CM to inches converter, centimeters to inches and fractions.

To convert cm to inches, divide the centimeters by 2.54. So 1 cm is 0.3937 inches, 10 cm is 3.93701 inches and 100 cm is 39.37008 inches. This converter also shows the answer as a fraction of an inch, which is what a tape measure uses, and as feet and inches, which is how heights are said in the US.

How to use the converter

1. Type a length in the Centimeters (cm) box, for example 175. The big result shows the inches, and the line under it shows the nearest fraction.
2. Choose Inch fractions to match your tape. 1/16 suits most woodwork. 1/32 and 1/64 suit finer work. The line tells you how far the fraction is from the true length.
3. Look at the cards under the result for the same length in feet and inches, millimeters, meters and feet.
4. Type inches in the Inches (in) box to go the other way. You can type fractions such as 5 3/8 or 3/16.
5. Use Copy result, Copy link or Print chart when you need to keep the answer.

The definition behind 2.54

The inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters. NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C says "1 inch (in) 2.54 centimeters (exactly)". NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8 marks the inch to centimeter factor 2.54 as exact. Both were checked 18 Oct 2026. Because 2.54 is exact, cm to inches is a clean division and the only rounding is the one in the last digit you read. A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter, so the same fact is 1 in = 0.0254 m.

A mental shortcut and how wrong it is

Divide by 2.5, or multiply by 0.4. For 50 cm: 50 × 0.4 = 20 inches. The exact answer is 19.68504 inches. The shortcut uses 0.4 where the true factor is 0.393701, so it is always 1.6 percent too high. For small lengths that is a rounding error: 10 cm is 4 inches by the shortcut and 3.937 exactly. For a wardrobe or a table it adds up, so use the converter.

Another rule: 30 cm is nearly a foot. A foot is exactly 30.48 cm, so 30 cm is 0.984 ft, short by 0.189 inches.

Worked examples

• A height of 175 cm. 175 ÷ 2.54 = 68.89764 inches. In feet and inches that is 5 ft 8.9 in.
• A phone 15.8 cm tall. 15.8 ÷ 2.54 = 6.22 inches. Nearest 1/16 is 6 1/4 inches.
• A picture frame 30 cm by 40 cm. 30 ÷ 2.54 = 11.81 and 40 ÷ 2.54 = 15.75 inches. The nearest standard frame in inches is 12 by 16, which is 30.48 by 40.64 cm.
• A 90 cm wide desk. 90 ÷ 2.54 = 35.43 inches, or 2 ft 11.4 in.

A mistake to avoid: centimeters, millimeters and feet and inches

The slips are about the unit, not the sum. A drawing in millimeters read as centimeters is ten times too big, so check the unit before you type. And 69 inches is not 6.9 feet: a foot is 12 inches, so 69 inches is 5 ft 9 in. The feet and inches card does that split for you. If a part is specified in millimeters, the MM to inches converter is the better place, and the Inch to MM converter goes the other way.

Heights from centimeters to feet and inches

A very common use of cm to inches is height. The table converts some round heights exactly and splits the inches into feet and inches, rounded to one decimal of an inch.

Notice how little a few centimeters is in inches: 5 cm is only 1.97 inches. A difference of one inch is 2.54 cm. When you compare two heights in different systems, convert both with the same rounding.

Clothes, screens and furniture

A 90 cm wide wardrobe or desk is 35.4 inches, so it will not fit a 35 inch gap, which is 88.9 cm. A 60 cm wide oven is 23.62 inches. Sewing patterns often give measurements in centimeters with a seam allowance in inches, and a mixed list is where mistakes creep in, so convert each line with the same number of decimals. To keep an answer to hand, use Copy result or print the chart and pin it up.

Who uses cm to inches

Shoppers reading a size in a metric listing for a US room. Tailors and sewists switching between a metric pattern and an inch tape. Parents checking a child's height chart. Designers and photographers sizing prints and frames. Carpenters following a plan from abroad. A tape in inches reads in fractions, so the fraction line is often the answer you want. For the opposite direction see the Inches to CM converter.