The most searched length conversion is meters to feet: multiply meters by 3.28084 to get feet, since one foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters. This length converter handles that and every other pairing between millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards, and miles using exact conversion factors.
Enter a value, choose the unit you have and the unit you want, and you get the converted result, the multiplier used, and a table showing the same length in all eight units. Because the imperial units have been defined in exact metric terms since 1959, there is no rounding error in the math — only in the digits displayed.
How Length Conversion Works
Every length unit is a fixed multiple of the meter, so converting is a single multiplication:
converted = value × (meters per From unit) ÷ (meters per To unit)
The key exact definitions, fixed by the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, are:
- 1 inch = 25.4 mm = 2.54 cm exactly
- 1 foot = 12 inches = 0.3048 m exactly
- 1 yard = 3 feet = 0.9144 m exactly
- 1 mile = 5,280 feet = 1,609.344 m exactly
From these, every factor follows. Meters to feet is 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.28084; kilometers to miles is 1,000 ÷ 1,609.344 = 0.621371.
Common Conversions Cheat Sheet
These are the conversions people look up most, with the multiplier to apply:
- Meters to feet: × 3.28084 (1 m ≈ 3 ft 3.37 in)
- Feet to meters: × 0.3048
- mm to inches: ÷ 25.4 (1 mm = 0.0393701 in)
- Inches to mm: × 25.4
- cm to inches: ÷ 2.54 (1 cm = 0.393701 in)
- Kilometers to miles: × 0.621371
- Miles to kilometers: × 1.609344
- Yards to meters: × 0.9144
Quick mental math: a meter is about 10% longer than a yard, and 5 miles is almost exactly 8 kilometers.
Worked Examples: 5 Meters to Feet, 100 mm to Inches
Convert 5 meters to feet. One meter equals 3.28084 feet, so 5 × 3.28084 = 16.4042 feet. To express the remainder in inches, take the 0.4042 ft and multiply by 12: about 4.85 inches, so 5 m ≈ 16 ft 4.85 in.
Convert 100 mm to inches. One inch is exactly 25.4 mm, so 100 ÷ 25.4 = 3.93701 inches — just under 4 inches.
Convert a 10 km race to miles: 10 × 0.621371 = 6.21371 miles, which is why a 10K is commonly described as 6.2 miles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many feet are in a meter?
One meter equals 3.28084 feet, or about 3 feet 3.37 inches. This comes from the exact definition 1 foot = 0.3048 meters, so meters to feet is meters ÷ 0.3048. For example, 5 meters = 16.4042 feet and 100 meters = 328.084 feet.
How many millimeters are in an inch?
There are exactly 25.4 millimeters in one inch — this has been the international definition since 1959. To convert mm to inches, divide by 25.4: for example, 10 mm = 0.3937 in and 50 mm = 1.9685 in. To convert inches to mm, multiply by 25.4.
How do I convert cm to inches?
Divide centimeters by 2.54, since one inch equals exactly 2.54 cm. For example, 30 cm ÷ 2.54 = 11.811 inches, and 100 cm (1 meter) = 39.3701 inches. A quick estimate: 10 cm is about 4 inches.
How many meters are in a mile?
One mile equals exactly 1,609.344 meters, or 1.609344 kilometers. The definition follows from 1 mile = 5,280 feet and 1 foot = 0.3048 m. Going the other way, 1 kilometer equals 0.621371 miles — so 10 km is about 6.2 miles.
Is a yard bigger than a meter?
No — a meter is slightly longer. One yard equals exactly 0.9144 meters, so a meter is about 9.4% longer than a yard (1 m = 1.09361 yd). On a football field, 100 yards is 91.44 meters, while a 100-meter sprint covers about 109.4 yards.