If you’ve ever been midway through a form, a medical chart, or an online profile and suddenly needed to figure out how tall 5’7″ is in centimeters, you already know the frustration. These two systems don’t talk to each other natively, and guessing often leads to small but consequential errors. This guide gives you the exact formula, a quick reference chart, and the most-searched height conversions — all grounded in standardized conversion factors that have been locked in since 1959.

4 related posts

1 foot: 30.48 cm · 1 inch: 2.54 cm · 5 ft 7 in: 170.18 cm · 6 ft: 182.88 cm · 5 ft 3 in: 160.02 cm

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Medical charts may round for practicality, but the rounding threshold varies by institution
  • Exact publication dates for most online converters remain undocumented
3Timeline signal
  • The 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement locked these factors in place permanently
  • NIST SP 1038 documents the official SI conversion standards for US use
4What’s next
  • Master the two-step formula below to convert any imperial height to centimeters
  • Use the comparison table to find exact equivalents for popular heights

This table establishes the core conversion constants that every height calculation depends on.

Label Value
1 Foot 30.48 cm
1 Inch 2.54 cm
5 ft 7 in 170.18 cm
5 ft 10 in 177.8 cm
6 ft 1 in 185.42 cm

What is 5 ft 7 in feet in cm?

This is one of the most-searched height conversions, often appearing in contexts ranging from clothing sizing to medical records.

Formula application

The core conversion works with two fixed numbers: multiply your feet value by 30.48, then add your inches value multiplied by 2.54. RapidTables conversion reference states the formula as:

The formula

cm = (feet × 30.48) + (inches × 2.54)

“The distance d in centimeters (cm) is equal to the distance d in feet (ft) times 30.48 plus the distance d in inches (in) times 2.54.”

— RapidTables, Conversion Reference

Exact calculation

Working through 5 ft 7 in:

  • 5 feet × 30.48 = 152.40 cm
  • 7 inches × 2.54 = 17.78 cm
  • 152.40 + 17.78 = 170.18 cm

The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) confirms the inch-to-centimeter factor of 2.54 as the official definition used for all US SI conversions since 1959 (NIST SP 1038 official standard). This means the calculation above is exact, not an approximation.

Bottom line: You get exactly 170.18 cm for 5 ft 7 in — no approximation. Use the two-step formula whenever precision matters.

What height is 5 ft 3 in cm?

Shorter heights like 5’3″ come up frequently in women’s clothing, pediatric records, and international travel forms.

Step-by-step conversion

Following the same two-step process:

  • 5 feet × 30.48 = 152.40 cm
  • 3 inches × 2.54 = 7.62 cm
  • 152.40 + 7.62 = 160.02 cm

Calculator Soup conversion tool confirms this method and the exact result. The calculation checks out: 62 total inches × 2.54 = 157.48, which matches the verified 5 ft 2 in value when adjusted.

Related short heights

This table shows exact centimeter values for heights from 4’11” to 5’3″.

Feet and inches Centimeters
4 ft 11 in 149.86 cm
5 ft 0 in 152.40 cm
5 ft 1 in 154.94 cm
5 ft 2 in 157.48 cm
5 ft 3 in 160.02 cm
Bottom line: Medical professionals see 160.02 cm rounded to 160 cm in charts — a difference you won’t notice on a tape measure but one that compounds in threshold-based screenings.

Is 174 cm 5’7″ or 5’8″?

This is where people often get confused — the rounding decisions in both systems create small but real discrepancies.

Reverse conversion

To find which imperial height matches 174 cm, divide by 2.54:

  • 174 cm ÷ 2.54 = 68.50 inches
  • 68.50 inches ÷ 12 = 5 feet with 8.50 inches remainder
  • 8.50 inches = 5’8.5″

Common height equivalents

For context, the nearest whole-inch equivalents:

Feet and inches Centimeters Difference from 174 cm
5′ 7″ 170.18 cm −3.82 cm
5′ 8″ 172.72 cm −1.28 cm
5′ 9″ 175.26 cm +1.26 cm

So 174 cm sits about 1.28 cm below 5’8″ (172.72 cm) and 3.82 cm above 5’7″ (170.18 cm). In practical terms, it rounds to the nearest half-inch — 5’8.5″ — which most conversion tools will display as either 5’8″ or 5’9″ depending on their rounding rules. Math Salamanders step-by-step guide walks through the step-by-step method for arriving at these figures.

Bottom line: Anyone claiming 174 cm as 5’7″ is off by nearly 4 cm — use 5’8.5″ or 5’9″ for accuracy.

Is 180 cm 6 feet?

Six feet is a psychological benchmark in many English-speaking cultures — being “six feet tall” carries cultural weight beyond the measurement itself.

6 ft exact value

Using the formula for 6 feet 0 inches:

  • 6 feet × 30.48 = 182.88 cm

This is confirmed across multiple sources including SplashLearn educational resource and Calculator Site conversion chart.

How many feet in 180 cm

Converting 180 cm back to imperial:

  • 180 cm ÷ 2.54 = 70.87 inches
  • 70.87 ÷ 12 = 5 feet with 10.87 inches remainder
  • 5’10.87″ ≈ 5’11”

The difference: 180 cm is 2.88 cm shorter than 6 feet (182.88 cm). This gap matters in contexts like medical screenings where precision affects thresholds.

The catch

If you’re 180 cm tall, you’re not quite 6 feet — you’re closer to 5’11”. The 2.88 cm gap can affect whether you clear height-based thresholds in sports, aviation, or medical criteria.

Bottom line: Athletes listed at 180 cm fail to meet the 6-foot mark by nearly 3 cm — a gap that disqualifies them from “six-foot club” events.

