How to Convert Height in Feet and Inches to cm (With Chart)

The short answer

To convert a height in feet and inches to centimetres, first turn it into inches (feet × 12 + inches), then multiply by 2.54. For example, 5 ft 7 in = 5 × 12 + 7 = 67 inches, and 67 × 2.54 = 170.18 cm. You can do the second step in the Length Converter by choosing Inch as the "From" unit and Centimeter as the target.

Why it takes two steps

A height such as 5'7" mixes two units. Most converters, including Lazyblink's, take a single number in a single unit. If you type 5.7 feet, you will get the wrong answer, because 5.7 feet is 5 feet plus 0.7 of a foot (8.4 inches), not 5 feet 7 inches.

This is the most common mistake in height conversion:

What you meant	What 5.7 ft actually is	Correct value
5 ft 7 in	5 ft 8.4 in = 173.74 cm	170.18 cm

The difference is more than 3.5 cm, which matters on forms, visa applications, medical records and dating profiles.

Step-by-step: feet and inches to cm

Multiply the feet by 12. There are 12 inches in a foot. 5 ft = 60 inches.

Add the remaining inches. 60 + 7 = 67 inches.

Multiply by 2.54. One inch is defined as exactly 2.54 cm, so 67 × 2.54 = 170.18 cm.

Round as the form asks. Most forms want whole centimetres: 170 cm.

To do step 3 in the tool:

Open the Length Converter.

Type the total inches (for example 67) in Value to convert.

Set From to Inch (in).

Set the target unit to Centimeter (cm). The result appears straight away, and the table below shows the same height in metres, feet, millimetres and other units.

Height conversion chart

All values below were calculated as total inches × 2.54 and rounded to one decimal place.

Height	Total inches	Centimetres
4 ft 10 in	58	147.3
4 ft 11 in	59	149.9
5 ft 0 in	60	152.4
5 ft 1 in	61	154.9
5 ft 2 in	62	157.5
5 ft 3 in	63	160.0
5 ft 4 in	64	162.6
5 ft 5 in	65	165.1
5 ft 6 in	66	167.6
5 ft 7 in	67	170.2
5 ft 8 in	68	172.7
5 ft 9 in	69	175.3
5 ft 10 in	70	177.8
5 ft 11 in	71	180.3
6 ft 0 in	72	182.9
6 ft 1 in	73	185.4
6 ft 2 in	74	188.0
6 ft 3 in	75	190.5
6 ft 4 in	76	193.0

Converting cm back to feet and inches

Going the other way also needs two steps, because the converter gives you a decimal number of inches or feet.

Convert cm to inches. Divide by 2.54, or use the tool with From set to Centimeter and the target set to Inch. 170 cm = 66.93 inches.

Split into feet and inches. Divide the inches by 12. 66.93 ÷ 12 = 5 remainder 6.93. So 170 cm is 5 ft 6.9 in, which most people would write as about 5 ft 7 in.

Do not read the decimal feet as inches. The tool shows 170 cm as 5.577 ft. That is 5 feet and 0.577 of a foot (6.9 inches), not 5 ft 5.77 in or 5 ft 6 in.

Centimetres	Inches	Feet and inches
150 cm	59.06	4 ft 11.1 in
160 cm	62.99	5 ft 3.0 in
165 cm	64.96	5 ft 5.0 in
170 cm	66.93	5 ft 6.9 in
175 cm	68.90	5 ft 8.9 in
180 cm	70.87	5 ft 10.9 in

A quick mental check

You will not always have a calculator. Two shortcuts help you catch mistakes:

• 5 ft is 152.4 cm. Start there and add about 2.5 cm for each extra inch. 5 ft 7 in ≈ 152 + 7 × 2.5 = 169.5, close to the exact 170.18.
• 30 cm is about 1 foot. One foot is 30.48 cm, so 6 ft is a little under 183 cm.

If your answer is far from these estimates, check whether you typed decimal feet instead of total inches.

Heights on official forms

Different forms ask for height in different ways, so read the field label carefully:

• Centimetres only: convert and round to the nearest whole number unless the form allows decimals.
• Feet and inches in separate boxes: enter whole feet in one box and inches in the other. Do not enter 5.7 in the feet box.
• Metres: divide centimetres by 100. 170.18 cm = 1.70 m. The converter also shows metres directly.

When in doubt, use the measurement as taken (for example, from a doctor's report) rather than a converted value that has been rounded twice. Each rounding step adds a little error.

Related conversions

If you are filling in a form that also asks for weight, the guide to converting kg to lbs, stone and other units uses the same approach for stone and pounds, which is another mixed unit. Once you have height in cm and weight in kg, the BMI Calculator can use both. For a wider overview of metric and imperial units, see the unit conversion guide.