Length Converter — meters, feet, inches, miles & more

How it works

Length conversion rests on a handful of exact relationships between the metric and US/imperial systems (NIST SP 811):

• 1 inch = 2.54 cm (exactly), so 1 foot = 12 inches = 0.3048 m and 1 yard = 3 feet = 0.9144 m.
• 1 mile = 1609.344 m = 1.609344 km.
• The metric units step by powers of ten: 1 km = 1000 m, 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm.

Because these are exact definitions, every conversion is just multiplication by a fixed factor. To go from any unit to any other, the calculator converts your value to the base unit (the meter) and then to the unit you want — so metre↔mile, inch↔kilometre and every other pairing all work the same way.

Worked example

Converting 1 meter to feet:

1 m ÷ 0.3048 = 3.2808 ft (about 3 feet 3.4 inches)

Going the other way, 1 mile = 1609.344 m = 1.609344 km, and 1 inch = 2.54 cm.

Frequently asked questions

How many feet are in a meter?

One meter equals about 3.2808 feet, because a foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters. So you divide a length in meters by 0.3048 to get feet.

How do you convert miles to kilometers?

Multiply miles by 1.609344, since 1 mile is exactly 1609.344 meters. So 5 miles is 5 × 1.609344 ≈ 8.047 kilometers.

How many centimeters are in an inch?

Exactly 2.54. The inch is defined as 2.54 centimeters, which makes inch↔centimeter conversions exact rather than approximate.

What is the base unit for length?

The meter is the SI base unit of length. This calculator converts your value to meters first, then to the target unit, so any pair of units can be converted through that common base.

Are these conversions exact?

Yes. The inch, foot, yard and mile are all defined in terms of the meter by exact factors (NIST SP 811), so the conversions are exact; only the displayed result is rounded.

How do I convert between two metric units?

Shift the decimal point, since metric units differ by powers of ten: 1 m = 100 cm = 1000 mm, and 1 km = 1000 m. For example, 2.5 km is 2500 m.