.

Frequently Asked Questions

1 meter equals approximately 3.281 feet. You can verify this by setting "From Unit" to Meter (m) and "To Unit" to Foot (ft) above.

It supports millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards, and miles, covering both the metric and imperial systems.

Set "From Unit" to Mile (mi) and "To Unit" to Kilometer (km), enter your value, and click Convert. 1 mile equals approximately 1.609 kilometers.

Turn the height into inches first (feet × 12 + inches), then convert inches to centimetres. For 5 feet 4 inches that is 64 inches, and 64 × 2.54 = 162.56 cm.

The converter gives decimal feet, so 5.75 ft means five and three-quarter feet. To get inches, multiply the decimal part by 12: 0.75 × 12 = 9, so 5.75 ft is 5 feet 9 inches.
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