Feet to Meters Converter

Feet to Meters: the quick answer and formula

To convert feet to meters, multiply the number of feet by 0.3048. That single constant is exact: one foot is defined as 0.3048 meters. So 10 feet is 3.048 meters, a 6-foot person is 1.8288 meters tall, and 100 feet is 30.48 meters. Type any value in feet into the converter above and the meter result appears instantly — free, browser-based, and with no signup.

The foot is an imperial and US customary unit; the meter is the SI base unit of length used almost everywhere else. Converting between them comes up constantly in construction, travel, sports, real estate, and any document that mixes the two systems. This page gives you the exact formula, a worked example, a reference table, the most-searched conversions, and notes on the related area conversions (square feet to square meters) that people often need at the same time.

What makes this particular conversion easy to trust is that it is exact, not approximate. Since 1959 the international foot has been defined as precisely 0.3048 meters, agreed by the US, UK, and other English-speaking countries. So there is no rounding baked into the factor itself — any imprecision in your answer comes only from how many decimal places you keep. That is a nice property compared with older, slightly inconsistent definitions of the foot, and it means a value like 100 feet converts to exactly 30.48 meters with no caveats.

How to use the Feet to Meters converter

This feet to meters converter is built for quick, repeatable lookups.

1. Enter the length in feet in the input field.
2. Read the result in meters, which updates as you type.
3. Use decimals for mixed measurements — 5.5 feet, for instance, converts to 1.6764 meters.
4. Copy the answer, or clear the field and convert another value.

For the reverse direction, use the Meters to Feet converter. People frequently keep both open as a combined converter feet to meters and meters to feet when checking plans or specs.

Formula and a worked example

The relationship is a straight multiplication by a fixed factor: meters = feet × 0.3048. Because the conversion is exact by definition, there is no approximation involved — only rounding of the final answer. To convert feet and inches, turn the inches into a fraction of a foot first (divide inches by 12), then apply the formula.

Walk through 12 feet step by step:

1. Start with the value in feet: 12.
2. Multiply by 0.3048: 12 × 0.3048 = 3.6576.
3. Round as needed: 12 feet = 3.66 meters.

Now a feet-and-inches example, 5 feet 6 inches: 6 inches is 6 ÷ 12 = 0.5 feet, so the height is 5.5 feet, which is 5.5 × 0.3048 = 1.6764 meters. The table below lists worked results for common lengths.

A quick estimate: multiply feet by 0.3, or divide by 3 and add a little. For 10 feet that gives roughly 3 meters, close to the exact 3.048. Fine for a rough idea, but use the full factor for anything measured.

Converting heights, and feet to meters and inches

The single most common reason people convert feet to meters is human height. A height like 5 feet 6 inches needs the inches folded in first: 6 inches is 0.5 feet, so the height is 5.5 feet, which is 1.6764 meters, often rounded to 1.68 m. The same method handles any height — 5 feet 10 inches becomes 5.833 feet (10 ÷ 12 = 0.833), which is 1.778 meters.

If you want a result expressed as meters and centimeters rather than a decimal, take the whole-meter part and convert the leftover. For 5.5 feet = 1.6764 m, that is 1 meter and 67.64 centimeters, so 1 m 68 cm rounded. Going the other way — turning meters back into feet and inches — multiply by 3.28084 to get feet, keep the whole number, then multiply the decimal remainder by 12 to get inches. A 1.8 m person is 5.9055 feet, which is 5 feet plus 0.9055 × 12 = 10.9 inches, so about 5 feet 11 inches. The Meters to Feet converter does this breakdown for you instantly.

Common conversions and use cases

Plenty of searches run the other way — people have meters and want feet. The reverse factor is feet = meters × 3.28084. The table covers the popular meters-to-feet lookups so this page doubles as a meters to feet converter reference.

