Feet and Inches to cm Converter

The exact conversion from feet and inches to cm is (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54. One inch equals 2.54 cm exactly, per the 1959 international yard and pound agreement codified in NIST SP 811. This means 5 feet 8 inches in cm works out to (5 × 12 + 8) × 2.54 = 68 × 2.54 = 172.72 cm. The height conversion chart covers 4'0" to 7'0", how to reverse from cm to feet and inches, and the rounding conventions for height that professionals use.

Multiply the number of feet by 12 to get total inches. Add the remaining inches. Multiply that total by 2.54. The result is the length in centimeters. This works for any length, not just height. For a worked example converting 5 feet 8 inches in cm: 5 × 12 = 60 inches. 60 + 8 = 68 inches. 68 × 2.54 = 172.72 cm. That is the exact height. The equation avoids the common failure mode of treating inches as decimals of a foot, which introduces rounding errors. The same equation applies whether you are measuring a person or a board.

The table below gives the complete height chart from 4 feet 0 inches up to 7 feet 0 inches, in 1-inch increments. Each row shows the height in cm. Use this chart as a quick reference: find your height in the left column, read the cm value on the right. For heights between these entries, use the formula above. The chart covers the full range of typical adult human height.

To convert a height in cm back to feet and inches, divide the cm value by 2.54 to get total inches. Then divide total inches by 12. The integer quotient is the number of feet. The remainder from the division is the number of inches. For a worked example, convert 172.72 cm to feet and inches: 172.72 ÷ 2.54 = 68.00 inches. 68 ÷ 12 = 5 with a remainder of 8. That gives 5 feet 8 inches. This method works for any cm value. The calculation uses the INT function to extract whole feet and the MOD function to find the remaining inches. For inches, you may need to round to a usable fraction. This is where rounding conventions for height become relevant.

Height is most often expressed to the nearest whole inch or half inch. A tape measure used for height has marks at every 1/16 inch, but writing a height as 5' 8-1/16" is unusual. Common conventions round to the nearest inch, or to the nearest half inch. When converting from cm to feet and inches, round the inches to the nearest whole number. For medical or fitness records, the standard is to round to the nearest inch. For construction, you may need to round to a specific denominator, such as 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch. The failure mode is rounding too early: convert the cm to inches, round the inches, then convert to feet and inches. Do not round the cm value before converting.

Suppose you have a height of 170 cm. Divide 170 by 2.54 to get 66.93 inches. Divide 66.93 by 12 to get 5 feet with a remainder of 6.93 inches. Round 6.93 inches to the nearest whole inch: 7 inches. The height is 5 feet 7 inches. If you need half-inch precision, note that 6.93 inches is closer to 7 inches than to 6.5 inches, so it stays 5 feet 7 inches. If the remainder were 6.4 inches, you would round to 6.5 inches, giving 5 feet 6-1/2 inches. This illustrates the rounding conventions for height in practice.