MultiKit

CM to Inches Converter: Centimeters to Inches and Feet

  • Free
  • No sign-up
  • Runs in your browser
  • Version 1.0.3
  • Last updated 2026-11-02
Report a problem

Type a length in centimeters and see it in inches right away, along with feet, yards and the other units of length. One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, so 1 cm is 0.39370079 inches.

Results keep 8 significant digits, or as many as the number you typed. US units (cup, gallon, fluid ounce) are the US definitions.

Everything you enter is processed in your browser and is never sent to a server.

How to use

  1. Type the length in cm. The first box already has 175 as an example.
  2. Read the equation at the top: it gives the length in inches. The table below also has feet, yards, miles, millimeters and meters.
  3. To convert inches to centimeters instead, choose Inch (in) as the unit you typed, and read the centimeter row.

Examples

2.54 cm
→ 1 in
The inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters.
30 cm
→ 11.811024 in
A common 30 cm ruler is almost 12 inches.
175 cm
→ 68.897638 in, or 5 ft 8.9 in
68.9 inches ÷ 12 = 5.74 feet, so 5 feet and 8.9 inches.
160 cm
→ 62.992126 in, or 5 ft 2.99 in
That is 5 ft 3 in once rounded to a whole inch. Round only at the very end.
A4 paper, 21 × 29.7 cm
→ 8.27 × 11.69 in
US Letter is 8.5 × 11 in, which is 21.59 × 27.94 cm: a little wider and a little shorter than A4.

How it works

This page is the unit converter with centimeters to inches chosen. Conversions use the js-quantities library, which keeps the exact definitions of the units (1 inch is 2.54 cm), and the results are shown to eight significant digits.

The conversion

An inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters, which is 2.54 cm. The factor is exact, not a rounded measurement: it follows from the 1959 agreement between the English-speaking countries that fixed the yard at 0.9144 m. So cm ÷ 2.54 gives inches, and inches × 2.54 gives cm, and any difference you see between two converters comes from rounding, not from different factors.

Feet and inches

For heights, divide the inches by 12: the whole part is feet and the rest is inches. Here are some common heights, worked out exactly and rounded to two decimals:

Height Inches Feet and inches
150 cm 59.06 4 ft 11.06 in
160 cm 62.99 5 ft 2.99 in
170 cm 66.93 5 ft 6.93 in
175 cm 68.90 5 ft 8.90 in
180 cm 70.87 5 ft 10.87 in
190 cm 74.80 6 ft 2.80 in

Most height charts write whole inches, so 160 cm appears as 5 ft 3 in and 180 cm as 5 ft 11 in. When you need a single figure, keep all the digits through the calculation and round once at the end.

Everyday sizes

A4 paper is 21 × 29.7 cm, which is 8.27 × 11.69 in. A 4 × 6 inch photo print is 10.16 × 15.24 cm. A 35 × 45 mm ID photo is about 1.38 × 1.77 in. Screens are sold by their diagonal, so a 27-inch monitor is 68.58 cm corner to corner, not 68.58 cm wide.

Common mistakes

Mixing up millimeters and centimeters is the usual one: 25.4 is for millimeters, 2.54 is for centimeters. The second is rounding twice, for example rounding the inches and then converting to feet. And fractions of an inch are exact: 1/8 inch is 3.175 mm and 3/4 inch is 19.05 mm, so a 19 mm part is not quite 3/4 inch.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert cm to inches?
Divide by 2.54. For 50 cm: 50 ÷ 2.54 = 19.685 inches. Or multiply by 0.3937.
How do I convert inches to cm?
Multiply by 2.54. For 10 inches: 10 × 2.54 = 25.4 cm.
How tall is 170 cm in feet and inches?
170 ÷ 2.54 = 66.93 inches, which is 5 feet 6.9 inches. Divide the inches by 12 for the feet and keep the remainder as inches.
Is the inch always exactly 2.54 cm?
Yes, since the international yard and pound agreement of 1959. Older, slightly different inches are not used now.
Why is 160 cm sometimes written 5 ft 3 in and sometimes 5 ft 2.99 in?
The exact value is 5 ft 2.992 in. Height charts round the inches to a whole number, which gives 5 ft 3 in. If you round the inches first and then work out the feet, you can end up one inch off, so convert everything and round once at the end.
Is a 27-inch monitor 27 inches wide?
No. Screen sizes are the length of the diagonal. A 27-inch diagonal is 68.58 cm; the width is smaller and depends on the aspect ratio. TVs work the same way, so a 55-inch TV has a 139.7 cm diagonal.
How many millimeters is 1/8 inch, and 1/16 inch?
1/8 inch is 3.175 mm and 1/16 inch is 1.5875 mm, because an inch is 25.4 mm. Fractions of an inch are common in tools and fasteners, which is why metric and inch sizes rarely match exactly.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. The conversion happens in your browser.

Guides

Version history
  • 1.0.3 — Adds the exact definition of the inch, a feet-and-inches table for common heights, everyday sizes (A4, screens, photos), common mistakes, and more examples and questions.
  • 1.0.2 — Clarifies the search title with the tool's main task and whether it is free or runs online.
  • 1.0.1 — Fixes a narrow screen keeping a label and its own field on the same line, instead of wrapping them apart.
  • 1.0.0 — First release.

Last updated: