Feet to Meters Converter

Converting feet to meters is one of the most common length conversions, and the math behind it is refreshingly simple: multiply by 0.3048. So a 10-foot ceiling is exactly 3.048 meters, a 6-foot person is about 1.83 m, and a 100-foot lot is 30.48 m. This converter does the arithmetic for you in both directions - type feet to get meters, or meters to get feet - and shows the formula and a reference table so you can sanity-check the result.

The formula and definition

The conversion rests on a single exact definition. Since 1959, the international foot has been defined as exactly 0.3048 meters, so there is no approximation in the factor itself:

To go the other way, divide by 0.3048 - which is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal:

The foot (ft) is a unit of the U.S. customary and imperial systems, while the meter (m) is the base length unit of the International System of Units (SI). One meter is a bit more than three feet, which is why a quick mental estimate for "meters to feet" is to roughly triple the number.

A worked example, step by step

Suppose you want to convert 25 feet to meters. The steps are:

1. Write down the value in feet: 25 ft.
2. Multiply by the exact factor: 25 × 0.3048.
3. Read the result: 7.62 meters.

Because 0.3048 is exact, 25 ft is precisely 7.62 m with nothing lost to rounding. Most everyday conversions land on tidy numbers like this; only the meters-to-feet direction produces long decimals, which is why we round those for display.

How to use this converter

The tool is bidirectional and updates as you type:

1. Pick a direction: to convert feet to meters, type into the Feet box; to convert meters to feet, type into the Meters box.
2. Enter your number: whole numbers and decimals both work (for example 12 or 12.5).
3. Read the big result: the highlighted figure is your converted value, with a rounded version next to it for quick use.
4. Check the formula line: it shows the exact multiplication used, so you can verify the math.
5. Scan the reference table: common values (1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100) are pre-computed in both directions.

Whichever box you edited last becomes the source of truth, so there is never any ambiguity about which way the conversion is running. Clearing a box simply clears the result.

Who this converter is for

Feet-to-meters conversions come up far more often than people expect. This tool is handy for:

• Travelers reading signs and maps abroad, where heights and distances are in meters.
• DIYers and builders translating a tape-measure reading in feet into metric plans or materials.
• Students doing physics or geometry homework that mixes imperial and metric units.
• Athletes and coaches comparing a 40-yard dash or a 100-foot field to metric track distances.
• Anyone shopping internationally for furniture, electronics or sports gear listed in meters.

A second example: meters to feet

Now go the other way. You read that a building is 50 meters tall and want that in feet. Multiply 50 by 3.2808399 to get about 164.04 feet. If you need feet and inches, take the whole number (164 ft) and multiply the leftover 0.04 ft by 12 to get roughly half an inch, so 50 m is about 164 ft 0.5 in. Mentally, tripling 50 gives a quick estimate of ~150 ft, which confirms the precise answer is in the right ballpark.

A third example: human height

Heights are the most-searched feet-to-meters conversion. A person who is 5 feet 10 inches first converts the inches: 10 in ÷ 12 = 0.8333 ft, so the height is 5.8333 ft. Multiplying by 0.3048 gives about 1.78 m. Likewise, 6 ft is 1.8288 m (≈ 1.83 m) and 5 ft 6 in is 1.6764 m (≈ 1.68 m). When you convert feet-and-inches heights, always fold the inches into the feet first, then multiply once.

Common conversion values

Here are frequently needed feet-to-meters results, rounded to a practical precision:

Tips for accurate conversions

• Use the full factor for precision. 0.3048 is exact, but 3.28 (instead of 3.2808399) introduces small errors over long distances - use the longer value for engineering work.
• Estimate by tripling. Meters × 3 gets you close to feet; feet ÷ 3 gets you close to meters. Handy for quick sanity checks.
• Handle feet and inches first. Convert inches to a fraction of a foot (inches ÷ 12) before multiplying by 0.3048.
• Round at the end. Do the math with full precision and round only the final answer to the decimals you actually need.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Confusing the direction. Multiplying meters by 0.3048 (instead of 3.2808399) gives a number that is way too small. Always match the factor to the direction.
• Mixing up feet and yards. A yard is 3 feet, so 1 yd = 0.9144 m. If your source value is in yards, convert to feet first or use a yards converter.
• Forgetting the inches. "5 feet 10" is not 5.10 ft - it is 5.8333 ft. Treat inches as twelfths of a foot, not decimal places.
• Using the survey foot. The old U.S. survey foot is slightly different and was retired for most uses at the end of 2022. Everyday conversions should use the international foot (0.3048 m).

Related length concepts

Feet and meters are just two points on a larger ladder of length units. A few useful relationships:

• 1 foot = 12 inches, and 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly, so 1 ft = 30.48 cm.
• 1 yard = 3 feet = 0.9144 m, which is why a yard and a meter are often loosely treated as similar.
• 1 mile = 5,280 feet = 1,609.344 m, or about 1.609 kilometers.
• 1 kilometer = 1,000 m ≈ 3,280.84 feet ≈ 0.621 miles.

If you regularly move between systems, it helps to memorize a couple of anchor points - 1 ft = 0.3048 m and 1 m ≈ 3.28 ft - and derive the rest from there.

Why the conversion is exact

Unlike many unit conversions that rely on measured constants, feet to meters is built on a definition. In 1959 an international agreement fixed the yard at exactly 0.9144 meters; dividing by 3 makes the foot exactly 0.3048 m. That is why this converter can claim its feet-to-meters results are exact, while meters-to-feet figures - which require the non-terminating reciprocal 3.2808399... - are necessarily rounded.