Feet Converter
Enter a measurement in feet to convert it instantly to millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, yards, miles, and nautical miles. Switch to reverse mode to convert any of those units back to feet. The show-your-work panel displays every formula with your actual numbers, and a reference table covers common foot values from 1 to 20 feet.
What is a foot (ft)?
The foot is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems. It is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters, a definition agreed internationally in 1959 by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. One foot equals 12 inches or one-third of a yard. The symbol is ft, and the prime mark (') is also widely used in informal contexts, for example 6'2" means 6 feet 2 inches. The foot remains the primary everyday unit for height and short distances in the United States and is widely used in aviation, real estate, and construction in the UK and Canada.
How to convert feet to meters and other metric units
Because 1 foot = 0.3048 meters exactly, metric conversions involve no rounding in the conversion factor itself. To convert feet to meters, multiply by 0.3048. To get centimeters, multiply by 30.48. To get millimeters, multiply by 304.8. Kilometers are rarely used for foot-scale distances, but the factor is 0.0003048. Going the other way, divide by the same factors: 1 meter = 3.28084 feet (approximately), and 1 centimeter = 0.032808 feet. For everyday height conversion, a quick approximation is to divide centimeters by 30, which gives feet accurate to about 1 percent.
Feet to inches and yards: the imperial ladder
Within the imperial system, the three most common length units are the inch, the foot, and the yard. One foot contains exactly 12 inches, so to convert feet to inches multiply by 12. One yard contains exactly 3 feet, so to convert feet to yards divide by 3. A mile is 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards. These whole-number ratios make mental arithmetic straightforward: 6 feet is 72 inches, or 2 yards. The feet-and-inches format (e.g., 5 ft 9 in) is common for human height in the US and UK; the decimal equivalent is 5 + 9/12 = 5.75 feet.
Practical reference: common conversions
A few landmarks make unit sense immediate. A standard interior door is about 6 ft 8 in (2.032 m) tall. A standard basketball hoop sits at exactly 10 ft (3.048 m). The average adult man in the US is about 5 ft 9 in (1.753 m). A football field (US) is 360 ft (109.7 m) from end zone to end zone. The speed-of-sound at sea level is about 1,125 ft/s (343 m/s). Runway and ceiling altitudes in aviation are almost always stated in feet. One nautical mile, used in navigation, equals 6,076.12 feet (1,852 m exactly).
Reverse conversions: any unit to feet
Switch the direction selector above to convert a measurement given in another unit back into feet. Key reverse factors: 1 inch = 0.0833 ft, 1 centimeter = 0.03281 ft, 1 meter = 3.28084 ft, 1 yard = 3 ft, 1 kilometer = 3,280.84 ft, 1 mile = 5,280 ft, and 1 nautical mile = 6,076.12 ft. The show-your-work panel displays the exact factor and the arithmetic so you can verify any conversion at a glance.
Common feet conversions (1 to 20 ft)
| Feet (ft) | Inches (in) | Meters (m) | Centimeters (cm) | Yards (yd) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 0.3048 | 30.48 | 0.3333 |
| 2 | 24 | 0.6096 | 60.96 | 0.6667 |
| 3 | 36 | 0.9144 | 91.44 | 1.0000 |
| 4 | 48 | 1.2192 | 121.92 | 1.3333 |
| 5 | 60 | 1.5240 | 152.40 | 1.6667 |
| 6 | 72 | 1.8288 | 182.88 | 2.0000 |
| 7 | 84 | 2.1336 | 213.36 | 2.3333 |
| 8 | 96 | 2.4384 | 243.84 | 2.6667 |
| 9 | 108 | 2.7432 | 274.32 | 3.0000 |
| 10 | 120 | 3.0480 | 304.80 | 3.3333 |
| 11 | 132 | 3.3528 | 335.28 | 3.6667 |
| 12 | 144 | 3.6576 | 365.76 | 4.0000 |
| 13 | 156 | 3.9624 | 396.24 | 4.3333 |
| 14 | 168 | 4.2672 | 426.72 | 4.6667 |
| 15 | 180 | 4.5720 | 457.20 | 5.0000 |
| 16 | 192 | 4.8768 | 487.68 | 5.3333 |
| 17 | 204 | 5.1816 | 518.16 | 5.6667 |
| 18 | 216 | 5.4864 | 548.64 | 6.0000 |
| 19 | 228 | 5.7912 | 579.12 | 6.3333 |
| 20 | 240 | 6.0960 | 609.60 | 6.6667 |
All values are exact or rounded to four significant figures. 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly.
Frequently asked questions
How many feet are in a meter?
Exactly 1 meter = 3.28084 feet (to five decimal places). Because 1 foot is defined as 0.3048 m exactly, the precise ratio is 1/0.3048, which is a repeating decimal: 3.2808398...
How do I convert feet to centimeters?
Multiply feet by 30.48. For example, 5 feet = 5 x 30.48 = 152.4 cm. The factor 30.48 is exact because 1 foot = 0.3048 m and 1 m = 100 cm, so 0.3048 x 100 = 30.48.
What is 6 feet in meters?
6 feet = 6 x 0.3048 = 1.8288 meters exactly. That is also 182.88 cm or about 1 m 82.9 cm.
How do I convert feet and inches to a decimal foot value?
Divide the inches part by 12, then add it to the whole feet. For example, 5 feet 9 inches = 5 + (9/12) = 5 + 0.75 = 5.75 feet. Enter 5.75 in the feet field above to get all metric and imperial equivalents.
How many inches are in a foot?
Exactly 12 inches. This is a fixed definition in both the US customary and the imperial systems. So 6 feet = 72 inches, and 1 inch = 1/12 foot = approximately 0.0833 ft.
Why are feet still used in the United States?
The US adopted the metric system for scientific and many industrial purposes but retained customary units for everyday use through a combination of historical convention, infrastructure, and public familiarity. The foot is entrenched in construction, real estate, and everyday height references. Aviation worldwide continues to use feet for altitude, which keeps the unit relevant internationally even in countries that otherwise use metric.
How do I convert feet to nautical miles?
Multiply feet by 0.3048 (to get meters), then divide by 1,852 (meters per nautical mile). The combined factor is 0.3048/1852, or approximately 0.000164579. So 6,076.12 feet equals 1 nautical mile.