Length Converter — Convert km to Miles, Meters to Feet Online

Length conversion is one of the most frequently needed calculations in daily life. You look up a hiking trail listed in miles, but you think in kilometres. You are shopping online from a US retailer that lists dimensions in inches, but you need centimetres to check if something fits your shelf. You read a news article referencing a sports distance in metres, but the record is listed in feet. Our free length converter handles all of these instantly.

This guide covers every major length unit, the exact conversion factors between them, the history of metric and imperial measurement, and practical use cases in travel, construction, sports, and science. You will also find quick-reference conversion tables you can bookmark for everyday use.

Metric Length Units

The metric system uses a base unit of the metre (m) with prefixes that scale by powers of 10. This makes metric length arithmetic extremely simple — moving a decimal point converts between units.

Unit	Symbol	Metres	Common Use
Nanometre	nm	0.000000001 m	Atomic dimensions, wavelengths of light
Micrometre	µm	0.000001 m	Bacteria size, manufacturing tolerances
Millimetre	mm	0.001 m	Engineering drawings, rainfall, screen thickness
Centimetre	cm	0.01 m	Height (informal), clothing sizes, paper
Metre	m	1 m	Room dimensions, fabric, swimming pools
Kilometre	km	1,000 m	Road distances, geography

Converting within the metric system is simply multiplying or dividing by powers of 10. 5.4 km = 5,400 m = 540,000 cm = 5,400,000 mm. No complicated factors — just decimal shifts. This elegance is why the metric system is preferred for scientific and international use.

Imperial & US Customary Units

The imperial system's length units have historical origins dating back centuries. Unlike metric, conversions involve irregular factors that must be memorised.

Unit	Equivalent	Common Use
Inch (in)	2.54 cm exactly	Screen sizes, paper, personal dimensions
Foot (ft)	12 inches = 30.48 cm	Height, room dimensions, altitude
Yard (yd)	3 feet = 0.9144 m	American football, fabric, cricket pitch
Mile (mi)	5,280 feet = 1.609 km	Road distances (US, UK), running races
Nautical mile (nmi)	1,852 m exactly	Aviation, maritime navigation
Furlong	1/8 mile = 201 m	Horse racing

The US customary system is nearly identical to imperial for length, with the minor difference that the US survey foot (used in land surveying) is very slightly different from the international foot. For everyday purposes, both systems use the same values.

Kilometres to Miles Conversion

This is the most common length conversion for travellers between countries using metric (km) and imperial (miles) road distances.

1 kilometre = 0.621371 miles
1 mile = 1.60934 kilometres

Kilometres	Miles	Context
1 km	0.62 miles	Short walk / approx. 12 min at average pace
5 km	3.11 miles	Popular 5K running race distance
10 km	6.21 miles	10K running race
21.1 km	13.1 miles	Half marathon
42.195 km	26.22 miles	Full marathon
100 km	62.14 miles	Ultramarathon / inter-city distance

Quick mental approximation: multiply km by 0.6 to get miles (slight undercount). Or use the fraction 5/8 — multiply km by 5 and divide by 8. Example: 80 km × 5 = 400 ÷ 8 = 50 miles (actual = 49.7 miles). Use our length converter for exact conversions.

Meters to Feet Conversion

Meters to feet conversion is essential for building construction, aviation (altitude), weather (cloud ceiling height), and real estate listings in countries that mix both systems.

1 metre = 3.28084 feet
1 foot = 0.3048 metres

Metres	Feet	Context
1.0 m	3.28 ft	Rough door width
1.8 m	5.91 ft (≈ 5'11")	Typical adult male height
3.0 m	9.84 ft	Standard room height
100 m	328 ft	100m sprint distance
1,000 m (1 km)	3,281 ft	Mountain elevations
8,849 m	29,032 ft	Mount Everest summit

Human height is often expressed in feet and inches in the US, UK, and India informally. Converting: 1 metre = 3 feet 3.37 inches. A person who is 1.75 m tall is 5 feet 8.9 inches — typically described as 5'9".

