Result
0
Equivalent length
Accurate length conversion tool for metres and feet
Convert metres to feet instantly with the exact factor of 1 m = 3.28084 ft. Includes bidirectional conversion and full length breakdowns across inches, yards, centimetres, kilometres, and miles for construction, travel, sport, and everyday measurement in 2026.
Professional length conversion for construction, aviation, sport, travel, and everyday measurement worldwide
Convert metres to feet using the exact factor defined by the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement: 1 foot = 0.3048 metres exactly, giving 1 metre = 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895…feet. This is an exact, defined relationship — the foot is legally defined as 0.3048 m precisely in all major English-speaking countries. Our Metres to Feet Converter applies this exact factor for perfectly accurate results at any value, from sub-centimetre precision engineering measurements to kilometre-scale geographic distances.
Switch instantly between metres to feet and feet to metres conversion modes. Results are also displayed across inches, yards, centimetres, kilometres, and miles — providing a complete length picture from a single input for architects, engineers, construction professionals, pilots, athletes, travellers, and students working across metric and imperial length conventions in international contexts. Convert heights, distances, depths, altitudes, and dimensions in one click.
Essential for construction and architecture (converting building heights and room dimensions between metric and imperial drawings), aviation (altitude in feet vs metres), sport (athletics distances, swimming pool lengths, basketball court dimensions), real estate (property dimensions in the USA in feet vs metric), travel (road signs, hiking trail distances), geographic elevation and depth descriptions, and academic physics and engineering coursework. The Metres to Feet Converter is one of the most widely needed unit conversions in the world — our tool gives fast, exact answers for 2026.
Select conversion direction and enter your value below
The metre (m) is the SI base unit of length, defined since 2019 as the distance light travels in a vacuum in exactly 1/299,792,458 of a second. The foot (ft) is the imperial and US customary unit of length equal to exactly 12 inches. By the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement — signed by the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa — the foot was permanently defined as 0.3048 metres exactly. This makes the conversion between metres and feet an exact, defined relationship: 1 m = 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895…feet. There is no approximation involved — the only rounding occurs when we choose to display the result to a limited number of decimal places.
The metre and the foot are the two most commonly converted length units in the world — reflecting the global divide between the metric system (used by most countries for everyday measurement) and the imperial system (still dominant in the USA, and still used alongside metric in the UK for many purposes). Key practical values: a person 6 feet tall is 1.8288 m; Mount Everest is 8,848.86 m = 29,031.7 ft; standard commercial aviation altitude of 35,000 ft = 10,668 m; an Olympic swimming pool is 50 m = 164.042 ft. The Metres to Feet Converter handles all these conversions instantly and exactly.
Example: 10 m ÷ 0.3048 = 32.8084 ft | 6 ft × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m (exactly)
Use this reference table for quick metre-to-foot lookups. Values span from everyday heights and room dimensions through athletic distances, building heights, aviation altitudes, and geographic scales — covering the full range of practical conversions needed in construction, sport, travel, and science.
| Metres (m) | Feet (ft) | Feet & Inches | Inches (in) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.3048 m | 1 ft | 1′ 0″ | 12 in | 1 foot exactly |
| 0.5 m | 1.6404 ft | 1′ 7.7″ | 19.685 in | Half metre |
| 1 m | 3.2808 ft | 3′ 3.4″ | 39.370 in | One metre |
| 1.524 m | 5 ft | 5′ 0″ | 60 in | 5 feet exactly |
| 1.8 m | 5.9055 ft | 5′ 10.9″ | 70.866 in | Average adult height |
| 2 m | 6.5617 ft | 6′ 6.7″ | 78.740 in | Standard door height |
| 3.048 m | 10 ft | 10′ 0″ | 120 in | 10 feet exactly |
| 10 m | 32.808 ft | 32′ 9.7″ | 393.70 in | 3-storey building |
| 30.48 m | 100 ft | 100′ 0″ | 1200 in | 100 feet exactly |
| 100 m | 328.084 ft | 328′ 1.0″ | 3937.0 in | Athletics sprint |
| 304.8 m | 1,000 ft | 1000′ 0″ | 12,000 in | 1000 feet exactly |
| 1000 m | 3,280.84 ft | 3280′ 10″ | 39,370 in | 1 kilometre |
| 1609.344 m | 5,280 ft | 5280′ 0″ | 63,360 in | 1 mile exactly |
| 8848.86 m | 29,031.7 ft | 29031′ 8.4″ | 348,380 in | Mount Everest |
The diagram below shows how metres and feet compare to other key length units at four practical reference points — helping you visualise the metric-to-imperial relationship across everyday human scales.
