Feet to meters converter, ft to m, with no rounding in the factor.

To convert feet to meters, multiply the feet by 0.3048. So 1 ft is 0.3048 m, 10 ft is 3.048 m and 100 ft is 30.48 m. This is the direction where the factor is the exact definition, so the answer ends: no hidden rounding comes from the 0.3048 itself.

How to use the converter

1. Type a length in the Feet (ft) box, for example 6. The big result shows meters.
2. For feet and inches, type a mixed number. 5 ft 7 in is 5 7/12, because 7 inches is 7/12 of a foot. The converter reads it exactly.
3. The cards give the same length in centimeters, inches, yards and miles.
4. Type meters in the Meters (m) box to go back to feet.
5. Use Decimals for a set number of places, then Copy result, Copy link or Print chart.

Why 0.3048 is exact

NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C says that, for all SI equivalents of feet, the international foot is used: 1 foot is 0.3048 meter exactly. The same appendix notes that the older US survey foot should be avoided after 31 December 2022, except for historic and legacy work, and that the mile and other units now follow the international foot. Page checked 18 Oct 2026. The two feet differ by about two parts in a million. For a room, a ladder or a flight level the gap is far below anything you can measure, so this page uses the international foot only.

A shortcut and its error

Divide by 3, then take away a tenth. For 30 ft: 30 ÷ 3 = 10, a tenth of that is 1, and 10 − 1 = 9 m. The exact answer is 9.144 m. The shortcut means multiplying by 0.3, which is 1.57 percent below the true 0.3048. At 100 ft it says 30 m against 30.48 m, so it is 0.48 m short. If you need a better quick rule, use 0.3 plus a small bit: 0.3 × 1.016 is the true factor.

Worked examples

• A 6 ft person. 6 × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m. A person of 5 ft 7 in is typed as 5 7/12, which is 1.7018 m.
• A ladder of 12 ft. 12 × 0.3048 = 3.6576 m.
• A flight level of 35,000 ft. 35,000 × 0.3048 = 10,668 m, or 10.668 km.
• A 20 ft shipping container. 20 × 0.3048 = 6.096 m. A 40 ft one is 12.192 m.
• A field 300 ft long. 300 × 0.3048 = 91.44 m. That is the same as 100 yards, since 3 ft make a yard.

A mistake to avoid: feet and inches typed as a decimal

People type 5.7 when they mean 5 ft 7 in. That is a different length. 5.7 ft is 1.7374 m. 5 ft 7 in is 5 7/12 ft, which is 1.7018 m, a difference of 0.0356 m, more than a centimeter. Type the mixed number, or use the inches to feet converter first. A second slip is the apostrophe: 5'7" has no place in the box, so write 5 7/12.

Typical sizes in meters

The table shows exact conversions of lengths that appear on plans and listings.

A 7 ft ceiling is 2.134 m and an 8 ft ceiling is 2.438 m, so a room rarely lands on a round meter. A plot of 50 ft by 100 ft is 15.24 m by 30.48 m. When you quote a meter value, give the same number of decimals for every line, so the drawing adds up.

Check the answer by going back

Divide the meters by 0.3048 and you should be back at the feet. For 6 ft: 6 × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m, and 1.8288 ÷ 0.3048 = 6. Meters are the smaller number, about a third of the feet. If your answer is bigger than the number you typed, you have turned the sum around.

Feet in millimeters, for building work

Plans in millimeters use the same exact factor: 1 ft is 304.8 mm. The table gives common fractions of a foot.

Because a foot is 304.8 mm, a 2.5 inch gap is 63.5 mm and a 4 ft sheet is 1,219.2 mm wide. Round to the nearest millimeter for cutting and to the nearest centimeter for a rough plan.

Who uses feet to meters

Anyone reading a US or UK plan, listing or spec with a metric site. Pilots and sailors who read depths and altitudes in feet. Buyers of furniture, rugs and appliances sold in feet. Climbers and walkers who see a height on a map. For the other direction, see Meters to feet. For heights in centimeters use the Feet to cm.