Is 1 foot exactly 0.3048 meters?

Yes. Since 1959, the foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters internationally, making this a precise conversion.

Why do buildings in the US still use feet if most of the world uses meters?

Historical convention. US construction codes have been built around the foot for over a century, and changing would require massive infrastructure updates.

I'm 5 feet 10 inches tall and need to fill out a European health form that asks for height in meters — what do I enter?

5 feet 10 inches is 70 inches total. Multiply by 0.0254 to get 1.778 meters. You'd enter 1.78 m. Alternatively, convert the feet and inches separately: 5 ft = 1.524 m, 10 in = 0.254 m, total 1.778 m.

A vacation rental listing says the living room is 20 feet by 15 feet — how many square meters is that?

Convert each side first: 20 ft × 0.3048 = 6.096 m, and 15 ft × 0.3048 = 4.572 m. Multiply them together: 6.096 × 4.572 = 27.87 square meters. That's a comfortably sized room — roughly equivalent to a 28 m² space.

Feet to Meters Converter

Enter a value to instantly convert between length units.

From

Precision4 dp

1 Foot = 0.3048 Meter

Key Formulas

Centimeter → Inch

in = cm × 0.393701

Kilometer → Mile

mi = km × 0.621371

Foot → Meter

m = ft × 0.3048

Inch → Centimeter

cm = in × 2.54

Formula

m = ft × 0.3048

Feet are the standard unit for height and distance in the US and UK. Meters are used globally for scientific and engineering work. When an architectural firm in Europe sends you building drawings, or a rental listing abroad gives room dimensions in meters, you need to translate those numbers into feet before they mean anything practical to you.

Source: International Yard and Pound Agreement (1959)

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

Average human height of 6 feet is 1.83 meters

6 ft = 1.8288 m

Standard ceiling height in older buildings is 10 feet or 3.05 meters

10 ft = 3.048 m

A 30-foot tall climbing wall is about 9.1 meters high

30 ft = 9.144 m

A 100-foot long swimming pool — common in US competitive facilities — is exactly 30.48 meters, close to the 50-meter Olympic standard

100 ft = 30.48 m

cm to inches km to miles inches to cm miles to km meters to feet

Feet to Meters Converter

Key Formulas

Formula

Frequently Asked Questions

Real-World Examples

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