Foot (ft)

Definition

Exactly 0.3048 meters, by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement.

History

The foot is an ancient unit based roughly on a human foot, and its length varied from place to place for centuries. The modern international foot was fixed at exactly 0.3048 meters by the 1959 yard and pound agreement.

Where it is used

The foot is the everyday unit of length in the United States for height, rooms and construction, and is still widely used in the United Kingdom.

Typical uses include height in the US, room dimensions, construction.

Conversion pages

These pages convert foot to or from another unit in length.

• Foot to meter
• Inch to foot
• Yard to foot

Other Length units

• Meter (m)
• Centimeter (cm)
• Millimeter (mm)
• Kilometer (km)
• Inch (in)
• Yard (yd)
• Mile (mi)

Sources

• NIST HB 44 International Yard and Pound Agreement (1959); NIST Handbook 44, App. C · Dataset reviewed Nov 11, 2026