Height Converter

Doorway clearances arrive in millimetres, running shirts in centimetres, and American order forms ask for feet and inches. Height is the measurement people convert most often and botch most often, because '5.6 feet' is not 5 ft 6 in. This page returns the familiar feet-and-inches reading next to centimetres, metres and inches, so one answer covers both kinds of question.

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Results

In feet (ft): 5.5774
As feet and inches: 5′ 7″
In millimetres (mm): 1,700
In metres (m): 1.7
In inches (in): 66.9291
Exact factor: 1 cm = 0.032808399 ft

How is the Height Converter calculated?

Enter a height and choose its unit. The headline result is the value in that unit, and directly below it the same height as whole feet and the nearest inch — 170 cm reads 5′ 7″ — plus millimetres, metres and inches for forms that insist on them. Switch the from unit to feet with a value like 6 to run the conversion backwards, including decimal feet such as 5.5 ft.

Formula

Convert through centimetres: cm = value × from factor, then target = cm ÷ to factor. Exact factors: 1 in = 2.54 cm · 1 ft = 30.48 cm (12 in) · 1 m = 100 cm. For feet and inches: total inches = cm ÷ 2.54, feet = total ÷ 12 rounded down, inches = total − feet × 12, rounded to the nearest inch.

Example

A doorway listed at 200 cm clears a guest who is 6 ft 1 in: 73 in × 2.54 = 185.42 cm, leaving 14.58 cm of headroom. A 175 cm hiker is 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.90 in, which rounds to 5 ft 9 in. Going the other way, 6 ft 2 in is 74 in × 2.54 = 187.96 cm — check that number against the wardrobe before you order.

Things to remember

Height conversions are exact because the inch is defined as 2.54 cm, so nothing is approximated. Still, rounding to the nearest inch hides a centimetre or two: keep centimetres as the source of truth for tailoring and medical records, and use the feet-and-inches figure for conversations and forms abroad.

Frequently Asked Questions

What height is 170 cm in feet and inches?

5 ft 7 in. Divide 170 by 2.54 to get 66.93 in, which is 5 ft plus 6.93 in; rounding the inches gives 5 ft 7 in. The decimal reading, 5.58 ft, is rarely what anyone actually means when they ask.

How do I convert feet and inches to cm?

Multiply the feet by 12, add the inches, then multiply by 2.54. So 5 ft 10 in is 70 in × 2.54 = 177.8 cm. For 6 ft 2 in you get 74 in × 2.54 = 187.96 cm, which is how tall many cricket bats and wardrobes are specified.

Is 175 cm the same as 5 feet 9 inches?

Almost exactly. 175 cm is 68.90 in, which rounds to 69 in — precisely 5 ft 9 in. The unrounded figure is 5 ft 8.9 in, so the standard conversion sits a whisker under the quoted height rather than over it.

Why is 5.6 feet not 5 ft 6 in?

Because the decimal counts feet, not inches. 0.6 of a foot is 0.6 × 12 = 7.2 in, so 5.6 ft is 5 ft 7.2 in, about 170.7 cm. Whenever you see decimal feet, multiply the fraction by 12 to get the inches people expect.