Length conversion chart

 Table of Contents:

• Length conversion table
• Length conversion chart
• Inch definition
• Feet definition
• Meter definition
• Imperial US measurement system. US measurement system
• Metric measurement system

The length converter is a tool that enables rapid conversion between length units that are imperial and metric. But not only that. It's equipped with twenty measurements of length:

• Anstrom (A)
• Picometers (pm)
• Nanometers (nm)
• Micrometers (mm)
• millimeters (mm)
• centimeters (cm)
• decimeters (dm)
• meters (m)
• centimeters, meters and meters
• kilometers (km)

• 1,000ths of an inch (mil / thou)
• inches (in)
• feet (ft)
• inches and feet
• yards (yd)
• miles (mi)

• nautical miles (nmi)
• Sun radii (R)
• lights years (ly)
• Astronomical units (au)
• parsecs (pc)

It is a length conversion calculatorworks by entering units (up to 11 in the same calculation) into the tool. It then calculates the length converter then returns your results in each unit , in real time. Select the unit if you want to perform length conversion to an alternative unit to the ones that are defaulted from the Omni team. If you're looking to convert between different units of area, another option we suggest is the

Length conversion table

To learn what conversion factors are for the nine most popular length units, check out this length conversion table:

millimeter (mm)	centimeter (cm)	meter (m)	kilometer (km)	inch (in)	feet / foot (ft)	yard (yd)	mile (mi)	the nautical mile (nmi)
1 millimeter (mm)	1	0.1	0.001	0.000001	0.03937	0.003281	0.0010936	0.0000006214	0.00000054
One centimeter (cm)	10	1	0.01	0.00001	0.3937	0.03281	0.010936	0.000006214	0.0000054
1 meter (m)	1000	100	1	0.001	39.37	3.281	1.0936	0.0006214	0.00054
1 kilometer (km)	1000000	100000	1000	1	39370	3281	1093.6	0.6214	0.54
1 " (in)	25.4	2.54	0.0254	0.0000254	1	0.08333	0.02778	0.000015783	0.000013715
1 foot = feet (ft)	304.8	30.48	0.3048	0.0003048	12	1	0.33333	0.0001894	0.00016458
1 yard (yd)	914.4	91.44	0.9144	0.0009144	36	3	1	0.0005682	0.0004937
1 mile (mi)	1609344	160934	1609.3	1.6093	63360	5280	1760	1	0.869
1.25 nautical miles (nmi)	1852000	185200	1852	1.852	72913	6076	2025.4	1.1508	1

We've decided to round a few of the conversion variables to make them fit in this table. Therefore, certain values are not exact, but they still have some degree of accuracy.

Length conversion chart

If you're trying to figure out how to quickly convert between units of one system look into these two simple length conversion charts:

1. The system of measuring metric

To give an example:

• 6 km = 6 * 1000 = 6000 m
• 180 cm = 180 / 100 = 1.8 m

1. Imperial US measurement system. US measure system

For example:

• 5 yd = 5 * 3 = 15 ft
• 144 in = 144 / 12 = 12 ft

In addition, we've decided to compile a list with the most requested length conversions. The most common ones you'll be looking for are:

1. meters to feet / feet-to-meters

If you're trying to figure out how many feet is in the meter, here you are:

• 1 Meter 3.281 feet which is equivalent to 3 feet and 3 3/4 inches
• 1 foot equals 0.3048 Meter

1. cm to inches / inches to cm

Find out the number of centimeters in an inch.

• One centimeter 0.3937 inches
• 1 inch equals 2.54 centimeters

1. feet to inches/ inches to feet

To convert between feet and inches use:

• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 in 0.08333 feet 1/12 of a foot

1. feet to yards/ yards to feet

How many feet can you fit in the yard? Three!

• 1 yard = 3 feet
• 1 foot 0.3333 yards, 1/3 of one yard

1. feet to miles / miles to miles

Have you ever wondered how many feet there are in one mile?

• 1 foot 0.00018939 mile
• 1 yard = 5280 feet

Inch definition

The inch (abbreviate as in or ") is an measure of length in the Imperial or the US metric system. The term is derived from a few definitions - the width of the human thumb. In certain different languages e.g. Norwegian, Afrikaans, Italian or French the word "inch" is derived from the word thumb or, in some instances it's the same concept. Since the 14th century onwards, an inch was defined by the King of England as three grains of barley dry and round, laid between the ends, lengthwise. Inch definition varied through the ages but during the 1950's an international standard was accepted, and, since then, the inch is equal to exactly 2.54 centimeters.

1 in = 2.54 cm

One inch also corresponds one-third of a yard. 1/12 of a foot , or 1/63360 of one mile.

On a daily basis inches are commonly used in the US, UK, Canada and many other countries that were previously as part of the British Empire. In addition to width, length and height can be measured in in, also various sizes are measured by units derived from inches (e.g. shoe size).