What height is 5 ft 4 in cm?

This is a common height for women in the US and UK, often appearing in clothing sizing, medical charts, and international comparison data.

Calculation breakdown

Working through the formula:

  • 5 feet × 30.48 = 152.40 cm
  • 4 inches × 2.54 = 10.16 cm
  • 152.40 + 10.16 = 162.56 cm

This aligns with the verified data showing 5 ft 2 in = 157.48 cm (Calculator Soup), with each additional inch adding exactly 2.54 cm.

Height chart reference

The UHSussex NHS Height Conversion Chart (UK National Health Service clinical reference) provides practical medical approximations, noting that charts often round for clinical ease while acknowledging the exact standard values.

Bottom line: Clothing brands targeting the 5’4″ market should list 162.56 cm — rounding down to 162 cm costs buyers under 1 mm, but rounding up to 163 cm overstates by 0.44 cm.

Height Conversion Comparison Table

Five popular heights, converted across both systems — with the exact values and common rounded approximations.

Feet and inches Exact cm Common rounding Nearest half-inch
4 ft 11 in 149.86 cm 150 cm 4’11.5″
5 ft 3 in 160.02 cm 160 cm 5’3″
5 ft 7 in 170.18 cm 170 cm 5’7″
5 ft 10 in 177.80 cm 178 cm 5’10”
6 ft 0 in 182.88 cm 183 cm 6’0″

The Miami Med Appendix J Height Conversion Table (University of Miami Medical clinical resource) shows how clinical settings sometimes round 1’6″ to 46 cm versus the exact 45.72 cm, demonstrating the practical trade-off between precision and readability.

How to Convert Feet and Inches to CM

Follow these two steps for any height in the imperial system:

  1. Step 1: Convert feet to centimeters. Multiply the number of feet by 30.48. This is because 1 foot equals exactly 30.48 centimeters per the international standard.
  2. Step 2: Convert inches to centimeters. Multiply the number of inches by 2.54. Add this result to the value from Step 1.
  3. Step 3: Read your result. The sum gives you the exact centimeter equivalent.

Example: 4 feet 8 inches → 4 × 30.48 = 121.92 cm; 8 × 2.54 = 20.32 cm; total = 142.24 cm. Math Salamanders educational guide confirms this method and the exact calculation.

“1 foot is equal to 30.48 centimeters: 1 ft = 30.48 cm.”

— RapidTables, Conversion Reference

Excel shortcut

In Excel, you can use the CONVERT function: =CONVERT(5.5833,”ft”,”cm”) handles the mixed format, though you’ll need to convert feet and inches separately first.

The Trade-off: Precision vs. Practicality

Two competing approaches exist in height conversion — precision calculators and medical rounding charts.

Precision calculators

  • Exact values: 5’7″ = 170.18 cm, not 170 cm
  • Standardized since 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement
  • Used in engineering, science, and international commerce
  • No rounding errors compound across multiple conversions

Medical/rounded charts

  • May round to nearest centimeter or half-inch
  • 1’6″ sometimes shown as 46 cm (vs. exact 45.72 cm)
  • Designed for clinical readability, not scientific precision
  • Differences small but can matter in threshold-based screenings

For everyday use, either approach works. For medical records, aviation, or competitive sports where thresholds apply, precision matters more — use the exact formula above.

Summary

The conversion from feet and inches to centimeters relies on two fixed constants — 30.48 for feet and 2.54 for inches — that have been internationally standardized since 1959. These exact factors eliminate the guesswork that often creeps into rounded medical charts or approximate online tools. The formula is simple: multiply feet by 30.48, multiply inches by 2.54, and add the results. For anyone navigating forms, medical records, or international comparisons where precision matters, knowing these two numbers and the two-step method means you never need to wonder again.

You can apply this formula to any imperial height and trust the result — NIST has maintained these exact factors since 1959, so your calculations will match every standards-compliant tool worldwide.

Related reading: 65 kg in Stone and Pounds: Accurate Conversion Chart

Additional sources

sunavin.com, isa.org, youtube.com

Many users also require the opposite conversion, where a reliable CM to feet and inches converter provides charts and quick calculations from centimeters to imperial units.

Don't miss these

Frequently asked questions

How many feet are in 180 cm?

180 cm equals approximately 5 feet 10.87 inches (often rounded to 5’11”). This is 2.88 cm short of 6 feet, which measures exactly 182.88 cm.

Is 170 cm 5’7″ or 5’8″?

170 cm equals exactly 5’7″ (170.18 cm, with the 0.18 cm difference being negligible in practice). To verify: 5 × 30.48 + 7 × 2.54 = 170.18 cm.

Is 175 cm 5’7″ or 5’9″?

175 cm falls between 5’8″ (172.72 cm) and 5’9″ (175.26 cm). The exact conversion is 175 cm ÷ 2.54 = 68.90 inches = 5’8.9″. Most tools round this to 5’9″.

Is 5′ 3″ a short height for a woman?

5’3″ (160.02 cm) is around the US average for adult women, which falls between 5’2″ and 5’4″ depending on demographic data. Globally, averages vary significantly by region.

What is 4 ft 11 in in cm?

4 feet 11 inches converts to 149.86 cm. Working: 4 × 30.48 = 121.92; 11 × 2.54 = 27.94; total = 149.86 cm.

What is 5 feet 9 inches in cm?

5 feet 9 inches equals 175.26 cm. Working: 5 × 30.48 = 152.40; 9 × 2.54 = 22.86; total = 175.26 cm.

Is 5’8″ considered tall?

5’8″ (172.72 cm) is slightly above average for US men and well above average for US women. “Tall” depends heavily on gender and regional norms — in many countries, this height would be unremarkable.