Height Conversion: Feet & Inches to CM, Meters — Complete Guide

Height conversion between imperial (feet/inches) and metric (cm/meters) is one of the most commonly searched conversions worldwide. Here’s everything you need.

The conversion formulas

Feet & Inches → CM:  cm = (feet × 30.48) + (inches × 2.54)
CM → Feet & Inches:  total_inches = cm ÷ 2.54
                     feet = floor(total_inches ÷ 12)
                     inches = total_inches mod 12
Meters → Feet:       feet = meters × 3.28084

Most searched heights

Feet/Inches	CM	Meters
5’0”	152.4	1.524
5’4”	162.6	1.626
5’7”	170.2	1.702
5’9”	175.3	1.753
5’10”	177.8	1.778
5’11”	180.3	1.803
6’0”	182.9	1.829
6’2”	188.0	1.880

Average heights by country

Country	Male	Female
Netherlands	6’0” (183 cm)	5’7” (170 cm)
USA	5’9” (175 cm)	5’4” (163 cm)
UK	5’10” (177 cm)	5’4” (163 cm)
India	5’5” (166 cm)	5’0” (152 cm)
Japan	5’7” (172 cm)	5’2” (158 cm)

Quick mental math tricks

• 5 feet = 152 cm (easy anchor point)
• Each inch = 2.5 cm (approximate, actual is 2.54)
• 6 feet = 183 cm (another anchor)
• 170 cm ≈ 5’7” (most searched conversion)
• 180 cm ≈ 5’11” (tall threshold in many countries)

Why two systems exist

The metric system (cm/meters) is used by most of the world. The imperial system (feet/inches) is primarily used in the US, UK (informally), and Canada (mixed). Medical records typically use cm globally, while everyday conversation in the US/UK uses feet and inches.

Convert any height instantly with our Height Converter or use our dedicated Feet to CM Converter for quick lookups.