Length Converter

Convert between different length and distance units including meters, feet, inches, miles, and more.

Result

3.2808

Formula: 1 m = 3.2808 ft

Value

From / To

From

All Conversions

Meters1 m

Kilometers0.001 km

Centimeters100 cm

Millimeters1,000 mm

Miles0.000621 mi

Yards1.0936 yd

Feet3.2808 ft

Inches39.3701 in

Common Conversions

1 meter = 3.281 feet

1 foot = 0.3048 meters

1 inch = 2.54 cm

1 cm = 0.3937 inches

1 mile = 1.609 km

1 km = 0.6214 miles

What is Length?

Length is one of the most fundamental measurements in our daily lives. It tells us how long, tall, or far something is.

Think of it like measuring a piece of string - you're finding out how much string you have from one end to the other. Whether you're buying furniture, planning a road trip, or checking your height, you're using length measurements.

The world uses two main systems for measuring length: metric (meters, centimeters) used by most countries, and imperial (feet, inches) used primarily in the United States.

The Metric System

The metric system is beautifully simple because everything is based on powers of 10:

1 kilometer (km) = 1,000 meters
1 meter (m) = 100 centimeters
1 centimeter (cm) = 10 millimeters

The metric system is used by scientists worldwide and is the official system in most countries. Learning it makes international travel and shopping much easier!

The Imperial System

The imperial system has less intuitive relationships:

1 mile = 5,280 feet
1 yard = 3 feet
1 foot = 12 inches

1 \text{ foot} = 12 \text{ inches} = 30.48 \text{ cm}

Common Conversions to Remember

Here are the most useful conversions to memorize:

From	To	Conversion
1 inch	centimeters	2.54 cm
1 foot	meters	0.3048 m
1 meter	feet	3.281 ft
1 mile	kilometers	1.609 km
1 kilometer	miles	0.621 mi

Quick mental math: To roughly convert km to miles, multiply by 0.6. So 100 km ≈ 60 miles.

Practical Examples

Height conversion: If someone is 5 feet 10 inches tall:

5 × 12 + 10 = 70 inches total
70 × 2.54 = 177.8 cm
About 1.78 meters

Distance conversion: A 5K race:

5 km × 0.621 = 3.1 miles

Room dimensions: A room that's 12 feet × 15 feet:

12 × 0.3048 = 3.66 meters
15 × 0.3048 = 4.57 meters
Room is about 3.7m × 4.6m

Helpful Tips

Use reference points: Your thumb width is about 1 inch, your arm span is roughly your height
Remember key values: 1 meter ≈ 3 feet 3 inches, 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly
For rough estimates: Divide cm by 2.5 to get inches, multiply inches by 2.5 to get cm
Marathon runners: 26.2 miles = 42.2 km
International shipping: Know both systems to avoid costly mistakes