What can be measured in inches, not just in the US however, but around the world?

• screen sizes of monitors, smartphones, TVs, (specifically dimensions of the diagonals in rectangular screens)
• resolution of the screen PPI (pixels per inch)
• size of tires - e.g. car or bike wheels,
• various tools and pipes sizes
• certain sports equipments use the value for inches. e.g. in archery.
• in science, e.g. Acoustics - microphones and the diameters of loudspeakers

One International inch is the same as:

• 10,000 tenths
• 1,000 thou/mil
• 100 points or gries
• 72 PostScript points
• 6 computer picas
• 3 barleycorns
• 2.54 centimeters exactly
• 0.999998 US Survey inches
• 1/3 of or 0.333 palms
• 1/4 or 0.25 hands
• 1/12, or 0.08333 feet
• 1/36 or 0.02777 yards

Feet definition

The foot (abbreviate as ft or ') is one of the length units used in the Imperial or US standard system of measurement. It's an measurement based upon the body of a human as the name suggests. The measurement has been standardized in the 50s and since then it's equal to 0.3048 meters exactly:

1 ft = 0.3048 m = 304.8 mm

The usage of feet has been utilized since ancient times throughout different civilizations however, the length of the foot varied between these cultures. The foot was utilized, e.g. in:

• Ancient Rome: 1 foot = 11.6 inches (295.7 mm). This was a standard foot, but in some provinces it may be as large as 13.2 inches (334 mm)
• Greece: 1 foot = 10.6-13.8 inches (270 - 350 millimeters)
• Indus cities in the Bronze Age: 1 foot equals 13.2 inches (333.5 millimeters)
• Egypt, the equivalent of 12 inches in feet (304.8 millimeters)

The non-official imperial public measurement standards, Greenwich

The foot measurement in England In England, the foot measure also changed through the years - it began in Roman standards, and later Belgic Celts foot of 13.2 inches or Welsh foot was introduced and then gone. The feet definition varied from region to region, city to city, and then the kings altered the measure according to their desire - e.g., Henry I was said to have ordered a new standard based upon his arm. After that, Edward II of England introduced some kind of standardization, introducing the statute foot that was 10/11 of the previous foot. The finalization of the foot's length was reached much later, in the year 1959, after the International yard-and-pound convention was signed. Since then yard length within the United States and countries in the British Commonwealth is equal to exactly 0.9144 meters. When yard was first defined, the foot could be calculated as well. This is equivalent to:

1 foot = (1/3) * yard = (1/3) * 0.9144 m = 0.3048 m

In the US two types of feet are used in a regular basis that is the international foot, and the survey foot:

1. International footAlso called the standard foot and was first standardized during the 50s. Widely used in a variety of applications, it's the equivalent of 0.3048 m: 1 international foot 0.3048 m and we've used the symbol to indicate that the significance of exactly this amount. The international measure is the equivalent of a human foot with a size of 13 (UK) as well as 14 (US male).
2. Survey foot The US survey foot is almost identical in measure to the foot of the world. But the word nearly is the key . The survey foot definition is exactly 1200/3937 meters 1 US survey foot = 1200/3937 m 0,30480060960121920243840487680975... m As you can see, it looks like a really tiny difference - something changes when you reach the seventh decimal! This is the difference of just 0,609 mm 609 nanometers, when comparing one kind of foot to the other. Why should we care? important because the difference is minimal when we are measuring relatively small objects, however it increases significantly when we start measuring hundreds of thousands feet, as in mapping or using the state plane coordinate system (SPCS). Furthermore, the legislation on the survey foot differs among all 50 states.
   • 24 states have adopted legislation that states that surveying measures should be built on US survey foot. US feet of the survey
   • 8 states have voted to make the announcement in accordance with the world foot
   • 18 states haven't specified the conversion rate for metric units. But do not fret too much If you're in need of the conversion in your routine conveyances or surveying of land, the difference is really negligible for short distances (< 1 mile) and it doesn't matter which definition you settle on.
   There's another measurement of the foot - the Indian survey foot . It's described as precisely 0.3047996 m: 1. Indian survey foot = 0.3047996 m

Feet - as well as the entire imperial system are utilized widely throughout the US. And almost only there. It's true that the US has the distinction of being the one industrialized nation in the world that hasn't yet accepted the International System of Units, also called the system of measurement in metric units. Two other countries that use this system of measurement are Liberia within Africa in Africa and Myanmar (also known as Burma) in Southeast Asia. Canadians along with the British utilize a combination of both systems, metric and imperial (e.g. the men's height is typically expressed in feet , but inches are also used).

Feet are not used widely in the non-English-speaking world. The most obvious illustration is the measurement of elevation in the international air travel industry.

Meter definition

Meter (British English: metre) is the basis length unit in several metrics, including those of the International System of Units (SI).

The definition of meter changed when the scientific methods of measuring evolved. The definition now is what is the path traveled by light in a vacuum within 1/99,792,458 seconds.

