Centimeters to Inches
Enter a length in centimeters and read it in inches. One inch is exactly 2.54 cm, so the converter divides by 2.54 and keeps every digit you typed.
Formula: in = cm × 0.393700787402
| Centimeters (cm) | Inches (in) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3937008 |
| 2 | 0.7874016 |
| 3 | 1.181102 |
| 4 | 1.574803 |
| 5 | 1.968504 |
| 6 | 2.362205 |
| 7 | 2.755906 |
| 8 | 3.149606 |
| 9 | 3.543307 |
| 10 | 3.937008 |
| Centimeters (cm) | Inches (in) |
|---|---|
| 12 | 4.724409 |
| 15 | 5.905512 |
| 20 | 7.874016 |
| 25 | 9.84252 |
| 30 | 11.81102 |
| 40 | 15.74803 |
| 50 | 19.68504 |
| 60 | 23.62205 |
| 75 | 29.52756 |
| 100 | 39.37008 |
How the 2.54 rule works
Because one inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters, going from centimeters to inches means dividing by 2.54. 30 cm ÷ 2.54 = 11.811 in, and 100 cm ÷ 2.54 = 39.37 in. If you would rather multiply, 0.3937 per centimeter works too, but it is a rounded shortcut and drifts slightly on large values.
The 2.54 figure comes from the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, which set the yard at 0.9144 m. NIST lists the inch-to-centimeter factor as exact in SP 811, Appendix B.
Centimeters to feet and inches for height
Medical forms and ID cards outside the US usually give height in centimeters, while US forms want feet and inches. Divide by 2.54 to get the total in inches, then split off whole feet by dividing by 12. A height of 170 cm is 66.93 in, which is 5 ft 6.9 in; 183 cm is 72.05 in, almost exactly 6 ft.
For decimal feet in one step, the cm to feet converter does the division by 30.48, and feet to cm handles the reverse.
Checks you can do in your head
- 10 cm is a little under 4 in (3.94 in).
- 25 cm is just under 10 in (9.84 in).
- 30 cm, a school ruler, is about 11.8 in, not quite a foot.
- 1 m is 39.37 in, roughly 3 in longer than a yard.
Screens, paper and photos
Screen sizes are quoted in inches along the diagonal, so a laptop listed as 39.6 cm is the familiar 15.6 in model. Paper works the other way: A4 is 21 × 29.7 cm, which is 8.27 × 11.69 in, a little narrower and longer than US Letter.
When an image has to print at a set size, resize image to cm takes the target in centimeters, and the pixel converter shows how many pixels that size needs at a given DPI.
Centimeters to inches questions
How many inches does one centimeter make?
1 cm is about 0.3937 in. The exact value is 1 ÷ 2.54, which never ends as a decimal, so any printed figure is rounded.
How tall is 160 cm in feet and inches?
160 cm is 62.99 in. Take away 60 in for 5 ft and about 3 in remains, so 160 cm is very close to 5 ft 3 in.
Is 2.5 cm close enough to an inch?
For a rough sketch, yes. 2.5 cm is 0.984 in, so it is short by 0.4 mm per inch. Over 10 in that adds up to 4 mm, which matters for cutting or framing.
How do I convert inches back to centimeters?
Multiply the inches by 2.54, or press the swap button on the converter. 12 in is 30.48 cm.
What is 50 cm in inches?
50 cm is 19.685 in, a little under 20 in.
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