Convert height between centimetres, metres, decimal inches, decimal feet, and feet and inches, with form-ready rounded outputs for passports, BMI tools.
Last updated
Height conversion Convert the same height into centimetres, metres, decimal inches, decimal feet, and a feet-and-inches composite without retyping the value for each format.
Input format
Switching modes keeps the current height and converts it into the new input style rather than dropping back to an unrelated default.
Common presets
Use a preset to sanity-check a form entry, compare a common benchmark, or jump straight into a known feet-and-inches value without retyping.
Quick reference
1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly
1 foot = 30.48 cm exactly
5 ft = 152.4 cm
5 ft 10 in = 177.8 cm
6 ft = 182.88 cm
180 cm = 5 ft 10.87 in
Centimetres
170 cm
170 cm equals 5 ft 6.93 in and 170 cm.
Output
Converted value
Best for
Centimetres
170 cm
Common on forms and medical records
Metres
1.7 m
Use this for BMI and SI-based calculations
Inches
66.93 in
Useful for equipment and apparel specs
Decimal feet
5.5774 ft
Useful for spreadsheets and planning tools
Feet & inches
5 ft 6.93 in
Common in everyday UK and US height references
Form-ready output
Rounded value
When to use it
Whole centimetres
170 cm
Best when a passport, visa, or medical form asks for a whole-number metric entry.
BMI-ready metres
1.7 m
Useful when a BMI or body-composition tool expects metres rather than centimetres.
Whole inches
67 in
Helpful for apparel, equipment, or profile fields that accept only total inches.
Nearest half-inch
5 ft 7 in
A practical compromise when you want cleaner imperial rounding without losing much precision.
Whole-inch feet & inches
5 ft 7 in
Best when a form expects a clean feet-and-inches answer rather than decimal inches.
Reference height
Centimetres
Feet & inches
5 ft
152.4 cm
5 ft 0 in
5 ft 7 in
170.18 cm
5 ft 7 in
5 ft 10 in
177.8 cm
5 ft 10 in
6 ft
182.88 cm
6 ft 0 in
Nearby benchmark
Difference
Why it helps
160 cm
+10 cm (+3.94 in)
A common metric-only form reference point
170 cm
0 cm (0 in)
Close to the global adult-height midpoint many people compare against
180 cm
−10 cm (−3.94 in)
A common benchmark for sports, apparel, and profile comparisons
Form-ready outputs Use centimetres for most official records, metres for BMI or SI-based calculations, whole inches for technical fields that accept a single imperial number, and the feet-and-inches row when a form explicitly asks for the composite format.
Height conversion: centimetres, metres, inches, and feet and inches explained
A height converter translates one measurement into the common height formats people actually need: centimetres, metres, decimal inches, decimal feet, and the feet-and-inches composite used in everyday body-height references. It is the kind of cm to feet and inches converter, feet to cm helper, or form-ready height converter people use when a document, medical record, travel form, or BMI tool asks for a height in a unit they do not normally use.
Why height uses different units in different contexts
Most countries use centimetres for official height records, from driving licences to passport applications. The US, and informally the UK, still use feet and inches for everyday conversation about body height. Medical and scientific contexts often prefer metres or decimal metres. A height converter bridges all three systems so you do not need to remember how many inches are in a foot or how many centimetres are in an inch.
The fundamental conversion is exact: one inch equals 2.54 centimetres by international definition (adopted 1959). That means one foot (12 inches) equals 30.48 cm, and one metre equals exactly 100 cm or approximately 39.3701 inches.
How the feet-and-inches composite works
Heights like "5 ft 10 in" are composite values rather than decimal numbers. To convert to centimetres, convert each component: 5 ft × 30.48 cm/ft = 152.4 cm, plus 10 in × 2.54 cm/in = 25.4 cm, giving 177.8 cm total. The reverse is slightly more involved: divide the total centimetres by 30.48 to get decimal feet, then take the integer part as the whole feet and multiply the remainder by 12 to get the inches.
This tool handles both directions. You can enter a total in centimetres, metres, or decimal inches and it will show the feet-and-inches composite. Or you can enter feet and inches separately and see the metric equivalents.
Worked example: 5 ft 10 in to centimetres and metres
Start with the composite form. Five feet is 60 inches, and adding 10 inches gives 70 inches total. Multiply by the exact factor of 2.54 cm per inch: 70 × 2.54 = 177.8 cm. To express the same height in metres, divide by 100, giving 1.778 m.
The reverse works from the same exact factors. If a form gives 180 cm, divide by 2.54 to get 70.866 inches. That is 5 full feet (60 inches) plus 10.866 inches remaining, so the practical feet-and-inches form is 5 ft 10.87 in, usually rounded to about 5 ft 11 in when a whole-inch answer is acceptable.
