How to Convert Centimeters to Feet and Inches (Height and Length)

To convert centimeters to feet and inches, divide by 2.54 to get inches, then divide the inches by 12: the whole number is feet and the remainder is inches. For a height of 175 cm, 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.9 inches, and 68.9 ÷ 12 = 5 remainder 8.9, so 175 cm is 5 ft 8.9 in, or about 5′9″.

The conversion factors

These are exact by definition. Since 1959, the inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters, and NIST lists it among the official US conversion factors. That means any rounding in your answer comes from you, not from the factor.

Centimeters to feet and inches, step by step

1. Divide by 2.54 to get the total inches.
2. Divide the inches by 12. The whole-number part is the feet.
3. Multiply the remainder by 12, or subtract feet × 12 from the total, to get the leftover inches.
4. Round the inches to the precision you need.

The height converter performs these steps in one go and shows the result in feet and inches, decimal feet and meters.

Feet and inches to centimeters

Go the other way by converting everything to inches first:

Converting feet and inches to centimeters separately and then adding also works, but it doubles the arithmetic and the chance of a slip.

Height chart: 150 to 200 cm

Each 5 cm step adds just under 2 inches (1.97 in). Each inch of height is 2.54 cm.

The rounding trap: 5 feet 12 inches

Round the total inches before splitting into feet, or carry correctly if the inches round up to 12.

The same issue appears at any boundary. If you need whole inches, round the total (71.89 → 72) and then split it (72 = 6 × 12 + 0).

Decimal feet are not feet and inches

Contractors, surveyors and spreadsheets often use decimal feet. 5.75 ft is not 5 feet 7.5 inches; it is 5 feet plus 0.75 × 12 = 9 inches.

180 cm ÷ 30.48 = 5.906 ft, and 0.906 × 12 = 10.87 inches, matching the chart. The feet and inches calculator adds, subtracts and converts mixed measurements like 12′ 7¾″.

Where each format shows up

US driver’s licenses, sports rosters and most casual conversation give height in feet and inches, while passports from most other countries, international clothing size charts and medical research use centimeters. US doctors’ offices often record both. When filling out a form, check which unit the field expects: entering 175 into a field meant for inches, or 5.9 into one meant for centimeters, is an easy mistake that the form may not catch.

Quick mental estimates

• A foot is about 30 cm (exact: 30.48). 150 cm is roughly 5 feet, though really 4′11″.
• An inch is about 2.5 cm. Divide centimeters by 2.5, which is the same as multiplying by 4 and dividing by 10: 175 cm × 4 = 700 → 70 inches (exact: 68.9, so the estimate is about 1.6% high).
• A meter is about 3 feet 3 inches (exact: 3.28084 ft, or 39.37 in).

For whole-meter conversions, the meters to feet converter and feet to meters converter give exact values.

Fractions of an inch for building and sewing

Tape measures in the US show fractions, not decimals. Convert the decimal inches to the nearest 1/16 by multiplying the fractional part by 16 and rounding:

See how to convert a decimal to a fraction for a full sixteenths chart. For small parts measured in millimeters, divide by 25.4 instead of 2.54.

Converting heights in a spreadsheet

For a column of heights in centimeters in A2:A100, these formulas split each one into feet and inches:

Feet:   =INT(A2/2.54/12)
Inches: =ROUND(MOD(A2/2.54,12),1)
Label:  =INT(A2/2.54/12)&"' "&ROUND(MOD(A2/2.54,12),1)&""""

The label formula produces text like 5’ 8.9”. Beware the rounding trap described above: if you round the inches to whole numbers, a value such as 71.89 inches shows as 5’ 12”. To avoid it, round the total first with =ROUND(A2/2.54,0) and split that rounded number instead. Going the other way, =(B2*12+C2)*2.54 turns feet in B2 and inches in C2 into centimeters, and =CONVERT(A2,"cm","in") handles the inch conversion on its own.

Common mistakes

• Dividing by 12 first. Centimeters must become inches before you can split into feet.
• Reading decimal feet as inches, such as treating 5.9 ft as 5′9″ (it is 5′10.8″).
• Using 2.5 for precise work. The factor is exactly 2.54; 2.5 is off by 1.6%.
• Leaving 12 inches in the inches column instead of carrying to the next foot.

The cm to inches converter and inches to cm converter handle single-unit conversions, and the length converter covers every metric and US unit, from millimeters to miles. Weight conversions follow similar logic; see how to convert kg to pounds.