Length & Distance Converter
Convert between metric and imperial length — centimetres to inches, metres to feet, kilometres to miles — and get heights back as proper feet and inches.
Fill in the fields to see your result.
Quick reference table
The conversions people look up most often, for the two units you've picked above. Change either dropdown and this table changes with it.
The numbers behind the conversion
Every length conversion on this page runs through the metre, because since 1959 the imperial units have been defined in terms of it. That agreement, the International Yard and Pound Agreement, is why the conversions below are exact rather than approximate:
| Unit | Exactly equal to |
|---|---|
| 1 inch | 2.54 cm (exact, by definition) |
| 1 foot | 12 inches = 30.48 cm |
| 1 yard | 3 feet = 0.9144 m |
| 1 mile | 1,760 yards = 1,609.344 m |
| 1 nautical mile | 1,852 m (exact, by international agreement) |
So when you see 1 inch written as 2.54 centimetres, that isn't a rounded figure someone measured. It's the definition. The inch is defined as 2.54 centimetres, which means every conversion built on it is exact too.
Heights: why feet and inches trip people up
Ask a converter for 170 cm in feet and most of them hand back 5.5774 feet, which is correct and completely useless. Nobody says they're five point five seven feet tall. What you actually want is 5 ft 7 in, and this page gives you that automatically whenever the length you enter is under three metres.
The reason the decimal is confusing is that feet don't divide into tenths, they divide into twelve inches. So 5.5 feet isn't 5 feet 5 inches — it's 5 feet 6 inches. Half of twelve, not half of ten. That single mismatch is behind most of the confusion around imperial measurements.
Where each unit actually gets used
- Millimetres dominate engineering drawings, joinery and anything printed. A carpenter will quote you in millimetres even in countries that otherwise use centimetres, because millimetres avoid decimals.
- Centimetres are the everyday metric unit for bodies, furniture and luggage.
- Inches survive worldwide for screens, tyres, pipes and bike frames, even in fully metric countries. Your 55-inch television is 55 inches in Paris too.
- Feet are the aviation standard everywhere on earth. Every airliner in the world reports its altitude in feet, regardless of which country it took off from.
- Nautical miles exist because one of them is almost exactly one minute of latitude. That makes navigation arithmetic trivial on a chart, which is why shipping and aviation both kept them.
The conversions worth memorising
You don't need many. These five will get you through almost any everyday situation without opening anything:
| Rough rule | Good enough for | Real answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch ≈ 2.5 cm | Anything hand-sized | 2.54 cm |
| 1 foot ≈ 30 cm | Furniture, rooms | 30.48 cm |
| 1 metre ≈ 3¼ feet | Heights, room sizes | 3.2808 ft |
| 1 mile ≈ 1.6 km | Driving, running | 1.6093 km |
| Halve km, add a quarter | km → miles in your head | Within 1% |
That last one is the most useful trick on the page. To turn 80 km into miles: halve it to 40, add a quarter of 40 which is 10, and you get 50. The true answer is 49.7. Close enough to decide whether to walk.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 inch exactly 2.54 cm, or is that rounded?
Exactly. Since the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959, the inch has been defined as 2.54 centimetres — it isn't a measurement, it's a definition. Every conversion built on it, including feet, yards and miles, is therefore exact as well.
How do I convert my height to feet and inches?
Enter your height in centimetres and this page shows the feet-and-inches reading automatically, above the other results. It only appears for lengths under three metres, because that's the only range where anyone wants it.
Why does 5.5 feet not mean 5 feet 5 inches?
Because a foot contains twelve inches, not ten. Half a foot is six inches, so 5.5 feet is 5 feet 6 inches. Decimal feet and feet-and-inches are two different ways of writing the same length, and mixing them up is the most common length mistake there is.
What's the difference between a mile and a nautical mile?
A statute mile is 1,609.344 metres and is what road signs mean. A nautical mile is 1,852 metres — about 15% longer — and exists because it equals one minute of latitude, which makes chart navigation far easier. Ships and aircraft use nautical miles; cars use statute ones.
Why do metric countries still measure TVs and tyres in inches?
Because those industries standardised globally on inch-based sizes before their markets went metric, and changing the labels now would break every comparison chart and every spare part catalogue. Screens, tyres, pipe fittings and bike wheels all stayed imperial almost everywhere.
Are my numbers sent anywhere?
No. The conversion happens inside your own browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored or shared, and there's no sign-up.
Related calculators
Please note: CalcuLane uses the internationally agreed definitions, which are exact for length, weight, temperature, volume, speed and data. Shoe sizing is a convention rather than a measurement and varies between brands, so treat those results as a starting point. Where precision genuinely matters, confirm against an authoritative source.