1 m = 3.280839895 ft = 39.3700787 in = 1.0936133 yd (all exact) | 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly | 1 mile = 1609.344 m = 5280 ft (exact)
The foot is one of the oldest length units in human history, with origins in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome — where it approximated the length of a human foot. Different countries used slightly different foot lengths until the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement permanently fixed the international foot at exactly 0.3048 metres. Today, the foot is legally defined by its relationship to the metre. The USA, UK, and a handful of other countries still use feet for everyday measurement — height, property dimensions, and altitude — while metric countries use metres. This makes metres-to-feet conversion one of the world's most frequently performed unit conversions.
All international civil aviation uses feet for altitude, with the notable exception of China, Russia, and a few other countries that use metres for lower-altitude flights. ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standardises altitude reporting in feet for flight levels (FL) worldwide — FL350 = 35,000 ft = 10,668 m. This means every pilot flying internationally must understand the metres-to-feet conversion precisely. Standard sea-level pressure altitude (transition altitude) is defined at 1013.25 hPa, and altimeter settings in QNH are expressed in feet above sea level in most of the world.
Athletics and most international sports use metric distances: 100 m sprint, 200 m, 400 m, marathon (42.195 km). However, American sports use feet and yards: football field is 100 yards (91.44 m); basketball court is 94 × 50 ft (28.65 × 15.24 m). Swimming pools are 50 m (164 ft) or 25 m (82 ft) for international competition, but older US pools were 25 yards (22.86 m). Golf holes are measured in yards in the USA and metres elsewhere. Converting between metres and feet is a daily need for sports statisticians, journalists, and coaches working across international sport boundaries.
Construction drawing standards differ by country: the USA uses feet and inches for all architectural and structural drawings, while the UK, Australia, Europe, and most of the world use millimetres. A standard US ceiling height of 8 feet = 2.4384 m; a 9 ft ceiling = 2.7432 m; a 10 ft room = 3.048 m. Standard US lumber dimensions, stud spacing (16 inches = 406.4 mm, 24 inches = 609.6 mm), and door heights (6′8″ = 2.032 m) all require metres-to-feet conversion when working with international building components, modular systems, or cross-border architectural projects.
Mountain heights and ocean depths are reported in both metres and feet worldwide, depending on source. The highest peak, Mount Everest, is officially 8,848.86 m = 29,031.7 ft (2020 China-Nepal survey). Death Valley's lowest point is −86 m = −282 ft. The Mariana Trench's deepest point (Challenger Deep) is approximately −10,935 m = −35,876 ft. US topographic maps use feet; most international maps use metres. Hiking trail descriptions in the USA give elevation in feet; those in Europe and Australia use metres — making metres-to-feet conversion fundamental for travellers and adventurers comparing international elevation data.
Human height is reported in metres in metric countries and feet-and-inches in the USA and UK. The average adult height varies by country: global male average is approximately 1.71 m = 5 ft 7.3 in; global female average is approximately 1.59 m = 5 ft 2.6 in. The tallest verified human ever (Robert Wadlow) was 2.72 m = 8 ft 11.1 in. A person who is 6 feet tall is exactly 1.8288 m. Converting between these systems is among the most common everyday uses of the Metres to Feet Converter — particularly for people moving between metric and imperial countries.
