Height Converter

Height conversions use centimeters as the base unit.

Metric conversions:

• 1 meter = 100 cm

Imperial conversions:

• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 inch = 2.54 cm (exact)
• 1 foot = 30.48 cm (exact)

Cross-system:

• To convert feet+inches to cm: (feet × 30.48) + (inches × 2.54)
• To convert cm to feet+inches: divide cm by 30.48 for feet, remainder by 2.54 for inches

Common height references:

• Average woman (worldwide): 5 ft 4 in (162.5 cm)
• Average man (worldwide): 5 ft 9 in (175.3 cm)
• Doorway height: 6 ft 8 in (203 cm)
• Basketball hoop: 10 ft (305 cm)

The format itself is where people slip. A height written 5'6" means 5 feet plus 6 inches, which is 66 inches in total, not 5.6 of anything. To convert it by hand, first turn everything into inches (5 × 12 + 6 = 66), then multiply by 2.54 to get centimeters. Skipping that first step is the usual mistake.

Which system you meet depends on where you are. The US and UK still give personal height in feet and inches day to day, while most of the world, and nearly all medical records everywhere, use centimeters. The conversions above are exact, since the inch has been defined as precisely 2.54 cm since 1959, so there’s no rounding to worry about when you switch between the two.