Convert feet to meters with the exact 0.3048 factor. Type decimals, fractions or heights like 5 ft 9 in, switch to meters to feet or square feet to square meters, and convert whole lists.
| Feet | Meters |
|---|
Everything is calculated in your browser. Commas work as decimal points too, so 3,5 reads as 3.5.
This feet to meters converter changes any length in feet, or feet and inches, into meters for anyone reading a height, a room size, a ceiling height or an altitude given in imperial units. Heights in the UK and Ireland are still often spoken in feet and inches, US listings quote everything in feet, and pilots across Europe fly by altitudes in feet, so the conversion comes up constantly. The tool also handles square feet to square meters for property listings and floor plans.
How do you convert feet to meters?
Multiply the number of feet by 0.3048 to get meters, because one foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 m. For example, 10 feet × 0.3048 = 3.048 meters. To convert feet to meters for a height in feet and inches, first divide the inches by 12 and add them to the feet. To go back, divide meters by 0.3048.
What is the formula for feet to meters?
feet = meters ÷ 0.3048 (about meters × 3.28084)
meters = (feet + inches ÷ 12) × 0.3048
square meters = square feet × 0.09290304
Since the 1959 international agreement, the foot has been exactly 0.3048 meters by definition. UK law sets the same value through the yard: Schedule 1 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985 defines the yard as 0.9144 metre and the foot as 1/3 yard. Because the factor is exact, any rounding happens only in the final answer, and you can choose how many decimals to show in the converter.
For areas, square the length factor: 0.3048 × 0.3048 = 0.09290304, so one square foot is a little under a tenth of a square meter. Using 0.3048 on an area is the most common mistake people make with floor plans.
Feet to meters conversion chart
| Feet | Meters | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3048 | One foot, a 12 inch ruler |
| 2 | 0.6096 | |
| 3 | 0.9144 | One yard |
| 4 | 1.2192 | |
| 5 | 1.524 | |
| 6 | 1.8288 | A tall adult |
| 7 | 2.1336 | |
| 8 | 2.4384 | A typical room ceiling height |
| 10 | 3.048 | A basketball hoop rim |
| 20 | 6.096 | A 20 ft shipping container |
| 50 | 15.24 | |
| 100 | 30.48 | |
| 1,000 | 304.8 | |
| 5,280 | 1,609.344 | One mile |
| 10,000 | 3,048 | |
| 35,000 | 10,668 | Airliner cruise, flight level 350 |
How tall is 5 ft 9 in in meters?
A height of 5 ft 9 in is 1.7526 meters, or about 175 cm. Siobhán, who knows her height as 5 ft 9 in, needs it in centimeters for a European clothing size chart. She has 5 × 12 + 9 = 69 inches, and 69 × 2.54 = 175.26 cm. Typing 5 ft 9 in into the converter gives 1.7526 m in one step. The same height in meters is what the BMI calculator uses.
| Height | Meters | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 0 in | 1.524 | 152.4 |
| 5 ft 2 in | 1.5748 | 157.5 |
| 5 ft 4 in | 1.6256 | 162.6 |
| 5 ft 6 in | 1.6764 | 167.6 |
| 5 ft 8 in | 1.7272 | 172.7 |
| 5 ft 10 in | 1.778 | 177.8 |
| 6 ft 0 in | 1.8288 | 182.9 |
| 6 ft 2 in | 1.8796 | 188.0 |
| 6 ft 4 in | 1.9304 | 193.0 |
For heights already in centimeters, the cm to feet converter goes the other way.
How do you convert square feet to square meters?
Multiply square feet by 0.09290304 to get square meters. Estate agents in the UK and Ireland often give floor areas in both units, and US listings use square feet only. A 750 sq ft flat is 69.68 m², and a 12 × 10 ft bedroom is 120 sq ft, or 11.15 m². Choose Area in the converter to switch modes, and use the square footage calculator if you still need to measure the room.
Why do pilots in Europe use feet?
Aircraft altitude is one of the few places the foot is used well beyond English speaking countries. Across European airspace, altitudes and flight levels are given in feet, with a flight level being hundreds of feet on the standard pressure setting. Flight level 350 is 35,000 ft, which is 10,668 m. A few countries, notably China, have used metric altitudes instead, so pilots crossing those regions convert between the two.
What happened to the US survey foot?
The US survey foot, defined as 1200/3937 meter (about 0.3048006 m), was retired by NIST on 1 January 2023, leaving the international foot of exactly 0.3048 m as the only foot. The two differ by about 2 parts per million, roughly 1/8 inch per mile, so it matters only for old US land survey and mapping data. Everyday conversions in Europe always use 0.3048.
How Do You Use the Feet to Meters Converter?
Pick the direction
Leave Feet → Meters selected, or tap Meters → Feet. Your current value is carried across when you switch.
Enter feet or a height
Type a number such as 10, a fraction such as 2 1/2, or a height such as 5 ft 9 in. Choose Area for square feet, and set the decimals.
Read the meters
The result shows in large type with the exact working, plus centimeters, millimeters, feet and inches and yards.
Convert a list
Paste several values, one per line, to convert a whole set of heights, room sizes or altitudes at once.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many meters is 1 foot?
One foot is exactly 0.3048 meters, which is 30.48 cm or 304.8 mm. The value has been fixed by international agreement since 1959, so it never needs updating. Going the other way, one meter is about 3.28084 feet, or 3 feet 3 3/8 inches.
How tall is 6 feet in meters?
Six feet is exactly 1.8288 meters, usually rounded to 1.83 m or 183 cm. Six feet is 72 inches, and 72 × 2.54 gives 182.88 cm. A person who is 6 ft 2 in is about 1.88 m tall.
Is 1 meter longer than 3 feet?
Yes. One meter is about 3.28 feet, so it is roughly 3.4 inches, or 8.6 cm, longer than 3 feet. Three feet is one yard, which is exactly 0.9144 meters, so a meter is a little over 1.09 yards.
How do I convert square feet to square meters?
Multiply square feet by 0.09290304, which is 0.3048 squared. A 750 sq ft flat is about 69.68 m², and 1,000 sq ft is 92.9 m². Do not use the length factor 0.3048 for areas, or the answer will be more than three times too large.
What is the quick way to estimate feet to meters?
Divide feet by 3.3 for a mental estimate, or multiply by 0.3. Dividing by 3.3 gives 30.3 m for 100 ft against the true 30.48 m, an error under 1%. Multiplying by 0.3 is easier but reads about 1.6% low.
Should I use the US survey foot?
Almost certainly not. The US survey foot, 1200/3937 m, was retired by NIST on 1 January 2023 and replaced by the international foot of 0.3048 m. It differs by about 2 parts per million, so it only matters on old US land survey data.
Sources and Further Reading
- U.S. survey foot retirement and the international foot, NIST
- Foot (unit), Wikipedia
- Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1, legislation.gov.uk
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Last reviewed: October 2026