Feet to Metres: Formula and Worked Examples

Multiply international feet by 0.3048

For a length measured in international feet, metres = feet × 0.3048. A 20-foot length is therefore 6.096 m, and a 100-foot length is 30.48 m. In reverse, divide metres by 0.3048. The linked converter initially presents a metres-to-feet direction, so select feet under From and metres under To for this question. Leaving the direction reversed is a common reason a plausible-looking number is wrong even when the entered digits match the original measurement.

Handle a feet-and-inches source measurement

For 7 feet 3 inches, first convert the 3-inch remainder into 0.25 foot. The combined length is 7.25 feet, giving 7.25 × 0.3048 = 2.2098 m. An independent route combines the measurement into 87 inches and multiplies by 0.0254 metre per inch, again producing 2.2098 m. Entering 7.3 would represent 7 feet plus 0.3 foot, or 7 feet 3.6 inches. It would overstate this particular source measurement by 0.6 inch.

Separate a linear dimension from square footage

A rectangle 20 feet long and 10 feet wide has sides of 6.096 m and 3.048 m. Multiplying those converted sides gives 18.580608 m². Its area in square feet is 200, which must be multiplied by 0.3048² rather than by 0.3048 once. This distinction is useful when a drawing gives both dimensions and floor area. A length converter can verify each side, but it does not turn a single linear foot value into square metres without another dimension or a specified shape.

Identify unusual historical definitions explicitly

Ordinary modern length conversion uses the international foot. Historical surveying records may specify a US survey foot, a distinct definition equal to 1200/3937 metre. Although the difference per foot is small, large coordinate values can make it significant. Do not silently reinterpret an old coordinate record using the ordinary foot factor. Read the stated unit and coordinate reference information first. The linked general length converter uses the ordinary international-foot relationship and does not perform a survey-coordinate datum transformation.

Use exact unit definitions without implying exact measurement

The international inch is exactly 2.54 centimetres, and one foot is exactly 12 inches or 0.3048 metres. These fixed relations let a converter change units without knowing the object being measured. The measurement itself may still be approximate. A tape marked in whole millimetres does not produce a more accurate measurement merely because the converted number has six decimal places. Retain enough digits during the calculation, then report a sensible precision for the original reading and the intended use of the converted dimension.

Keep a mixed measurement separate from a decimal

Feet and inches use a base of twelve inches per foot, whereas decimal feet use tenths and hundredths of a foot. Thus 5 feet 6 inches is 5.5 feet, not 5.6 feet. To combine a mixed measurement, multiply the whole feet by 12 and add the remaining inches. To split a decimal-foot result, take its whole-number part as feet and multiply the fractional part by 12 to obtain inches. If rounded inches reach 12, carry them into the next whole foot rather than writing an unusual twelve-inch remainder.

Choose matching input and output quantities

The linked length converter has a numeric value and From and To unit selectors. Enter a single numerical quantity, not a phrase containing feet and inches; combine mixed units first. Check the output label before copying the result into a drawing or form. A length conversion does not calculate area, circumference or fit. If a problem involves two dimensions, convert each separately. For an area, the length factor must be squared; for volume, it must be cubed. Applying the linear factor once to a square or cubic unit produces the wrong scale.

Related guides

Height: Centimetres to Feet and Inches

Convert height from centimetres to total inches and then feet plus inches, handle rounding carry, and distinguish mixed notation from decimal feet.

Height in Feet and Centimetres: Mixed Units

Convert a height written in feet and inches into centimetres, decode decimal feet, and show how whole-inch rounding changes a height record.

Metres and Centimetres to Feet and Inches

Combine metres and centimetres before converting to feet and inches, split the decimal result correctly, and retain precision through a round trip.