Meters to Feet Conversion: Formula, Chart and Examples
To convert meters to feet, multiply the number of meters by 3.28084. Ten meters is 32.8084 feet, and 5 meters is 16.4042 feet. The factor comes from the exact definition of the foot, 0.3048 meters, so dividing by 0.3048 gives the same answer. This guide covers the formula, a mental shortcut, a chart you can scan, feet-and-inches results, and the rounding and survey-foot questions that trip people up.
TL;DR
- Feet = meters × 3.28084. Or divide the meters by 0.3048, which is the exact length of one foot.
- Quick mental math: multiply by 3, then add 10 percent. It lands within about 1 percent of the true value.
- 5 meters is 16.4042 feet, or 16 feet 4.85 inches. 1.75 meters is about 5 feet 8.9 inches.
- Keep every digit while you calculate and round once, at the end.
- The U.S. survey foot has been retired. Use the international foot (0.3048 m) for everything.
Table of Contents
- The formula for converting meters to feet
- A mental shortcut that works
- Meters to feet chart (m to ft)
- How many feet is 5 meters?
- Converting meters to feet and inches
- Rounding: how many decimals do you need?
- The U.S. survey foot: does it change your answer?
- Where a meters-to-feet conversion shows up
- Five mistakes to avoid
- Perspective
- Convert meters to feet instantly
- FAQ
- Sources
The formula for converting meters to feet
One meter equals 3.28084 feet. HowStuffWorks gives the same figure, noting that 3.28 is fine for simple work. The formula is:
feet = meters × 3.28084The factor is not a measured approximation. The foot is defined exactly: NIST states that 1 foot equals 0.3048 meter exactly. Divide 1 by 0.3048 and you get 3.280839895..., which rounds to 3.28084. So these two methods are the same thing:
- Multiply meters by 3.28084.
- Divide meters by 0.3048.
Use whichever is easier on your calculator. Dividing by 0.3048 carries the exact definition, which helps when you want full precision.
A worked example
Say a room is 4.2 meters wide.
- Write the factor: 3.28084 ft per meter.
- Multiply: 4.2 × 3.28084 = 13.779528.
- Round for the job. For a furniture check, 13.78 feet is plenty. For a quick note, call it about 13.8 feet.
The same result by division: 4.2 ÷ 0.3048 = 13.779527..., which matches.
The textbook way, with units canceling
If your teacher wants you to show work, write the factor as a fraction so the meters cancel. HowStuffWorks describes this dimensional analysis method with the factor 3.28 ft over 1 m:
4.2 m × (3.28084 ft / 1 m) = 13.78 ft
The meters in the numerator and denominator cancel, so only feet remain. If your answer ends in the wrong unit, the fraction is upside down. That check catches most homework errors.
A mental shortcut that works
You do not need a calculator for a rough answer. HowStuffWorks suggests multiplying by 3 and then adding 10 percent. Here is how it plays out:
| Meters | Triple it | Add 10% of the meters | Estimate (ft) | Exact (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 30 | 3 | 33 | 32.81 |
| 20 | 60 | 6 | 66 | 65.62 |
| 50 | 150 | 15 | 165 | 164.04 |
| 100 | 300 | 30 | 330 | 328.08 |
Meters to feet chart (m to ft)
This chart uses the exact factor and rounds to four decimal places. Use it as a lookup table, or as a check on your own arithmetic.
| Meters (m) | Feet (ft) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 | 1.6404 |
| 1 | 3.2808 |
| 2 | 6.5617 |
| 3 | 9.8425 |
| 4 | 13.1234 |
| 5 | 16.4042 |
| 6 | 19.6850 |
| 7 | 22.9659 |
| 8 | 26.2467 |
| 9 | 29.5276 |
| 10 | 32.8084 |
| 15 | 49.2126 |
| 20 | 65.6168 |
| 25 | 82.0210 |
| 30 | 98.4252 |
| 50 | 164.0420 |
| 100 | 328.0840 |
units program shows 10 meters as about 32.808399 feet in its manual page example. That agrees with the 32.8084 in the chart.
Going the other way: feet to meters
Multiply feet by 0.3048. A 6 foot ladder is 1.8288 meters. A 100 foot run is 30.48 meters. Because 0.3048 is exact, this direction has no rounding error until you choose to round the answer.
How many feet is 5 meters?
