Height Converter

About the Height Converter

Converts a height between feet-and-inches and centimetres, in both directions.

How to use

Choose the direction, enter your height, then click Convert.

Worked example

5 ft 10 in = 177.8 cm.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter the height in feet and inches, or in centimetres.
2. Choose the direction you want to convert.
3. Check the result and use the worked formula if you want to verify it.

The formula explained

• \(\text{centimetres}\) = the height in centimetres
• \(\text{feet}\) = the whole number of feet
• \(\text{inches}\) = the remaining inches

Step by step method

1. Write the height in the form used by the tool, such as 5 feet 8 inches or 173 centimetres.
2. If you are converting to centimetres, multiply the feet by 30.48 and the inches by 2.54.
3. Add those two results together to get the total height in centimetres.
4. If you are converting to feet and inches, divide the centimetres by 2.54, then split the total into feet and remaining inches.

Worked example

Suppose someone is 5 feet 7 inches tall and wants to know their height in centimetres.

1. Convert the feet: \(5\times 30.48 = 152.4\) centimetres.
2. Convert the inches: \(7\times 2.54 = 17.78\) centimetres.
3. Add them: \(152.4 + 17.78 = 170.18\) centimetres.

Tips and common mistakes

• Keep feet and inches separate. Do not treat 5 feet 7 inches as 5.7 feet.
• Use 12 inches per foot when converting back from centimetres to feet and inches.
• A small rounding difference can happen if the result is shown to fewer decimal places.
• Make sure you enter only inches left over after the feet, not total inches.

Frequently asked questions