For fast mental approximation: multiply metres by 3.28 to get feet (error < 0.01%). For an even quicker rough estimate: multiply by 3 and add 10% — e.g., 10 m × 3 = 30, + 10% = 33 ft (actual: 32.81 ft). For the reverse: multiply feet by 0.3 to get approximate metres (slightly low, ~1.6% error), or divide by 3.28. Key benchmarks: 1 m ≈ 3.28 ft; 3 m ≈ 9.84 ft; 10 m ≈ 32.8 ft; 100 m ≈ 328 ft; 1000 m = 3280.84 ft. The exact conversion anchor: 1 ft = 0.3048 m — commit this to memory and you can derive all others.
Our converter is designed for speed and accuracy on any device. Follow these four steps:
This reverse table shows common foot values converted to metres — useful for American and British users needing to express foot-based dimensions in metric for international documentation, engineering specifications, scientific publications, or metric-country communications.
| Feet (ft) | Metres (m) | Centimetres (cm) | Inches (in) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ft | 0.3048 m | 30.48 cm | 12 in | One foot exactly |
| 2 ft | 0.6096 m | 60.96 cm | 24 in | Two feet |
| 3 ft | 0.9144 m | 91.44 cm | 36 in | One yard exactly |
| 5 ft | 1.524 m | 152.4 cm | 60 in | Five feet |
| 5 ft 11 in | 1.8034 m | 180.34 cm | 71 in | Average male height |
| 6 ft | 1.8288 m | 182.88 cm | 72 in | Six feet (tall person) |
| 10 ft | 3.048 m | 304.8 cm | 120 in | 10 feet exactly |
| 20 ft | 6.096 m | 609.6 cm | 240 in | Two-storey height |
| 100 ft | 30.48 m | 3048 cm | 1200 in | 100 feet exactly |
| 500 ft | 152.4 m | 15,240 cm | 6000 in | 500 feet |
| 1,000 ft | 304.8 m | 30,480 cm | 12,000 in | 1000 feet exactly |
| 5,280 ft | 1609.344 m | 160,934 cm | 63,360 in | 1 mile exactly |
A common source of error when converting metres to feet is confusing decimal feet with feet-and-inches. For example, 1.75 m converts to 5.7415 decimal feet — but this does NOT mean 5 feet 7 inches. The 0.7415 of a foot must be multiplied by 12 to get the remaining inches: 0.7415 × 12 = 8.9 inches. So 1.75 m = 5 feet 8.9 inches (often written 5′ 8.9″), not 5 feet 7 inches. Always perform the two-step conversion when working with feet-and-inches: first get decimal feet (m ÷ 0.3048), then multiply the decimal part by 12 to get inches. Our converter shows both decimal feet and the feet-and-inches breakdown in the detailed results section to prevent this common error.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the US federal agency responsible for measurement standards, including the official US definition of the foot and all customary unit relationships. NIST's Handbook 44 (Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices) and SP 811 (Guide for the Use of the International System of Units) provide the authoritative US source for the exact foot-to-metre relationship (1 ft = 0.3048 m) and all derived length conversions used in our Metres to Feet Converter for 2026.
Visit NIST →The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) maintains the official SI unit definitions, including the metre as defined through the fixed numerical value of the speed of light. The BIPM SI Brochure (9th edition, 2019) documents the current SI framework in which the metre is the base unit of length and all other length units — including the foot, yard, inch, and mile — are defined as exact multiples of the metre. This framework ensures that all length conversions, including metres to feet, are mathematically exact and permanently stable.
Visit BIPM →Explore our full collection of free conversion tools including area converters (acres to square metres, acres to square yards), length converters (micrometres to millimetres, metres to rods), pressure converters (millibars to pascals, atmospheres to pascals), speed converters (miles per hour to knots), and time converters (days to months) — all free, mobile-friendly, and accurate for 2026. Whether you are a student, engineer, surveyor, or traveller, our tools cover every unit conversion you need.
Explore Tools →