Length Converter
Convert between metres, centimetres, inches, feet, yards, miles, kilometres and nautical miles.
About the Length Converter
Since 1959 the inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 centimetres, so every imperial length converts to metric exactly: a foot is 0.3048 m, a yard 0.9144 m and a mile 1,609.344 m.
A nautical mile, used at sea and in aviation, is exactly 1,852 metres and is not the same as a land (statute) mile.
The formula
Result = Value × (size of the “from” unit ÷ size of the “to” unit)
- 1 m
- 1 m
- 1 km
- 1,000 m
- 1 cm
- 0.01 m
- 1 mm
- 0.001 m
- 1 µm
- 0.000001 m
- 1 in
- 0.0254 m
Every length unit is converted through metre using its exact definition.
Common conversions
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 2.54 cm |
| 1 ft | 0.3048 m |
| 1 yd | 0.9144 m |
| 1 mi | 1.609344 km |
| 1 km | 0.6213711922 mi |
| 1 m | 3.280839895 ft |
| 1 cm | 0.3937007874 in |
| 1 nmi | 1.852 km |
How to read your result
- The big number is your value in the unit you picked.
- The table shows the same length in every unit at once.
Worked example
Example: 2 inch = 5.08 cm
- Inputs: Value: 2; From: Inch (in); To: Centimetre (cm).
- Formula: Result = Value × (size of the “from” unit ÷ size of the “to” unit)
- Multiply by the number of cm in one in 2 × 2.54 = 5.08 cm
- Result: 2 inch = 5.08 cm
- 1 in = 2.54 cm
- 1 cm = 0.3937007874 in
Questions people ask
How many centimetres are in an inch?
Exactly 2.54 cm. To turn inches into centimetres multiply by 2.54; to go the other way divide by 2.54.
How many feet are in a metre?
About 3.28084 feet. One foot is exactly 0.3048 metres.
Is a mile the same everywhere?
The international (statute) mile is exactly 1,609.344 m. The US survey mile, used in some old land records, is about 3.2 mm longer and was retired at the end of 2022.