Common height reference points
Global average adult height is roughly 170–171 cm for men and 158–159 cm for women, though this varies considerably by country. Common reference heights: 5 ft = 152.4 cm; 5 ft 7 in = 170.18 cm; 5 ft 10 in = 177.8 cm; 6 ft = 182.88 cm; 6 ft 2 in = 187.96 cm.
For BMI and health calculations, height in metres is the standard input — weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Converting a height in feet and inches to metres first is the most reliable way to ensure accurate BMI results.
How to round height for forms without distorting the value
Many people do not need a perfectly exact decimal output. They need the cleanest acceptable value for the field in front of them. A passport or visa form may want a whole number of centimetres, a profile field may ask for feet and inches, and a BMI worksheet may expect metres to three decimal places. The best approach is to keep the unrounded source value visible, then round only into the format the destination actually requests.
That is why a good height converter should not stop at one raw answer. It should also help you move from a precise measurement to practical entries such as whole centimetres, whole inches, or a whole-inch feet-and-inches composite. Converting 177.8 cm to 5 ft 10 in is exact enough for most everyday uses, while keeping 1.778 m visible avoids introducing avoidable BMI error when a health calculator expects metres.
When a height converter is more useful than a general length converter
A general length converter is built for distance and object dimensions. A height converter is better when the intent is clearly human height, because the outputs people need are different. A person entering their height usually wants feet and inches as a composite, decimal metres for BMI, and whole centimetres for official records. A generic converter may only show one target unit at a time and may not surface the mixed-unit format at all.
This matters for real search intent. Someone searching for a height converter, cm to feet and inches converter, or feet to cm height converter is usually not trying to convert pipe length, room width, or road distance. They are trying to enter a body height correctly on a form, compare themselves with a reference height, or prepare a clean input for another health or profile tool. A height-specific worksheet reduces that friction.
Using this converter for forms, medical records, and travel
Passport and visa forms typically request height in centimetres or in feet and inches depending on the issuing country. Travel to the US means encountering height in feet and inches; travel documentation in Europe uses centimetres. This converter covers both so you can fill in either format without manual arithmetic.
If you need your height for a BMI or body weight calculator, use the centimetre or metre output. If you need it for a US or UK form that asks for feet and inches, use the composite output. The values are derived from the same single input, so entering your height once gives you every format you might need.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert 5 ft 10 in to centimetres?
Multiply the feet by 30.48 and the inches by 2.54, then add: (5 × 30.48) + (10 × 2.54) = 152.4 + 25.4 = 177.8 cm. Alternatively, convert the whole height to inches first (5 × 12 + 10 = 70 in) and multiply by 2.54.
What is 180 cm in feet and inches?
180 cm ÷ 2.54 = 70.866 inches total. Dividing by 12 gives 5.905 feet, so the whole feet part is 5. The remaining 0.905 ft × 12 = 10.87 in, giving 5 ft 10.87 in (approximately 5 ft 11 in).
Is there a difference between height in the UK and the US?
Both countries use feet and inches for informal height references and both use the same imperial inch (2.54 cm exactly). Officially, UK passports request height in either feet and inches or metres/centimetres; US passports use feet and inches only. The underlying conversion factors are identical.
Why does a converter show both decimal feet and feet plus inches?
They serve different jobs. Decimal feet are convenient in spreadsheets and planning tools, while feet and inches are how people usually describe body height. Showing both lets you move between technical and everyday formats without recomputing the value.
Should I round my height to the nearest centimetre or inch on forms?
Follow the form's instructions first. If no rounding rule is given, use the format requested on the form and round to the nearest whole centimetre or whole inch only when that is clearly acceptable.
What is 170 cm in feet and inches?
170 cm equals 66.93 inches because 170 ÷ 2.54 = 66.93. Dividing 66.93 by 12 gives 5 full feet with 6.93 inches remaining, so 170 cm is 5 ft 6.93 in. In practice that is often rounded to about 5 ft 7 in when a whole-inch answer is acceptable.
Can I use decimal feet instead of feet and inches?
Only if the destination accepts decimal feet explicitly. Decimal feet are useful in spreadsheets, construction-style planning, and some profile tools, but most body-height forms in the UK and US expect feet and inches as a composite such as 5 ft 10 in rather than 5.83 ft.
Why do BMI calculators prefer metres instead of centimetres or feet and inches?
BMI uses the SI form of the formula: kilograms divided by metres squared. If you only know your height in feet and inches, converting to metres first avoids mixing units or applying the wrong constant. A height converter helps by giving you the decimal metre value directly instead of forcing you to do extra arithmetic.
Is a half-inch rounded answer acceptable?
It depends on the context. For official forms, use exactly the format and rounding rule requested. For everyday reference, apparel discussions, or profile estimates, rounding to the nearest half-inch can be a sensible middle ground because it is cleaner than a long decimal but more precise than a whole-inch answer.
