Meter to Feet Converter

1 m is about 3.2808 ft, and 1 ft is exactly 0.3048 m

Since July 1, 1959, the foot has been defined from the international yard (0.9144 m) as exactly 0.3048 m. To go from feet to meters, multiply by 0.3048. To go from meters to feet, divide by 0.3048. Dividing 1 m by 0.3048 gives 3.280839895…, a decimal that never ends, so it is written as 3.2808 ft, rounded at the fourth decimal. Going the other way is always clean: 1,000 ft is 304.8 m and 30,000 ft is 9,144 m.

The converter above has three linked fields: a metric length, feet as a decimal, and feet + inches. Enter a height such as 5 ft 10 in in the feet + inches field. Enter one such as 170 cm in the metric field with the unit set to cm. The result shows the value rounded to the nearest 1/16 inch, as on a tape measure, and every unit. A result that divides evenly is marked "=" and a rounded one "≈". The "Same length, two scales" ruler puts a metric scale and a feet-and-inches scale side by side. The "Length comparison" bar shows how many times your length fits a basketball rim, the Eiffel Tower or a cruising altitude on a log scale.

When you need to switch between meters and feet

• Heights and body measurements: In the US, height is given in feet and inches, such as 5 ft 10 in. That is 70 inches, and 70 × 2.54 = 177.8 cm. In the other direction, 170 cm is 5 ft 6.9 in as feet and inches, and 180 cm is 5 ft 10.9 in.
• Flight altitude: Aviation works in feet. The FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary defines FL250 as an altitude where a pressure altimeter reads 25,000 ft. 30,000 ft is 9,144 m and FL350 (35,000 ft) is 10,668 m.
• Sports field specs: A basketball rim is 10 ft (3.048 m) high. In baseball the distance from the pitching rubber to home plate is 60 ft 6 in (18.4404 m). Specs set in feet like these pick up extra decimals in meters. The IFAB Laws of the Game give soccer goals as 7.32 m (8 yds) wide and 2.44 m (8 ft) high, with both units printed; the metric values are rounded, since 8 yd converts to exactly 7.3152 m.
• Room, furniture and product sizes: Use it for a room listed as 12 ft × 10 ft or a bookcase listed as 6 ft tall, when you need centimeters. Floor area in square feet (sq ft) needs the length factor twice, so see "Common mistakes" below.

How to calculate

1. Feet to meters: feet × 0.3048. 6 ft is 6 × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m. For centimeters, multiply by 30.48 (6 × 30.48 = 182.88 cm).
2. Meters to feet: meters ÷ 0.3048. 1.7 m is 1.7 ÷ 0.3048 = 5.5774 ft. For a value in centimeters, divide by 30.48 (170 ÷ 30.48 = 5.5774 ft).
3. Feet + inches to meters: get the total inches as feet × 12 + inches, then multiply by 2.54 cm. 5 ft 10 in is 5 × 12 + 10 = 70 in, and 70 × 2.54 = 177.8 cm.
4. Meters to feet + inches: divide meters by 0.0254 for the total inches, then divide by 12. The quotient is the feet and the remainder is the inches. 1.7 m is 66.9291 in, and 66.9291 ÷ 12 is 5 with a remainder of 6.9291, so 1.7 m is 5 ft 6.9291 in. This converter rounds the inches first and carries 12 inches up to the next foot, so it never shows "5 ft 12 in".
5. Sixteenths of an inch: US tape measures are marked in 1/16 inch. The converter multiplies the total inches by 16, rounds, and reduces the fraction, so 1 m reads as 3′ 3 3/8″, which you can find directly on a tape.

Meters and feet are rounded at the fourth decimal and the inches in feet + inches at the second decimal. Values below 1 keep four significant digits. A value without "≈" is exact with no rounding. The math uses integer fractions, so there is no error at rounding boundaries.

Reading height in feet and inches

People usually give height in feet and inches (5 ft 10 in), not as a decimal (5.83 ft). The table below converts feet and inches to centimeters, meters and decimal feet. The height buttons under "Quick values" above fill the same values into the converter.

Do not read 5.58 ft as "5 feet 58" or "5 feet 5.8 inches". The decimal part 0.58 is 0.58 × 12 = 6.96 inches, so 5.58 ft is about 5 ft 7 in. For a height given in centimeters, 170 cm is 5.5774 ft, or 5 ft 6.9 in, which is 5′ 7″ to the nearest inch.

Flight altitude is in feet: 30,000 ft is 9,144 m

The FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary defines a flight level (FL) as an altitude read on an altimeter set to standard pressure, and gives FL250 as 25,000 ft. Multiply the number after FL by 100 to get feet, then by 0.3048 to get meters. The reduced vertical separation band (RVSM) runs from FL290 to FL410, which is 8,839.2 m to 12,496.8 m.

