4′8″ at a glance
- Centimeters
- 142.24 cm
- Nearest whole cm
- 142 cm
- Meters
- 1.4224 m
- Millimeters
- 1,422.4 mm
- Total inches
- 56 in
- Decimal feet
- 4.6667 ft
How to convert 4′8″ to centimeters
56 in × 2.54 = 142.24 cm
Because the inch is defined as exactly 2.54 cm, 142.24 cm is an exact answer, not a rounded one. Medical and sports forms usually round it to 142 cm.
Is 4′8″ tall? How it compares with US adults
For a man, 4′8″ is very short (below the 5th percentile). A normal-curve estimate puts it rarer than 1 in 10,000. For a woman it is very short (below the 5th percentile). A normal-curve estimate puts it at roughly 1 in 350.
| Group | Where 4′8″ falls | Median height | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men 20 and over | below the 5th percentile | 175.4 cm | −33.2 cm (−13.1 in) |
| Women 20 and over | below the 5th percentile | 161.3 cm | −19.1 cm (−7.5 in) |
| Men 20–29 | below the 5th percentile | 176.0 cm | −33.8 cm (−13.3 in) |
| Women 20–29 | below the 5th percentile | 162.8 cm | −20.6 cm (−8.1 in) |
Put another way, fewer than 5 of every 100 US men are this short, and fewer than 5 of every 100 US women are this short. 4′8″ is closer to the typical woman’s height than the typical man’s; younger adults (20–29) run slightly taller than the all-ages figures, which include older adults who have lost some height.
Healthy weight range for 4′8″
Adult BMI from 18.5 to 24.9 is the range the CDC labels healthy weight. At 4′8″ (1.42 m), that works out to 37.4–50.4 kg, or 83–111 lb.
| BMI | Category | Weight (kg) | Weight (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18.5 | Healthy weight starts | 37.4 | 83 |
| 22.0 | Middle of healthy range | 44.5 | 98 |
| 25.0 | Overweight starts | 50.6 | 112 |
| 30.0 | Obesity starts | 60.7 | 134 |
BMI is a screening number, not a diagnosis: it does not separate muscle from fat and is not meant for children. Check a specific weight with the BMI calculator or compare formulas in the ideal weight calculator.
4′8″ in everyday terms
- Children’s growth. 4′8″ is close to the median height of US 10-year-old boys (141.1 cm) and 10-year-old girls (142.3 cm) in the same CDC survey.
- Car seats. NHTSA advises keeping children in a booster seat until the adult belt fits properly, typically at about 4′9″ (57 in, 144.8 cm). 4′8″ is 1 in below that mark.
- Filling in a metric form? Visa applications, sports registrations and medical charts outside the US ask for 142 cm or 1.42 m; 4′8″ rounds to those values.
Heights near 4′8″
| Feet & inches | Centimeters | Meters |
|---|---|---|
| 4′6″ | 137.16 | 1.37 |
| 4′7″ | 139.7 | 1.40 |
| 4′8″ | 142.24 | 1.42 |
| 4′9″ | 144.78 | 1.45 |
| 4′10″ | 147.32 | 1.47 |
| 4′11″ | 149.86 | 1.50 |
| 5′0″ | 152.4 | 1.52 |
Going the other way: see 142 cm in feet and inches.
Frequently asked questions
What is 4 feet 8 inches in cm?
4 ft 8 in = 56 inches, and 56 × 2.54 = 142.24 cm exactly (1.4224 m).
Is 4′8″ tall for a man?
Among US men aged 20 and over, 4′8″ (142.2 cm) is below the 5th percentile, so it is very short.
Is 4′8″ tall for a woman?
Among US women aged 20 and over, 4′8″ is below the 5th percentile, so it is very short.
What is a healthy weight for someone 4′8″?
A BMI of 18.5–24.9 at 4′8″ corresponds to about 83–111 lb (37.4–50.4 kg). BMI is only a screening measure.