Feet (ft) and Centimeters (cm) Conversion Calculator

An online feet/inches and centimeters conversion calculator is presented along with problems involving length and volume conversions.

Common notations and abbreviations:

Conversion Formula of Feet and Inches to Centimeters [1]

By international agreement:

\[ 1 \text{ inch} = 2.54 \text{ centimeters} \] \[ 1 \text{ foot} = 12 \text{ inches} = 12 \times 2.54 \text{ centimeters} = 30.48 \text{ centimeters} \] \[ 1 \text{ cm} = \left(\frac{1}{2.54}\right) \text{ inch} \] \[ 1 \text{ cm} = \left(\frac{1}{30.48}\right) \text{ feet} \]

Reference: NIST Reference Guidelines

Interactive Conversion Calculator

Enter the number of feet and inches (or centimeters) to perform conversions with customizable decimal places.

Feet and inches to cm

ft     in



cm
Cm to feet and inches

cm



ft     in
Decimal Places

Examples of Conversion

Example 1

Convert \( 3'11'' \) to cm and round the answer to 1 decimal place.

View Solution

Note that \( 3'11'' = 3 \text{ feet} + 11 \text{ inches} \).

\[ 3'11'' = 3 \times 30.48 \, \text{cm} + 11 \times 2.54 \, \text{cm} = 91.44 \, \text{cm} + 27.94 \, \text{cm} = 119.38 \, \text{cm} \]

Rounding to 1 decimal place:

\[ 3'11'' = 119.4 \, \text{cm} \]

Example 2

Convert \( 78.6 \, \text{cm} \) to feet and inches and round to the nearest inch.

View Solution
\[ 78.6 \, \text{cm} = 78.6 \times \left(\frac{1}{30.48}\right) \text{feet} \approx 2.57874015748 \, \text{feet} \]

Separating the whole feet and the decimal part:

\[ 2.57874015748 \, \text{feet} = 2 \, \text{feet} + 0.57874015748 \, \text{feet} \]

Convert the decimal part to inches (since \( 1 \text{ foot} = 12 \text{ inches} \)):

\[ 0.57874015748 \times 12 \, \text{in} \approx 6.94488188976 \, \text{in} \]

Rounding to the nearest inch gives \( 7 \, \text{in} \).

Conclusion: \( 78.6 \, \text{cm} = 2 \text{ ft } 7 \text{ in} \).

Problems Involving Feet, Inches, and Cm Conversions

Problem 1

A fence of length \( 70 \text{ ft } 8 \text{ in} \) is to be constructed using pallets of length \( 3 \text{ ft } 6 \text{ in} \). How many pallets are needed?

View Solution

First, convert the length of the fence to cm:

\[ 70 \text{ ft } 8 \text{ in} = 70 \times 30.48 \, \text{cm} + 8 \times 2.54 \, \text{cm} = 2133.6 \, \text{cm} + 20.32 \, \text{cm} = 2153.92 \, \text{cm} \]

Convert the length of one pallet to cm:

\[ 3 \text{ ft } 6 \text{ in} = 3 \times 30.48 \, \text{cm} + 6 \times 2.54 \, \text{cm} = 91.44 \, \text{cm} + 15.24 \, \text{cm} = 106.68 \, \text{cm} \]

The number \( N \) of pallets needed is:

\[ N = \dfrac{\text{Length of fence}}{\text{Length of one pallet}} = \dfrac{2153.92 \, \text{cm}}{106.68 \, \text{cm}} \approx 20.190476 \]

Since the number of pallets must be a whole number rounded to the next higher integer:

\[ N = 21 \text{ pallets} \]

Problem 2

What is the area of a rectangular floor of dimensions \( 540 \, \text{cm} \) by \( 340 \, \text{cm} \) in square inches? Round the answer to the nearest tenth of a square inch.

View Solution

Convert the dimensions of the floor to inches using \( 1 \, \text{cm} \approx 0.3937007874 \, \text{in} \):

\[ L = 540 \, \text{cm} = 540 \times 0.3937007874 \, \text{in} \approx 212.598425 \, \text{in} \] \[ W = 340 \, \text{cm} = 340 \times 0.3937007874 \, \text{in} \approx 133.858268 \, \text{in} \]

The area \( A \) of the rectangular floor in square inches is given by \( A = L \times W \):

\[ A = 212.598425 \times 133.858268 \approx 28,458.089 \, \text{in}^2 \]

Rounding to the nearest tenth of a square inch (one decimal place):

\[ A = 28,458.1 \, \text{in}^2 \]

Problem 3

Convert the volume \( V = 123.5 \, \text{cm}^3 \) into \( \text{in}^3 \) and round to the nearest hundredth of a \( \text{in}^3 \).

View Solution

By definition, \( 1 \, \text{cm}^3 = 1 \, \text{cm} \times 1 \, \text{cm} \times 1 \, \text{cm} \).

Using the conversion factor \( 1 \, \text{cm} = 0.3937007874 \, \text{inches} \):

\[ 1 \, \text{cm}^3 = (0.3937007874 \, \text{in})^3 \approx 0.061023744 \, \text{in}^3 \]

Therefore:

\[ V = 123.5 \times 0.061023744 \, \text{in}^3 \approx 7.53643 \, \text{in}^3 \]

Rounding to the nearest hundredth of a cubic inch (two decimal places):

\[ V = 7.54 \, \text{in}^3 \]

More References and Links

  1. NIST Reference Guidelines
  2. Online Calculators
  3. Units Conversion and Calculators
  4. Geometry Calculators
  5. Home Page