What this does
Type a length in centimeters and see it in inches immediately — or edit the inches side and the centimeters recompute. The math is exact: one inch is defined as exactly 2.54 cm, so a centimeter is 1 ÷ 2.54 ≈ 0.393701 inches.
How do I convert cm to inches by hand?
Divide by 2.54. That's the whole trick: inches = cm ÷ 2.54.
A quick mental approximation is to multiply by 0.4 (so 50 cm ≈ 20 in) and
remember the true answer is slightly less.
Common centimeter values in inches
- 2.54 cm = 1 inch (the definition)
- 10 cm = 3.937 in — roughly the width of a hand
- 30 cm = 11.811 in — just shy of a foot, the classic school ruler
- 50 cm = 19.685 in
- 100 cm (1 m) = 39.37 in
- 160 cm = 62.99 in (5 ft 3 in) · 175 cm = 68.9 in (5 ft 9 in) — common body heights
How do I get feet and inches from centimeters?
Convert to inches first, then split: divide by 12 for the feet and keep the remainder as inches. Example: 180 cm ÷ 2.54 = 70.87 in = 5 ft 10.9 in. For whole-of-body heights it's usually rounded to the nearest inch — 180 cm is "5 ft 11".
Why does the result show six decimal places sometimes?
Because the conversion factor is exact, the converter shows up to six decimals rather than silently rounding. For everyday measurements, the first one or two decimals are all you need — 0.1 in is about 2.5 mm.
Can I convert other lengths here?
This page is locked to cm ⇄ inches on purpose. For meters, feet, yards, miles, or any other pairing, use the full unit converter; for the reverse of this page with sizing context, see inches to cm.