To convert a height in feet and inches to centimeters, first turn the feet into inches, add the remaining inches, then multiply by 2.54. To convert centimeters back, divide by 2.54 and express the result as feet plus leftover inches. For example, 5 ft 8 in is exactly 172.72 cm; 170 cm is about 5 ft 7 in when rounded to the nearest whole inch.
The conversion factors you need
One foot is 12 inches, and one inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters. Therefore, one international foot is exactly 30.48 centimeters. These are the appropriate factors for ordinary height conversion. The separate U.S. survey foot was a geodetic unit, deprecated for use after December 31, 2022. See the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) references for the U.S. survey foot and conversion factors in the NIST Guide to the SI.
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NIST’s quick-reference factors of 0.39 inches per centimeter and 3.28 feet per meter are rounded approximations, not exact factors. For precise height conversions, use 2.54 centimeters per inch or 30.48 centimeters per international foot. NIST’s unit-conversion overview notes that NIST SP 811, Appendix B is an essential source when exact conversion factors are needed.
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- Multiply the number of feet by 12 to get inches.
- Add the inches already given.
- Multiply the total inches by 2.54.
Formula: centimeters = (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54
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Example: 5 ft 8 in = (5 × 12 + 8) × 2.54 = 68 × 2.54 = 172.72 cm.
Convert centimeters to feet and inches
- Divide the centimeters by 2.54 to find total inches.
- Divide total inches by 12. The whole-number quotient is feet; the remainder is inches.
- Keep the full result until the final step, then round only if you want to report a whole-inch height.
Example: 170 cm ÷ 2.54 ≈ 66.93 inches. That is 5 feet plus about 6.93 inches, or about 5 ft 7 in to the nearest whole inch. The rounded answer is not an exact equality: 170 cm is not exactly 5 ft 7 in.
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An equivalent route is to divide centimeters by 30.48 to get decimal feet. Keep the whole feet, then multiply the fractional part by 12 to convert it to inches. The exact factors are listed in NIST’s approximate conversions from U.S. customary measures to metric.
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There is no universal NIST rule for how to round a casual height description. Match the format to the purpose:
Quick Recap
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- For a casual description: round the inch remainder to the nearest whole inch and say that the result is approximate.
- For a calculation or record that needs more detail: give decimal inches or centimeters and state the precision you are using.
- When converting between units: retain unrounded values through the calculation and round once at the end. If rounding the inch remainder gives 12 inches, carry that inch into the feet.
Avoid common conversion mistakes
- Convert all the feet. Multiply feet by 12 and add the remaining inches before multiplying by 2.54. Multiplying only the inch remainder leaves out most of the height.
- Do not confuse decimal feet with feet-and-inches notation. A decimal height of 5.5 feet is 5 feet plus half a foot, or 5 ft 6 in—not 5 ft 5 in.
- Do not treat a rounded answer as exact. For instance, 170 cm rounds to about 5 ft 7 in, but the unrounded inch value is about 66.93 inches.
- Avoid rounded shortcut factors when precision matters. Use 2.54 cm per inch rather than 0.39 inches per centimeter, or 30.48 cm per international foot rather than 3.28 feet per meter.
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