Guide · Updated 2026-10-08

Feet and Inches to Centimetres: Height Conversion and Comparison Guide

How to convert heights between feet and inches, centimetres and metres, with worked examples, common conversions and how to compare two heights fairly.

Heights are quoted in feet and inches in the UK and US and in centimetres almost everywhere else. Converting is simple once you know one number: an inch is exactly 2.54 centimetres. This guide shows the conversion, a table of common heights, and how to compare two people with the Height Comparison Tool.

The conversion

• Centimetres = (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54.
• Feet and inches = centimetres ÷ 2.54 gives total inches, then divide by 12 for feet and keep the remainder as inches.
• Metres = centimetres ÷ 100.

Example: 5 feet 9 inches is 5 × 12 + 9 = 69 inches, and 69 × 2.54 = 175.26 cm. Going the other way, 180 cm ÷ 2.54 = 70.9 inches, which is 5 feet 10.9 inches.

Common heights

How to compare two heights

Put both heights in the same unit, subtract, and describe the gap as a number and as a percentage. In the tool, two people of 175 cm and 162 cm show a difference of 13 cm (5.1 inches), so the taller person is 8% taller. Seeing them side by side at the same scale on the chart helps, because a 13 cm gap looks very different from a 3 cm gap.

Scale references

Adding a reference object helps judge a height. The tool includes a standard UK interior door (198.1 cm, or 6 feet 6 inches) and a basketball hoop (304.8 cm, 10 feet). The tallest person in medical history, Robert Wadlow, measured 272 cm, which is 8 feet 11.1 inches.

Measuring your height accurately

• Measure without shoes, standing straight with heels against a wall.
• Use a flat object across the top of your head, level with the wall.
• Measure at a similar time of day. People are slightly taller in the morning than in the evening.

Average heights

Survey figures for adults in England are around 176 cm for men and 162 cm for women (Health Survey for England 2022), and the exact value depends on the year and on whether height was measured or self-reported. An average describes a group, not any individual.

Frequently asked questions

How many cm is 6 feet? 182.88 cm.

How tall is 1.75 m in feet? About 5 feet 8.9 inches.

What formats does the tool accept? 175, 175cm, 1.75m, 5'9 or 5 ft 9 in.