5 × 3.28084 = 16.4042 feet. To read that as feet and inches, take the decimal part, 0.4042, and multiply by 12. That gives 4.85 inches. So 5 meters is 16 feet 4.85 inches, or roughly 16 feet 4 7/8 inches.
To picture it, stand a 6 foot ladder end to end and add another 10 feet or so: that is the length. It is a little under three people lying head to toe at 5 feet 8 inches each.
Converting meters to feet and inches
Builders, tailors and doctors in the U.S. rarely say "16.4042 feet". They say feet and inches. The method has three steps:
- Convert meters to decimal feet.
- Keep the whole number as feet.
- Multiply the leftover decimal by 12 to get inches.
The
units program can also output composite results such as feet plus inches, which is the same idea done automatically.
Worked examples
| Meters | Decimal feet | Feet and inches |
|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 3.2808 | 3 ft 3.37 in |
| 1.65 | 5.4134 | 5 ft 4.96 in |
| 1.75 | 5.7414 | 5 ft 8.90 in |
| 1.80 | 5.9055 | 5 ft 10.87 in |
| 2.00 | 6.5617 | 6 ft 6.74 in |
| 5.00 | 16.4042 | 16 ft 4.85 in |
| 10.00 | 32.8084 | 32 ft 9.70 in |
Fractions of an inch
A tape measure shows sixteenths, so decimal inches need one more step. Take 10 meters, which is 32 feet 9.70 inches. Multiply 0.70 by 16 and you get about 11.2, so the nearest sixteenth is 11/16. The answer reads 32 feet 9 11/16 inches. For eighths, multiply the decimal by 8 instead and round. 0.70 × 8 = 5.6, which rounds to 6/8, or 3/4: 32 feet 9 3/4 inches. The coarser the fraction, the bigger the possible error, so use sixteenths for anything that has to fit.
How tall is a 5'5" person in meters?
That is the reverse. 5 feet 5 inches is 65 inches. One inch is exactly 0.0254 meter, which is 0.3048 divided by 12. So 65 × 0.0254 = 1.651 meters, or about 1.65 m.
Rounding: how many decimals do you need?
The rule is simple: keep all the digits through the calculation and round only once at the end. That is the practice that follows from the foot being exactly 0.3048 meter in NIST Handbook 44. Rounding 3.28084 to 3.28 first, then multiplying again, stacks small errors. Here is what that looks like at 100 meters:
| Factor used | Result for 100 m | Difference from exact (328.084 ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 3.28084 | 328.084 ft | none at this precision |
| 3.281 | 328.1 ft | about 0.016 ft high |
| 3.28 | 328 ft | about 0.084 ft low, roughly 1 inch |
| 3 plus 10% (3.3) | 330 ft | about 1.9 ft high |
- Casual use (trip planning, comparing heights): 1 decimal place, or whole feet.
- Homework: follow the significant figures in the problem, usually 3 or 4.
- Construction, engineering, fabrication: 4 decimal places in feet, or convert to inches and use sixteenths.
The U.S. survey foot: does it change your answer?
For a long time the United States had two feet: the international foot and the U.S. survey foot, which is very slightly longer. Surveyors used the survey foot, and that is why you sometimes see tools listing "meter to foot (US survey)" with 3.2808333333 feet per meter.
That difference is now history for practical purposes. NOAA's final determination says the survey foot should be avoided after December 31, 2022 and superseded by the international foot in all applications, with limited legacy exceptions. NIST confirms that beginning January 1, 2023, the international foot replaced it. NIST's news article on the change adds that the retirement was planned over several years to give the country uniform length measurement.
What this means for you: use 0.3048 meter per foot, which is 3.28084 feet per meter. The international foot was adopted in 1959 by both the US and UK. If you are reading old survey documents or legacy land records, they may be marked as survey feet, and the difference is about two parts per million. For a 1,000 meter distance, that is only a few thousandths of a foot, but it matters for large coordinate systems.
Where a meters-to-feet conversion shows up
The meter itself is defined by light: NIST defines it as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299 792 458 of a second. The foot is then tied to it by the 0.3048 definition. Day to day, the conversion appears in a handful of places.
Heights and body measurements
Most of the world gives height in meters or centimeters, while U.S. forms ask for feet and inches. Use the table above: 1.75 m is 5 ft 8.9 in, 1.80 m is 5 ft 10.9 in. Round to the nearest inch for a form: 1.75 m is 5'9", and 1.80 m is 5'11".
