Length Converter

Metric vs. Imperial System

Most of the world uses the Metric System (meters, kilometers) based on the number 10. The United States and a few other countries use the Imperial System (feet, inches, miles).

Common Conversions Table

• 1 Inch: 2.54 centimeters (exact)
• 1 Foot: 12 inches = 30.48 cm
• 1 Yard: 3 feet = 0.9144 meters
• 1 Mile: 5280 feet = 1.609 kilometers
• 1 Meter: ~3.28 feet or 39.37 inches
• 1 Kilometer: ~0.62 miles

Interesting Facts

The meter was originally defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. Today, it's defined by the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. An inch was historically the width of a man's thumb.