Centimetres to Inches Conversion

Centimetres and inches are the small-scale length units most often encountered in everyday life — for heights, screen sizes, clothing, furniture, and craft projects.

1 inch = 2.54 centimetres (exact)
1 centimetre = 0.393701 inches

Centimetres	Inches	Context
2.54 cm	1 inch	Exact definition
30 cm	11.81 in	Standard ruler length (approximately 12")
30.48 cm	12 in (1 foot)	Exact foot
100 cm	39.37 in	1 metre
160 cm	63.0 in (5'3")	Height reference
35.56 cm	14 in	Common laptop screen size

Screen sizes are always measured in inches diagonally, even in metric countries. A "40-inch" TV is 40 inches (101.6 cm) measured diagonally. Clothing measurements like waist and chest are given in both cm and inches on most international clothing size charts.

Complete Conversion Reference Table

This table gives you the conversion factors for all major length unit pairs:

From \ To	mm	cm	m	km	inch	foot	mile
1 mm	1	0.1	0.001	0.000001	0.03937	0.00328	—
1 cm	10	1	0.01	0.00001	0.3937	0.03281	—
1 m	1,000	100	1	0.001	39.37	3.2808	0.000621
1 km	10⁶	100,000	1,000	1	39,370	3,280.8	0.6214
1 inch	25.4	2.54	0.0254	—	1	0.0833	—
1 foot	304.8	30.48	0.3048	—	12	1	0.000189
1 mile	1.6×10⁶	160,934	1,609.3	1.6093	63,360	5,280	1

Length Conversion for Travellers

Travel is where length conversion friction is most keenly felt. Here are the most common travel scenarios and the conversions you need:

• Road signs: USA and UK use miles. Most of Asia, Europe, Australia, and the rest of the world use kilometres. Remember: 100 km/h speed limit ≈ 62 mph.
• Hiking trail distances: US national parks list distances in miles and feet for elevation. Convert using 1 mile ≈ 1.6 km and 1 foot ≈ 0.3 m.
• Airport runway distances: Runway lengths are listed in feet (aviation standard). A "10,000-foot runway" is approximately 3,048 metres.
• Hotel room sizes: US hotels list square footage; most other countries use square metres. 1 sq ft ≈ 0.093 m²; 1 m² ≈ 10.76 sq ft. A 350 sq ft room ≈ 32.5 m².
• Swimming pools: Olympic pools are 50 metres. US swim meets often use 25-yard pools (22.86 m). "26.2 miles" on a marathon shirt = 42.195 km.

Construction & Real Estate

In construction and real estate, measurement precision directly affects cost. A 10 cm error in a door frame width means the door does not fit. Common construction length conversions in India include:

• Land area: 1 gaj (square yard) = 9 sq ft = 0.836 m². Property sizes in India are often quoted in square feet, square metres, and cents (1 cent = 435.6 sq ft).
• Brick dimensions: Standard Indian brick: 190 mm × 90 mm × 90 mm. An 8-inch block = 203 mm (approximately 20 cm).
• Pipe and wire sizes: Plumbing uses inch measurements (1/2", 3/4", 1") in India, though the pipe diameter in mm is the actual metric value.
• Ceiling height: Standard Indian residential ceiling height is 10 feet (3.048 m). Premium homes go to 12 feet (3.66 m).

Use our length converter alongside our area converter for comprehensive construction measurement needs.

Sports & Athletics

Sport is one of the most measurement-rich domains, with different sports using different unit systems even within the same country:

Sport / Event	Official Distance	Equivalent
100m sprint	100 metres	328.08 feet / 109.4 yards
Marathon	42.195 km	26 miles 385 yards
Cricket pitch	22 yards	20.12 metres
Football pitch (FIFA)	90–120 m long	98–131 yards
Olympic swimming (long course)	50 metres	164 feet / 54.68 yards
NBA basketball court	94 feet long	28.65 metres
Golf hole (typical par 4)	350–400 yards	320–366 metres

Athletics records are maintained in metric (100m, 200m, 400m etc.), while American sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, golf) primarily use yards and feet. Horse racing uses furlongs and miles. Understanding these differences helps when comparing performances internationally.

Frequently Asked Questions