Metric to Imperial Converter

Metric length to convert

Enter a value and choose millimetres, centimetres or metres.

Inches

awaiting input

Awaiting input.

Enter a value to convert.

Feet
Yards

To convert a metric length to imperial units, divide by the exact factor for that unit — 25.4 mm, 2.54 cm, 0.3048 m per foot, or 0.9144 m per yard. 2 m ÷ 0.3048 = 6.5617 feet.

01 — Three metric units, three factors

Millimetres, Centimetres and Metres

Each metric unit has its own exact conversion factor to inches, feet and yards — there's no single number that works for all three at once.

Millimetres convert most directly to inches (÷ 25.4), centimetres almost as directly (÷ 2.54), and metres are usually more useful compared against feet or yards, since a metre is close in scale to both. All of these factors trace back to the same root definition: 1 inch = 25.4 mm exactly, from which every other imperial-metric length factor is derived.

02 — Formula

The Metric to Imperial Formulas

Three exact division factors cover every metric-to-imperial conversion.

IN=MM ÷ 25.4 , FT=M ÷ 0.3048 , YD=M ÷ 0.9144

Each formula divides a metric value by the exact number of that metric unit in one imperial unit.

  • 25.4Exact millimetres per inch.
  • 0.3048Exact metres per foot (304.8 mm).
  • 0.9144Exact metres per yard (914.4 mm).

Worked calculation — 2 metres

  1. 2 × 1000 = 2000 mmConvert metres to millimetres
  2. 2000 ÷ 25.4 = 78.7402Inches
  3. 2 ÷ 0.3048 = 6.5617Feet

2 m = 78.7402" = 6.5617 ft = 2.18723 yd

03 — Reference table

Metric Lengths in Imperial Units

Common metric lengths converted to inches, feet and yards.
MetricInchesFeetYards
1 mm 0.0394" 0.0033 ft 0.00109 yd
1 cm 0.3937" 0.0328 ft 0.01094 yd
10 cm 3.937" 0.3281 ft 0.10936 yd
1 m 39.3701" 3.2808 ft 1.09361 yd
2 m 78.7402" 6.5617 ft 2.18723 yd
5 m 196.8504" 16.4042 ft 5.46807 yd
10 m 393.7008" 32.8084 ft 10.93613 yd
04 — By hand

Converting Without a Calculator

  1. For inches from mm, divide by 25.4. 300 mm ÷ 25.4 = 11.811".
  2. For feet from metres, divide by 0.3048. 3 m ÷ 0.3048 = 9.8425 ft.
  3. For yards from metres, divide by 0.9144. 3 m ÷ 0.9144 = 3.2808 yd.
05 — Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert centimeters to inches?

Divide the centimetre value by 2.54, since 1 inch equals exactly 2.54 cm. 10 cm ÷ 2.54 = 3.937".

How do you convert meters to feet?

Divide the metre value by 0.3048, since 1 foot equals exactly 0.3048 m. 2 m ÷ 0.3048 = 6.5617 ft.

What is 1 meter in inches?

1 metre equals 39.3701 inches, found by dividing 1000 mm by 25.4.

How do you convert metres to yards?

Divide the metre value by 0.9144, since 1 yard equals exactly 0.9144 m. 5 m ÷ 0.9144 = 5.4681 yd.

Why does the US still use feet and yards instead of metres?

The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 made metric adoption voluntary in the United States, and it was never completed. Construction, road signage and everyday commerce remained on imperial units even as science, medicine and much of US manufacturing switched to metric for international compatibility.