Convert feet and metres instantly. This free feet to meters converter works either direction, accepts feet-and-inches for heights, and uses the exact factor (1 ft = 0.3048 m), with centimetres too.
Enter feet, plus inches if you like (handy for heights such as 5 ft 11 in). One foot equals exactly 0.3048 metres.
Enter a length in metres to convert it to feet (and feet-and-inches). One metre is about 3.281 feet.
A quick estimate: multiply feet by 0.3 for a rough metre value, or metres by 3.28 for feet. The calculator uses the exact factor (0.3048) for precise results.
What This Feet to Meters Converter Does
Convert feet (with optional inches) to metres, or metres back to feet and inches, using the exact conversion factor. This makes it especially useful for converting heights, which are often expressed with an inches remainder like 5 ft 11 in.
The Exact Conversion Factor
One foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 metres, following the same 1959 international standardization that fixed the inch at exactly 2.54 cm. One metre equals approximately 3.2808 feet.
For example, a height of 5 ft 11 in converts to about 1.8034 m.
Why Feet-and-Inches Mode Matters for Height
Height is rarely a clean whole number of feet, so this converter accepts an optional inches value alongside feet, converting the combined figure accurately rather than requiring you to first calculate a decimal feet value by hand.
The Quick Estimate vs the Exact Figure
A common shortcut multiplies feet by 0.3 for a rough metres estimate. This works fine casually, but the true factor is 0.3048, so the gap grows as the measurement gets larger – this converter always uses the exact figure.
Common Uses for This Conversion
This conversion is common for comparing height between metric and imperial systems, checking room or ceiling dimensions, converting altitude or elevation figures, and reading building or construction specifications written in a different unit system.
Feet, Meters, and International Travel
Aircraft altitude is almost universally reported in feet worldwide, even in countries that otherwise use the metric system for everything else, while ground elevations and building heights outside the US are typically given in metres. Travelers moving between these conventions often need to convert quickly, whether checking a mountain’s elevation or a flight’s cruising altitude against a metric expectation.
Rounding Considerations for Height Conversions
Converting a height like 5 ft 11 in to metres and back can introduce small rounding differences depending on how many decimal places are kept along the way. For most everyday purposes, rounding the final metres figure to two decimal places (as this converter does) is more than sufficiently precise.
How to Use the Feet to Meters Converter
- Choose a direction: feet to meters, or meters to feet.
- Enter feet and, optionally, inches, or a metres value.
- Review the result along with the decimal feet, feet-and-inches, and centimetres breakdown.
Converting a shorter length instead? See our Inch to CM Converter.