How it works
Every unit is defined by its size in meters, and a conversion multiplies by the ratio of the two sizes:
value in target unit = value × (size of source unit ÷ size of target unit)
The line under the result shows that ratio for the units you picked, for example 1 ft = 0.3048 m. To convert by hand, multiply by it.
| Unit | In meters | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Millimeter (mm) | 0.001 | 1/1000 of a meter |
| Centimeter (cm) | 0.01 | 1/100 of a meter |
| Kilometer (km) | 1,000 | 1,000 meters |
| Inch (in) | 0.0254 | Exactly 2.54 cm |
| Foot (ft) | 0.3048 | 12 inches |
| Yard (yd) | 0.9144 | 3 feet |
| Mile (mi) | 1,609.344 | 1,760 yards, 5,280 feet |
| Nautical mile (nmi) | 1,852 | Defined internationally |
All of these factors are exact, so the only rounding happens when the result is displayed (up to 10 decimal places).
Examples
- Height. 180 cm ÷ 2.54 = 70.87 in = 5 ft 10.87 in. The other way, 5′ 10″ is 70 × 2.54 = 177.8 cm.
- Running. A 10 km race is 6.214 miles, and a marathon (42.195 km) is 26.219 miles.
- Screens. A 27-inch monitor measures 27 × 2.54 = 68.58 cm across the diagonal.
- Rooms. A 12 ft wall is 12 × 0.3048 = 3.6576 m long.
Quick reference
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| Inches | Centimeters | 2.54 |
| Centimeters | Inches | 0.3937 |
| Feet | Meters | 0.3048 |
| Meters | Feet | 3.2808 |
| Miles | Kilometers | 1.6093 |
| Kilometers | Miles | 0.6214 |