What is length converter?
A length converter changes a distance from one unit to another, such as miles to kilometers or feet to meters. People need it for travel, building, school, sports and shopping across countries.
The metric units meter, centimeter and kilometer are used in most of the world, while feet, inches and miles are common in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How to use the length converter
- Enter the value.
- Choose the unit you have and the unit you want.
- Read the result and the table of all units.
How the length converter works
Each value is converted to meters using exact factors: one inch is 0.0254 m, one foot is 0.3048 m, one yard is 0.9144 m and one mile is 1,609.344 m. The result is then divided by the target unit.
Worked example
Common uses of the length converter
- Travel distances.
- Home and furniture sizes.
- School and exam questions.
- Online shopping sizes.
- Sports tracks and fields.
Tips and common mistakes
One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, which is a handy fact to remember.
Use the table to compare many units at once.
Background: what to know before you rely on it
The meter was first defined in France in 1791 as one ten millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator, and today it is defined by the speed of light. The foot and mile have older roots in human body measures and Roman marching distances. Since 1959, the international inch has been defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters, which fixed all the imperial lengths in terms of the meter. That is why the conversion factors on this page are exact, not rounded.
Private, free and fast
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you type or choose is not uploaded to a server and is not saved after you close the page, which keeps it fast and private. It is free to use as often as you like. See more in all converters, or browse the full list of tools.
Frequently asked questions
How many feet are in a meter?
About 3.2808 feet.
How many kilometers are in a mile?
1.609344.
How many centimeters are in an inch?
Exactly 2.54.
Is the factor exact?
Yes. The inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters.
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Results are for information and education. For legal, financial, medical or security decisions, check with a qualified professional. Check critical conversions with an official source.