So 2 meters to feet is 6.56 feet, 3 meters to feet is 9.84 feet, and 4 meters to feet is 13.12 feet. Going the primary direction, the everyday human-height conversions dominate: 5 feet 6 inches is 1.6764 meters, 11 feet is 3.3528 meters, 12 feet is 3.6576 meters, and 15 feet is 4.572 meters.

Where this matters: room and ceiling heights in construction, diving and climbing depths and heights, athlete and player heights, ceiling clearances, and any spec sheet that lists dimensions in the unit your audience does not use. For floor plans and land you usually need area, not length — a square meter is not a meter squared in the casual sense, so use the dedicated Square Feet to Square Meters converter rather than squaring this result by hand.

Real-world examples make the scale concrete. A standard interior ceiling of 8 feet is about 2.44 meters. A residential garage door around 7 feet tall is roughly 2.13 meters. A two-story house wall of 15 feet is 4.572 meters, and a tall industrial bay of 12 feet is 3.6576 meters. In sports, a basketball hoop at 10 feet sits at 3.048 meters, and a diving platform at 33 feet is just over 10 meters. Each of these is the simple 0.3048 multiplication, but seeing them in context helps you sanity-check whether a converted figure looks right.

Travel and outdoor activities lean on this conversion too. Trail signs, elevation markers, and aircraft altitudes are often quoted in feet, while metric maps and apps use meters. Knowing that 1000 feet is about 305 meters, or that a 5400-foot mountain pass is roughly 1646 meters, helps you reconcile two sources without pulling out a calculator every time.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing length with area. Converting feet to meters does not convert square feet to square meters. The area factor is 0.3048² = 0.092903, a completely different number.
• Mishandling inches. Inches must be divided by 12 to become a fraction of a foot before you multiply. Treating "5 feet 6 inches" as 5.6 feet is wrong — it is 5.5 feet.
• Using 0.3 as the exact factor. 0.3 is a rough estimate. The exact value is 0.3048, and the difference adds up over long distances.
• Dividing instead of multiplying. To go from feet to meters you multiply by 0.3048. Dividing by it converts meters to feet by mistake.
• Rounding too early. Carry the full decimal through the calculation and round only the final figure.

Tips and related converters

Memorize two anchors and you can estimate almost anything: 1 foot ≈ 0.3 meters, and 1 meter ≈ 3.28 feet. For tall measurements, remember that 10 feet is just over 3 meters. When precision matters — engineering drawings, official records, scientific work — rely on the converter above and the exact 0.3048 factor.

For related needs, use the Meters to Feet converter for the reverse, the Square Meters to Square Feet converter for floor areas, and the Square Yards to Square Meters converter for land and fabric. Every length and area tool lives on the Unit Converters hub, all free and browser-based with no signup.

Frequently asked questions

What is the formula to convert feet to meters? Multiply the number of feet by 0.3048: meters = feet × 0.3048. The factor is exact because one foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters.

How many meters is 12 feet? 12 feet equals 3.6576 meters, found by multiplying 12 by 0.3048.

What is 5 feet 6 inches in meters? 5 feet 6 inches is 5.5 feet, which equals 1.6764 meters. Convert the inches to a fraction of a foot (6 ÷ 12 = 0.5) before multiplying.

What is 2 meters in feet? 2 meters equals about 6.56 feet, or roughly 6 feet 6.7 inches, using the reverse factor of 3.28084.

Can I convert square feet to square meters with this tool? No. This converts length, not area. For area use the dedicated square feet to square meters converter, since the area factor is 0.092903, not 0.3048.

How do I handle a measurement given in feet and inches? Divide the inches by 12 to get a decimal fraction of a foot, add it to the whole feet, then multiply the total by 0.3048.

Is 0.3 a good enough conversion factor? Only for rough estimates. The exact factor is 0.3048; using 0.3 underestimates the length, and the error grows with distance.

Do I need an account to use the converter? No. It is completely free, runs in your browser, and has no signup or usage limits.