A flight level is a pressure altitude, so the same FL can sit at a different true height above the sea depending on the weather. This table only changes units.

0.3048 is a definition: the international foot and the survey foot

According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the yard in use since July 1, 1959 is exactly 0.9144 m, which gives 1 in = 25.4 mm and 1 ft = 0.3048 m. The factors between feet, inches, yards, miles and meters are therefore definitions, not measurements. 1 mi = 5,280 ft = 1,609.344 m is exact to the last digit.

US land surveys still contain the U.S. survey foot, which keeps the pre-1959 definition. It is 1200/3937 m (about 0.3048006 m), which is 0.0006096 mm longer than the international foot. Over 1,000 ft the difference is 0.61 mm. Over 1,000,000 ft (about 305 km) it grows to 0.61 m. NIST retired the survey foot after December 31, 2022. You only need to check which foot a source used when you work with old survey plats or coordinates. This converter uses the international foot.

Reference points for comparing lengths

These are the reference points used by the "Length comparison" bar, with the value as originally published. Specs set in feet or yards are published in feet. Buildings and mountains published in meters keep their meter value.

The soccer goal specs give the metric values first (2.44 m and 7.32 m), so those are used. Converting 8 ft and 8 yd directly gives 2.4384 m and 7.3152 m. Organizations measure buildings differently, for example with or without a spire, so the values are copied as published.

Common mistakes

• Reading 5.5 ft as 5 ft 5 in: 0.5 ft is 6 inches, so 5.5 ft is 5 ft 6 in. Type 5.5 in the decimal feet field and the feet + inches field changes to 5 ft 6 in.
• Estimating large values with 1 m ≈ 3.3 ft: 1,000 m written as 3,300 ft is 19.16 ft more than the real 3,280.84 ft. That is fine in conversation, but use 0.3048 for altitude or distance records.
• Estimating 1 ft as 30 cm: 1 ft is 30.48 cm, so 10 ft written as 300 cm is 4.8 cm short.
• Using the length factor for area: 1 sq ft is 0.3048 × 0.3048 = 0.09290304 m², and 1 m² is about 10.7639 sq ft. Multiplying square feet by 0.3048 alone gives a badly wrong answer. Use an area converter for floor space.
• Reading ′ and ″ as minutes and seconds: 5′ 10″ is 5 feet 10 inches. The marks look like those for angle and time, which causes confusion.
• Old US survey data: Data in the survey foot differs from the international foot by 0.61 m per 1,000,000 ft. It does not affect ordinary dimensions.

Limits and cautions

• Results are rounded at the decimal places you pick (2, 4 or 6). Values below 1 are shown with four significant digits. For contracts or drawings, write down the original value, the original unit and the rounding you used.
• The 1/16 inch value is rounded so you can find it on a tape, so it can be off by up to 1/32 inch (about 0.79 mm).
• You can enter a length from 0 to 100,000,000 m (100,000 km). Only the international foot (0.3048 m) is used.
• Your input is calculated in this browser and is not sent anywhere. Copy link puts your input into the address.

Sources

• 01NIST SP 811 Appendix B.9 — Factors for units listed by kind of quantityfoot 0.3048 m, inch 0.0254 m, yard 0.9144 m, mile 1,609.344 m (exact), foot (U.S. survey) 0.3048006 m. Checked 2026-10-13
• 02NIST — SI Units: Length1 in = 25.4 mm (exact) from the yard in use since July 1, 1959
• 03NIST — U.S. Survey FootSurvey foot 1200/3937 m, retired after December 31, 2022
• 04FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary — Flight LevelFL 250 = 25,000 ft on a pressure altimeter
• 05FAA Aeronautical Information Manual 4-6 — RVSMRVSM altitudes FL290 to FL410
• 06IFAB Laws of the Game — Law 1 The Field of PlayGoal width 7.32 m (8 yds), height to the crossbar 2.44 m (8 ft)
• 07NBA Official Rules — Rule No. 1Top of the rim 10′ above the floor
• 08MLB — The FieldPitching rubber to the back of home plate, 60 ft 6 in
• 09National Park Service — Statue of Liberty: Statue StatisticsGround to torch tip, 305′1″ (92.99 m)
• 10La tour Eiffel — Key figuresCurrent height 1,083 feet
• 11CTBUH Skyscraper Center — Burj Khalifa828 m / 2,717 ft
• 12The Kathmandu Post (2020-12-08) — Mount Everest is 8,848.86 metres tallJoint Nepal–China announcement, 8,848.86 m
• 13World Athletics — Marathon26 miles 385 yards (42.195 km)

Frequently asked questions

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