foot (ft)
1 foot = 0.3048 metres
What is foot?
A foot is a unit of length in imperial and US customary systems equal to 12 inches. It is commonly used in construction, architecture, body height measurements, and aviation for altitude references.
Notes: Imperial/USCS unit
Real-world uses
Feet are the primary unit for building dimensions, room sizes, and ceiling heights in the United States. Aviation uses feet for altitude worldwide (e.g., cruising at 35,000 ft). Human height in the US and UK is commonly expressed in feet and inches.
History
The foot has been used since ancient civilizations, with varying lengths based on the local king's foot. The modern international foot was defined in 1959 as exactly 0.3048 metres, replacing slightly different US and British survey definitions.
Common mistakes
Using an apostrophe for feet (6') and confusing it with the prime symbol. Also, people often round 1 foot to 30 cm instead of the correct 30.48 cm, leading to cumulative errors in construction.
When is this conversion used?
Converting between foot and metre is common when working across metric and imperial systems, such as international trade, travel between countries with different measurement standards, or following instructions from a different region. This conversion is frequently needed in construction, architecture, and real estate where building codes may specify dimensions in one system while materials are sold in another.
How to convert foot to metre
To convert foot to metre, multiply the value by 0.3048.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 0.3048
Measurement standards
The metre is one of seven SI base units, maintained by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Since 2019, it is defined by fixing the numerical value of the speed of light in vacuum to exactly 299,792,458 metres per second.
Did you know?
A human hair is roughly 70 micrometres wide, while a single gold atom measures about 0.144 nanometres in diameter — meaning you could line up nearly half a million atoms across the width of one hair.
| feet | metres |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.03048 |
| 0.5 | 0.1524 |
| 1 | 0.3048 |
| 2 | 0.6096 |
| 5 | 1.524 |
| 10 | 3.048 |
| 25 | 7.62 |
| 50 | 15.24 |
| 100 | 30.48 |
| 250 | 76.2 |
| 500 | 152.4 |
| 1,000 | 304.8 |
Common values
| feet | metres | |
|---|---|---|
| Height of a door | 6.88976378 feet | 2.1 metres |
| Basketball court length | 91.86351706 feet | 28 metres |
| Football field (soccer) | 344.48818898 feet | 105 metres |
| Marathon distance | 138,435.03937008 feet | 42,195 metres |
| Altitude of a cruising airplane | 35,000 feet | 10,668 metres |
Full foot conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| metre | 1 ft = 0.3048 m | × 0.3048 |
| kilometre | 1 ft = 0.0003048 km | × 0.0003048 |
| centimetre | 1 ft = 30.48 cm | × 30.48 |
| millimetre | 1 ft = 304.8 mm | × 304.8 |
| inch | 1 ft = 12 in | × 12 |
| mile | 1 ft = 0.00018939 mi | × 0.00018939 |
| yard | 1 ft = 0.33333333 yd | × 0.33333333 |
| micrometre | 1 ft = 304,800 µm | × 304,800 |
| nanometre | 1 ft = 304,800,000 nm | × 304,800,000 |