Height Converter (cm ↔ feet/inches)
Convert height between centimetres and feet/inches, either direction.
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This converter turns a height in feet and inches into centimetres, or a height in centimetres into feet and inches. It is built for the everyday cases: filling in a form that wants the other unit, reading a height in a matrimonial profile, or setting up a fitness app.
Which boxes to fill
- Feet to cm: type the feet and inches, leave the centimetre box empty, and press Convert. The result shows centimetres to one decimal place, plus metres and total inches.
- cm to feet: type a value in or Centimetres. The result reads like "175 cm = 5' 9"", with the total inches and metres below it.
If the centimetre box has a value, it takes priority even when the feet and inches boxes are filled, so clear it to convert the other way. Half inches are fine: 5 ft 6.5 in gives 168.9 cm.
The conversion behind it
An inch is defined as exactly 2.54 cm, so a foot is 30.48 cm. Going from feet and inches, the tool first counts total inches and then multiplies:
5' 9" = 5 × 12 + 9 = 69 inches 69 × 2.54 = 175.26 cm, shown as 175.3 cm
Going the other way, 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.9 inches. The first 60 inches make 5 feet, and the remaining 8.9 inches are rounded to the nearest whole inch, giving 5' 9". That rounding is why a round trip does not always land on the same number: 175 cm becomes 5' 9", but 5' 9" is 175.3 cm.
Quick reference: common heights
| Feet and inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|
| 4' 10" | 147.3 |
| 5' 0" | 152.4 |
| 5' 2" | 157.5 |
| 5' 4" | 162.6 |
| 5' 6" | 167.6 |
| 5' 8" | 172.7 |
| 5' 10" | 177.8 |
| 6' 0" | 182.9 |
Where each unit is used
In India, people usually describe their height in feet and inches, which is also how heights appear in most matrimonial biodata, while medical records, government recruitment notices and many international forms ask for centimetres. The UK and the US mostly use feet and inches in daily life. Health calculators such as the BMI calculator need centimetres, so convert first if you only know your height in feet. The biodata generator is handy if you are preparing a marriage profile.
Measuring accurately
- Stand barefoot with heels, back and head against a wall, looking straight ahead.
- Rest a hardback book flat on your head, mark the wall under it, and measure from the floor to the mark.
- Measure in the morning if you want your maximum; the spine compresses slightly through the day, often by about a centimetre.
- For official forms, round the way the form asks. Some want whole centimetres, others one decimal place.