Convert feet to meters
1 ft = 0.3048 m · Formula and table below. Converting the other way? Meters to Feet →
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Other units
- Meter (m) 0.3048
- Kilometer (km) 0.0003048
- Decimeter (dm) 3.048
- Centimeter (cm) 30.48
- Millimeter (mm) 304.8
- Micrometer (µm) 304,800
- Nanometer (nm) 304,800,000
- Mile (mi) 0.000189394
- Yard (yd) 0.333333333
- Foot (ft) 1
- Inch (in) 12
- Nautical mile (nmi) 0.000164579
- Light year (ly) 3.221739×10⁻¹⁷
Height in feet and inches
5′ 10″ = 177.8 cm = 1.778 m
Type feet and inches, or centimeters — the other side updates as you type.
Reviewed on by the Skala Convert team
One foot equals exactly 0.3048 meters.
How many meters are in a foot?
One foot equals exactly 0.3048 meters. The reverse is less tidy: one meter is 3.28084 feet.
Why is aircraft altitude measured in feet?
Nearly every country reports flight altitude in feet, including ones that are otherwise entirely metric, and the reason is coordination rather than preference. Vertical separation between aircraft only works if every pilot and controller in the airspace uses one scale, and the International Civil Aviation Organization standardized on feet when the industry was dominated by American and British manufacturers. Changing it now would mean changing every altimeter, chart, and procedure at once.
A handful of countries went the other way and use meters, China and North Korea among them, which is why crossing certain borders requires a mid-flight altitude conversion. A typical cruising altitude of 35,000 feet is 10,668 meters.
What mistakes do people make converting feet to meters?
Rounding 0.3048 to 0.3. The error is 1.6 percent, invisible across a room and serious across a flight: at 35,000 feet the shortcut is off by more than 500 meters, which is wider than the vertical separation between aircraft. The reverse shortcut — three feet to a meter — misses in the other direction, since a meter is 3.28 feet.
Who sets the foot at 0.3048 m?
NIST Special Publication 811, the US guide to the SI lists the foot as exactly 0.3048 m, following the 1959 international yard and pound agreement. Aviation keeps the foot in use worldwide: Annex 5 of the Chicago Convention, maintained by the International Civil Aviation Organization, allows the foot as the unit for altitude, which is why flight levels are still counted in it.
Formula
Meters = Feet × 0.3048
10 ft = 3.048 m
Conversion table
| ft | m |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3048 |
| 2 | 0.6096 |
| 5 | 1.524 |
| 10 | 3.048 |
| 20 | 6.096 |
| 25 | 7.62 |
| 50 | 15.24 |
| 100 | 30.48 |
Charts for this conversion
Frequently asked questions
How many meters are in a foot?
One foot equals exactly 0.3048 meters. One meter is 3.28084 feet.
Why is aircraft altitude measured in feet?
Vertical separation requires every pilot and controller to use one scale, and the International Civil Aviation Organization standardized on feet. A few countries, including China, use meters instead.
What is 35,000 feet in meters?
35,000 feet is 10,668 meters.