cm to Feet and Inches
Convert a height either way, with the working shown line by line.
How that was worked out
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Converting centimetres to feet and inches
It is two divisions, and the tool shows both with your own numbers in them.
- Centimetres to inches. Divide by 2.54, because an inch is exactly 2.54 cm. So 170 ÷ 2.54 = 66.93 inches.
- Inches to feet and inches. Divide by twelve and keep the remainder. 66.93 ÷ 12 is 5, with 6.93 inches left over — so 5 feet 6.9 inches.
In conversation that height is called five foot seven, because a tenth of an inch is not a distinction anybody makes out loud.
2.54 is exact, not approximate
This surprises people who assume the two systems can only be related roughly. Since the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, the inch is defined as 25.4 millimetres. There is no measurement error in the conversion at all — any rounding you see on this page happens when the answer is displayed, never in the arithmetic.
The neat consequence is that a foot is exactly 30.48 cm and a yard exactly 0.9144 m, which is why 100 cm converts to a number that never quite lands on a whole inch.
Height reference
| Centimetres | Feet and inches | Total inches | Usually called |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 | 4 ft 11.1 in | 59.06 | 4'11" |
| 155 | 5 ft 1.0 in | 61.02 | 5'1" |
| 160 | 5 ft 3.0 in | 62.99 | 5'3" |
| 165 | 5 ft 5.0 in | 64.96 | 5'5" |
| 170 | 5 ft 6.9 in | 66.93 | 5'7" |
| 175 | 5 ft 8.9 in | 68.90 | 5'9" |
| 180 | 5 ft 10.9 in | 70.87 | 5'11" |
| 183 | 6 ft 0.0 in | 72.05 | 6'0" |
| 185 | 6 ft 0.8 in | 72.83 | 6'1" |
| 190 | 6 ft 2.8 in | 74.80 | 6'3" |
| 195 | 6 ft 4.8 in | 76.77 | 6'5" |
| 200 | 6 ft 6.7 in | 78.74 | 6'7" |
The last column is how a height is normally spoken, rounded to the nearest whole inch. It is why 170 cm and 5′7″ are treated as the same height even though they differ by 1.8 mm.
Why two records of your height disagree
Two reasons, both harmless. Official documents round — usually to the nearest whole inch in one country and the nearest centimetre in another, and rounding twice compounds the difference. And height genuinely varies through the day: the discs in the spine compress under load, so most adults are one to two centimetres shorter in the evening than on waking. A one centimetre disagreement between a passport and a medical record is normal.
Questions
What is 170 cm in feet and inches?
5 feet 6.9 inches, which is usually called 5 foot 7. The working is 170 ÷ 2.54 = 66.93 inches; 66.93 ÷ 12 is 5 with 6.93 left over.
How do I convert centimetres to feet and inches?
Two steps. Divide the centimetres by 2.54 to get inches, because an inch is exactly 2.54 cm. Then divide the inches by twelve: the whole number is feet and the remainder is inches. The tool shows both steps with your own numbers in them.
Is 2.54 an approximation?
No. Since the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, an inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimetres. The conversion is exact by definition, so any rounding you see is in how the answer is displayed rather than in the arithmetic.
What height is 5 feet 7 inches in centimetres?
170.18 cm. Five feet seven is 67 inches, and 67 × 2.54 is 170.18. This is why 170 cm and 5 foot 7 are treated as the same height in practice even though they differ by under two millimetres.
Why does my passport height differ from this?
Official records usually round to the nearest whole inch or nearest centimetre, and a person is genuinely up to two centimetres shorter in the evening than on waking, as the spine compresses through the day. A difference of a centimetre between two documents is normal and is not an error in either.
Can I type a height in feet and inches instead?
Yes. Switch the direction and type it however you like: 5 ft 7 in, 5' 7", 5-7 or 67 in are all understood, and metres such as 1.7 m work in the other direction.
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