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Mathematics & calculation

Convert meters to feet (and feet to meters)

Two-way meters ↔ feet converter: exact factor (1 ft = 0.3048 m), formulas, a mental-math shortcut, a conversion table and real examples (1.80 m height, Mount Everest, FL350 cruising altitude, ceiling height).

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Conversion table

m to ft conversion
mft
1 m3.28084 ft
2 m6.56168 ft
5 m16.4042 ft
10 m32.8084 ft
20 m65.6168 ft
50 m164.042 ft
100 m328.084 ft
1,000 m3,280.84 ft
ft to m conversion
ftm
1 ft0.3048 m
2 ft0.6096 m
5 ft1.524 m
10 ft3.048 m
20 ft6.096 m
50 ft15.24 m
100 ft30.48 m
1,000 ft304.8 m

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How does this tool work?

This converter turns meters into feet and feet into meters: type a value in either field and the other updates instantly. The foot is still the everyday unit for a person's height in the United States and the United Kingdom, for the height of a building or a ceiling in US listings, and above all for altitude in aviation, where flight altitudes and airport elevations are given in feet worldwide.

The international foot is exactly 0.3048 m. It comes from the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, which fixed 1 yard = 0.9144 m, so 1 foot = 0.9144 m ÷ 3 = 0.3048 m. Because the meter is defined by the SI (the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second), the foot has an exact value too. In the other direction, 1 m ≈ 3.28084 feet.

To go from meters to feet, divide by 0.3048 (or multiply by 3.28084); to go from feet to meters, multiply by 0.3048. The result in feet is decimal: to write it in feet and inches, keep the whole part as feet and multiply the decimal part by 12. So 5.9055 ft = 5 ft and 0.9055 × 12 = 10.87 in.

For a quick estimate, multiply meters by 3 and add 10%: 100 m ≈ 330 ft (exact value 328.08). The other way, multiply feet by 0.3 and add about 1.6%: 35,000 ft ≈ 10,500 + 168 = 10,668 m. Flight level FL350 means 35,000 ft, which is exactly 10,668 m.

Do not mix up the international foot with the US survey foot (1200/3937 m ≈ 0.3048006 m), used in US geodesy and retired on January 1, 2023. The gap, about 2 mm per kilometer, is negligible outside surveying. And a foot is not written 5.6 when you mean 5 ft 6 in: inches are twelfths of a foot.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter a length

    In meters or decimal feet; a height of 1.80 m is typed as 1.8, and decimals are accepted in both fields.

  2. Read the result

    The other field updates on every keystroke. For feet and inches, multiply the decimal part of the result by 12.

  3. Scan the chart

    Below the converter, the table lists common equivalents in both directions, from 1 to 1,000, to get an order of magnitude.

Meters ↔ feet conversion formulas

The international foot is defined exactly from the meter, so converting feet to meters is always exact.

Feet to meters

m = ft × 0.3048

Exact factor: 1 ft = 1/3 yd = 0.3048 m.

Meters to feet

ft = m ÷ 0.3048 ≈ m × 3.28084

The 3.28084 factor is rounded.

Decimal feet to feet and inches

in = (ft − ⌊ft⌋) × 12

The whole part gives the feet; the decimal part times 12 gives the inches.

m
length in meters
ft
length in international feet (1 ft = 0.3048 m)
in
inches left after removing whole feet (1 ft = 12 in)

Example: 1.80 m = 1.80 ÷ 0.3048 ≈ 5.9055 ft, which is 5 ft and (5.9055 − 5) × 12 ≈ 10.87 in.

Use cases

Height and body measurements

Convert a height from a profile, a medical form or a US website into meters, and the other way round.

Aviation

Turn an altitude or flight level in feet into meters, or read an airport elevation or an obstacle height.

Real estate and construction

Read the height of a ceiling, a fence or a building in a listing or a plan given in feet.

Sports and leisure

Understand a hoop height, a dive depth, or the length of a boat or sailboat quoted in feet.

Examples

Height of 1.80 m

1.80 ÷ 0.3048 ≈ 5.9055 ft, which is 5 ft and 0.9055 × 12 ≈ 10.87 in (about 5′11″).

Input

1.80 m

Result

5.906 feet

Summit of Everest

8,848.86 ÷ 0.3048 ≈ 29,031.7 ft, the figure commonly quoted in the US (29,032 ft).

Input

8,848.86 m

Result

29,031.7 feet

Cruising altitude

35,000 × 0.3048 = 10,668 m exactly. This is flight level FL350 for airliners.

Input

35,000 feet

Result

10,668 m

Ceiling height

2.5 ÷ 0.3048 ≈ 8.202 ft, about 8 ft 2.4 in, close to the standard US 8 ft ceiling.

Input

2.5 m

Result

8.20 feet

Basketball hoop

10 × 0.3048 = 3.048 m, the regulation rim height, the same in the NBA and in international play.

Input

10 feet

Result

3.048 m

Tips and best practices

  • Landmarks: 1 m ≈ 3.28 ft, 10 m ≈ 32.8 ft, 100 m ≈ 328 ft, 1,000 m ≈ 3,281 ft.
  • The other way: 10 ft = 3.048 m, 100 ft = 30.48 m, 1,000 ft = 304.8 m.
  • Aviation altitudes are given in hundreds of feet: FL350 = 35,000 ft, FL100 = 10,000 ft (3,048 m).
  • For a height in feet and inches, use the feet to inches converter instead: 5′9″ = 69 inches.
  • Boat and dock lengths are often quoted in feet: 40 ft ≈ 12.19 m.

Sources and references

Frequently asked questions

How many feet are in a meter?

One meter is about 3.28084 feet. More precisely, 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895… ft, which is 3 ft and 3.37 in.

How many meters are in a foot?

One foot is exactly 0.3048 m, or 30.48 cm, or 304.8 mm. This value has been fixed since the 1959 international agreement.

How do I convert meters to feet?

Divide the meters by 0.3048 or multiply them by 3.28084. For example, 100 m = 328.08 ft and 2 m = 6.562 ft.

How many meters is 35,000 feet?

35,000 × 0.3048 = 10,668 m, about 10.7 km. It is the typical cruising altitude of an airliner, flight level FL350.

Why does aviation still use feet?

ICAO standards keep the foot for altitude, which gives all pilots and controllers a common reference.

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