Height is the one measurement where people almost always use mixed units. Americans give their height as feet plus inches, “five nine,” while most of the world uses centimeters, “175.” Converting means combining or splitting two units, which is easy to get slightly wrong. This converter handles both directions, rounds to the precision you choose (nearest inch, half inch, quarter inch or tenth) and highlights your height on a chart from 4′6″ to 7′0″.
How to use the height converter
- Choose the direction: Feet & inches → cm or cm → feet & inches.
- For feet and inches, enter both parts. Decimal inches such as 9.5 are fine, and inches of 12 or more are carried into feet.
- For centimeters, enter the height and choose how to round the inches.
- The tape shows the converted height plus meters, total inches and decimal feet. The chart below marks the nearest whole-inch height in bold.
Height conversion formulas
Because one inch is exactly 2.54 cm:
Round the inches last. If they round up to 12, carry one foot: 182.8 cm is 71.97 inches, which rounds to 6′ 0″, not 5′ 12″.
Worked examples
5 ft 9 in to cm: 5 × 12 + 9 = 69 in; 69 × 2.54 = 175.26 cm (1.753 m).
175 cm to feet and inches: 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.898 in; 68.898 ÷ 12 = 5 ft with 8.898 in left; rounded, 5′ 9″.
163 cm to the nearest half inch: 163 ÷ 2.54 = 64.173 in = 5 ft 4.17 in, which rounds to 5′ 4″ (64.0 in is closer than 64.5).
Height chart: feet and inches to centimeters
| Height | cm | Height | cm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4′ 10″ | 147.3 | 5′ 9″ | 175.3 |
| 4′ 11″ | 149.9 | 5′ 10″ | 177.8 |
| 5′ 0″ | 152.4 | 5′ 11″ | 180.3 |
| 5′ 1″ | 154.9 | 6′ 0″ | 182.9 |
| 5′ 2″ | 157.5 | 6′ 1″ | 185.4 |
| 5′ 3″ | 160.0 | 6′ 2″ | 188.0 |
| 5′ 4″ | 162.6 | 6′ 3″ | 190.5 |
| 5′ 5″ | 165.1 | 6′ 4″ | 193.0 |
| 5′ 6″ | 167.6 | 6′ 5″ | 195.6 |
| 5′ 7″ | 170.2 | 6′ 6″ | 198.1 |
| 5′ 8″ | 172.7 | 6′ 8″ | 203.2 |
Centimeters to feet and inches
| cm | Feet & inches | cm | Feet & inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 4′ 11″ | 175 | 5′ 9″ |
| 155 | 5′ 1″ | 180 | 5′ 11″ |
| 160 | 5′ 3″ | 185 | 6′ 1″ |
| 165 | 5′ 5″ | 190 | 6′ 3″ |
| 170 | 5′ 7″ | 200 | 6′ 7″ |
Values in this table are rounded to the nearest inch.
Getting an accurate height
A conversion is only as good as the measurement behind it. Measure barefoot, standing straight against a wall, with a flat object resting level on top of your head; mark the wall and measure from the floor. Height is typically greatest in the morning and can drop by about 1 cm over the day as spinal discs compress. Medical forms in the US usually want height to the nearest quarter or half inch, while metric forms ask for whole centimeters.
Height feeds into several health tools: the BMI calculator accepts either unit system, as does the ideal weight calculator. For other lengths, use the length converter or the inches to centimeters chart, and to add or subtract measurements in feet and inches, try the feet and inches calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert my height from feet and inches to centimeters?
Convert to total inches (feet × 12 + inches), then multiply by 2.54. For 5 ft 9 in: 5 × 12 + 9 = 69 in, and 69 × 2.54 = 175.26 cm.
How do I convert centimeters to feet and inches?
Divide by 2.54 to get inches, then divide by 12. The whole number is feet and the remainder is inches. 175 cm ÷ 2.54 = 68.9 in; 68.9 ÷ 12 = 5 with 8.9 left over, so about 5 ft 9 in.
How tall is 6 feet in cm?
Exactly 182.88 cm. Six feet is 72 inches, and 72 × 2.54 = 182.88.
Why is the inch exactly 2.54 cm?
Since the international yard and pound agreement took effect in 1959, the inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters. Height conversions are therefore exact; only the final rounding introduces error.