Home and room dimensions
Listings abroad give floor plans in meters. Room width 3.5 m by 4.2 m is 11.48 ft by 13.78 ft. Furniture is sold in inches and feet, so convert before you buy. Ceiling height of 2.4 m is 7.87 ft, or 7 ft 10.5 in.
Sports and distance
A 50 meter pool is 164.04 feet. A 100 meter sprint is 328.08 feet, about 109.36 yards. A 400 meter track lap is 1,312.34 feet.
Travel and outdoors
Mountain heights, trail elevation gain and cliff signs often use meters. A 1,000 meter climb is 3,280.84 feet. A 300 meter hotel tower is 984.25 feet. Rounded figures are fine here.
Cooking and gardening
Seed packets or planting guides from abroad might list spacing in meters. 0.5 m is 1.64 feet, about 19.7 inches. Fencing, hose and cable lengths are another place a quick conversion saves a trip back to the store.
Five mistakes to avoid
- Dividing when you should multiply. Feet are smaller than meters, so the number of feet must be larger. If your answer is smaller than your starting number, flip the operation.
- Treating 0.8 feet as 8 inches. Decimal feet are not inches. 0.8 foot is 9.6 inches. Always multiply the decimal part by 12.
- Rounding the factor early. Using 3.28 on a large distance leaves an error you can see. Use 3.28084 or divide by 0.3048.
- Mixing feet with yards. One yard is 3 feet, so 1 meter is about 1.0936 yards. The mental trick of tripling meters gets you close to yards if you forget the extra 10 percent, which is a common source of undersized estimates.
- Using a survey-foot setting by accident. Some older tools default to the survey foot. For anything new, use the international foot.
Perspective
Our view at MetriqaHub is that a conversion should never make you wonder whether you got it right. A meters-to-feet answer is only useful if you trust the digits, which is why we build around the exact definition of the foot rather than a rounded shortcut.>
We also think the result should arrive in the form you need. Some people want 16.4042 feet. Others want 16 feet 4 7/8 inches. The number is the same, but the format decides whether you can use it at the lumber yard or on a form.>
That is why our converters are free, need no registration, and return an instant result. Students, engineers, cooks, travelers and home projects all share one need: a clear answer, fast, that follows internationally recognized standards. We would rather you spend your time on the project than on the arithmetic.>
Nkosi
Convert meters to feet instantly
When you have more than one or two numbers to convert, typing them into a formula gets slow. MetriqaHub offers free length converters that cover meters, feet and many other units, with instant results and no sign-up. Convert a single measurement, check your homework, or compare units while you plan a trip or a build.
Try the tools at MetriqaHub's free unit converters, and use the chart above when you only need a quick lookup.
FAQ
What is the exact conversion factor from meters to feet?
One foot is exactly 0.3048 meter, so one meter is 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895... feet. Most people use 3.28084. NIST states the 0.3048 definition, so the only rounding comes from how many digits of the result you keep.
How do I convert meters to feet in my head?
Multiply the meters by 3, then add 10 percent of the meters. For 20 meters, that is 60 plus 6, or 66 feet. The exact answer is 65.62 feet, so the shortcut runs a little high but is close enough for estimates.
How do I convert meters to feet and inches?
Multiply meters by 3.28084 to get decimal feet. Keep the whole number as feet, then multiply the decimal part by 12 for inches. For 1.75 meters, 5.7414 feet becomes 5 feet and 0.7414 × 12 = 8.9 inches.
Is a meter exactly 3.28 feet?
No, 3.28 is a rounded value. The more accurate figure is 3.28084 feet. Using 3.28 is fine for short distances, but it falls about an inch short over 100 meters, so use the longer factor for precise work.
Does the U.S. survey foot change the result?
Not for current work. The survey foot was retired at the end of 2022 in favor of the international foot. Use 0.3048 meter per foot, or 3.28084 feet per meter.
Sources
- HowStuffWorks: What's an Easy Way to Convert Meters to Feet?
- NIST: U.S. Survey Foot
- NIST Handbook 44, 2024, Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement
- NOAA: Final Determination on Retiring the U.S. Survey Foot
- NIST News: New Year's Eve 2023 Marked the Retirement of the U.S. Survey Foot
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix A: Definitions of the SI Base Units
- Debian Manpages: units(1)
- Bhanzu: What is Meter