Distance Converters
Distance and length converters are the ones people reach for most when traveling, shopping online or following a DIY plan. The metric system (millimeters, meters, kilometers) is used almost everywhere in the world, while the United States and, in part, the United Kingdom still rely on inches, feet, yards and miles for road signs, heights and building work. Every converter here uses the exact legal definitions: one inch is precisely 25.4 millimeters, and everything else follows from that.
All distance converters
Centimeters to Inches1 cm = 0.393701 inCentimeters to MillimetersFeet to Inches1 ft = 12 inFeet to Meters1 ft = 0.3048 mFeet to MilesInches to Centimeters1 in = 2.54 cmKilometers to Miles1 km = 0.621371 miMeters to Feet1 m = 3.28084 ftMeters to Yards1 m = 1.09361 ydMiles to Kilometers1 mi = 1.60934 kmMiles to YardsMillimeters to Inches1 mm = 0.0393701 inNautical Miles to Kilometers1 nmi = 1.852 kmYards to FeetYards to Meters1 yd = 0.9144 m
Things to know about distance conversions
- Length factors are exact by definition: 1 inch = 25.4 mm, 1 foot = 0.3048 m, 1 yard = 0.9144 m and 1 mile = 1,609.344 m.
- For fast mental math, 1 mile is about 1.6 km, 1 meter is about 3.3 feet and 1 inch is about 2.5 cm.
- A nautical mile (1,852 m) is not the same as a statute mile (1,609 m). Use nautical miles only for sea and air navigation.
- To convert area or volume, do not reuse the length factor. Square it for area and cube it for volume.
Distance conversion chart
Read across: one of the unit in the left column equals the value shown under each unit.
| 1 unit = | mm | cm | m | km | in | ft | yd | mi | nmi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | 1 | 0.1 | 0.001 | 1 × 10-6 | 0.03937 | 0.003281 | 0.001094 | 6.214 × 10-7 | 5.4 × 10-7 |
| cm | 10 | 1 | 0.01 | 0.00001 | 0.3937 | 0.03281 | 0.01094 | 6.214 × 10-6 | 5.4 × 10-6 |
| m | 1,000 | 100 | 1 | 0.001 | 39.37 | 3.281 | 1.094 | 0.0006214 | 0.00054 |
| km | 1,000,000 | 100,000 | 1,000 | 1 | 39,370 | 3,281 | 1,094 | 0.6214 | 0.54 |
| in | 25.4 | 2.54 | 0.0254 | 0.0000254 | 1 | 0.08333 | 0.02778 | 0.00001578 | 0.00001371 |
| ft | 304.8 | 30.48 | 0.3048 | 0.0003048 | 12 | 1 | 0.3333 | 0.0001894 | 0.0001646 |
| yd | 914.4 | 91.44 | 0.9144 | 0.0009144 | 36 | 3 | 1 | 0.0005682 | 0.0004937 |
| mi | 1,609,344 | 160,934 | 1,609 | 1.609 | 63,360 | 5,280 | 1,760 | 1 | 0.869 |
| nmi | 1,852,000 | 185,200 | 1,852 | 1.852 | 72,913 | 6,076 | 2,025 | 1.151 | 1 |
Distance units explained
- Millimeter (mm)
- A millimeter is one thousandth of a meter. It is used for precise measurements such as screw sizes, paper thickness and rainfall.
- Centimeter (cm)
- A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter, about the width of a fingernail. It is the standard unit for body height, clothing measurements and furniture dimensions outside the US.
- Meter (m)
- The meter is the base unit of length in the metric system, defined from the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. It is a little longer than a yard.
- Kilometer (km)
- A kilometer is 1,000 meters and is used for road distances in nearly every country except the US and, for road signs, the UK. It is about 0.62 miles.
- Inch (in)
- An inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters. It is used for screen sizes, tire and pipe sizes, and for person height in the United States.
- Foot (ft)
- A foot is exactly 0.3048 meters, or 12 inches. It is used for height, room dimensions and aircraft altitude.
- Yard (yd)
- A yard is exactly 0.9144 meters, or three feet. It is used for fabric, American football fields and short distances on UK road signs.
- Mile (mi)
- The statute mile is exactly 1,609.344 meters, or 5,280 feet. It is used for road distances in the US and UK.
- Nautical mile (nmi)
- A nautical mile is exactly 1,852 meters and is based on one minute of latitude. It is the standard distance unit at sea and in aviation.