Centimeters to Feet

Most of the world records height in centimeters, while Americans, and many Britons and Canadians, describe themselves in feet and inches. Dating profiles, sports rosters, ride requirements and conversations with friends abroad all force the switch. A few reference points help: 160 cm is 5 ft 3 in, 170 cm is 5 ft 7 in, 175 cm is 5 ft 9 in, 183 cm is 6 ft 0 in and 190 cm is 6 ft 2.8 in.

The method is the same every time. Divide the centimeters by 30.48 to get decimal feet, keep the whole number as feet, then multiply the decimal part by 12 for the inches. For 165 cm that gives 5.413 ft, then 0.413 × 12 = 4.96, so 5 ft 5 in. Alternatively, divide by 2.54 to get total inches (64.96) and split off 12-inch groups.

Furniture sold in Europe and Asia is listed in centimeters. A 200 cm sofa is 6.56 ft long, or 6 ft 6.7 in, and a 90 cm wide hallway is just under 3 ft. Mattresses show how near-matches can mislead: a European king bed of 160 × 200 cm is 5 ft 3 in by 6 ft 6.7 in, while a US queen is 60 × 80 in, which is 152.4 × 203.2 cm. Sheets from one market rarely fit the other.

Room sizes in metric floor plans work the same way: a 3.5 m bedroom wall is 350 cm, or 11 ft 5.8 in.

A result like 5.9 ft looks like five foot nine, but it means five and nine tenths of a foot, which is 5 ft 10.8 in. The digits after the decimal point are tenths, not inches, and a foot has twelve inches, not ten. This mix-up is why online height lists sometimes disagree by an inch or more.

To go back from feet and inches, the feet to centimeters page takes both parts at once. For centimeters to inches only, or any other length pair, use the unit converter.