Feet and Inches to Metres — Height Conversion Guide
Converting height from feet and inches to metres is important for medical records, international travel, and fitness tracking. The foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 metres, and one inch equals 0.0254 metres. These are exact values, meaning the conversion is perfectly precise.
In the US, feet and inches are universal for everyday height. Most sports, international clothing sizes, and medical BMI charts use centimetres or metres — making this conversion highly practical across Europe and internationally.
Common references: 5 ft 0 in = 1.524 m; 5 ft 6 in = 1.676 m; 5 ft 9 in = 1.753 m; 6 ft 0 in = 1.829 m; 6 ft 3 in = 1.905 m.
Formula
Convert to total inches first: total inches = (feet × 12) + inches. Then: metres = total inches × 0.0254. Or directly: metres = (feet × 0.3048) + (inches × 0.0254).
Height Conversion Reference Table
- 4 ft 11 in = 1.499 m
- 5 ft 0 in = 1.524 m
- 5 ft 3 in = 1.600 m
- 5 ft 6 in = 1.676 m
- 5 ft 9 in = 1.753 m
- 6 ft 0 in = 1.829 m
- 6 ft 3 in = 1.905 m
- 6 ft 6 in = 1.981 m
Other Uses for Feet to Metres Conversion
Beyond height, feet-to-metres conversion is widely used in construction and architecture (floor plans, ceiling heights), real estate (room dimensions), outdoor sports (climbing routes, diving depths), and aviation (altitude is often given in feet while European aviation uses metres or flight levels).
Centimetres vs. Metres
For height, centimetres (cm) are more commonly used than metres — a person is more likely to be described as 175 cm rather than 1.75 m. To get centimetres from the result in metres, simply multiply by 100. For instance, 5 ft 9 in = 1.7526 m = 175.26 cm, typically rounded to 175 cm.
Related Calculators
- Metres to Feet & Inches — Convert metres to feet and inches.
- Centimetres to Inches — Convert cm to inches and feet.
- Inches to Centimetres — Convert inches to cm and mm.