How was it defined in the past?

• The initial trials for the meter definition started in 1790. In 1790, the French National Assembly decided that the length of a new meter would be equal to the length of a pendulum with a half-period of 1 second. Check out the accuracy of this figure by using our pendulum calculator. Type 2 in the pendulum period box, and you'll be able to calculate the pendulum length value. Indeed, it's really close to the one meter (0.993621 m).

• In 1973 the circumference of Earth was chosen as a neutral standard. The meter was defined as one-ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to north pole. North Pole: 1 meter is 1/10,000,000 of the quarter meridional radius of the Earth that runs along the meridian between the Earth and Paris
• 1799 to 1889 between 1799 and 1889, brass, platinum and the alloy of platinum with 10% iridium meter bars were created, as a basis having the length of Earth's meridian. The 1st General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1889 established the meter as the distance that lies between two lines on a standard bar made of this type of alloy. This International Prototype Meter is still kept in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sevres close to Paris. That meter definition was used until 1960 and the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures.
• From 1960 until 1983, the meters were redefined in the year 1960. It was renamed as 1,650,763.73 wavelengths from the orange-red radiation Krypton86 under certain conditions.
• 17th Conference defined"meter" to be 1/299,792,458 of how far light travels in a second The definition of the meter remains in force up to the present.

The table below summarizes the chronology of a meter definition (by Cardarelli 2003).

Standard	Date	Absolute error	Relative uncertainty
1/10,000,000 in the quadrant that runs along the Meridian	1795	500-100 mm	10 -4
First prototype of platinum bar standard	1799	50-10 mm	10 -5
Platinum-iridium bar with melting point of the ice (1st CGPM)	1889	200-100 nm	10 -7
Platinum-iridium bars at the melting point of the ice, atmospheric pressure supported by two rollers (7th CGPM)	1927	n.a.	n.a.
Hyperfine atomic transition; 1650763.73 spectrum of wavelengths coming from the specific transition of krypton-86 (11th CGPM)	1960	4 nm	4x10 -9
The length of the pathway traveled by light in a vacuum in the fraction of a second (17th CGPM)	1983	0.1 nm	10 -10

Imperial / US measurement system

Imperial the US measurement system as well as US measurement systems aren't identical, but for length measurements they are the same (they are different in volume measures, so e.g. the cup may contain a an amount of floz that differs from both systems). The only countries that didn't accept metric units were the US, Liberia and Myanmar.

Six of the most commonly used US length units (also known as imperial length units) were included in our length converter:

• one thousandth of an inch (mil / thou),
• inches (in),
• feet (ft),
• feet and inches
• yards (yd),
• miles (mi).

There are two additional length units, however we have excluded them from this length converter on purpose: The term "furlong" refers to the fact that a furlong's conversion ratio is not widely defined and the term league used to be the most popular measurement in Europe and Latin America but is no anymore an official unit in any of the. You can however find them below, together with the most commonly used values:

Unit	Comparative to the previous	Feet	Millimeters	Meters
Thous (th)		1/12000	0.0254	0.0000254
inch (in)	1000 thou	1/12	25.4	0.0254
foot (ft)	12 inches	1	304.8	0.3048
yard (yd)	3 feet	3	914.4	0.9144
chain (ch)	22 yards	66	20116.8	20.1168
furlong (fur)	10 chains	660	201168	201.168
mile (mi)	8 furlongs	5280	1609344	1609.344
league (lea)	3 miles	15840	4828032	4828.032

Metric measurement system

The metric measurement system, also called the International System of Units (SI) has an international decimal-based system for weights and measurements. It is widely used throughout the world (apart of the three countries mentioned in the previous paragraphs), it's easy to use, rational and practical. The four base units of the metric measurement system are:

• meters ( m) for length,
• kg ( kg) for mass (check out this weight conversion),
• Second ( s) for time,
• ampere (A) for electromagnetism.

Besides, 22 derived units with their own names exist. We can split them into 5 categories:

1. Electromagnetism

• Volt, a measurement of electrical potential
• ohm, a unit of electrical resistance,
• tesla A unit of magnetic flux density,
• weber is a type of magnetic flux,
• farad A unit of capacitance electrical,
• henry is a term used to describe electrical inductance,
• Siemens is a type of electrical conductance,
• coulomb is a term used to describe an electrical charge.

1. Mechanics

• Watt A unit of mechanical or electrical power,
• newton A unit of mechanical force,
• Jourle, a unit of mechanical, electrical or thermodynamic energy
• pascal, a unit of pressure.

1. Radiofrequency

• becquerel, a unit of radioactive decay,
• sievert, a unit of absorption of ionising radiation. You can calculate the radiation dose you experienced on your trip to the airport using our radiation calculator for flights,
• gray an element of Ionizing radiation
• lux is a term used to describe luminescent flux
• lumen is a term used to describe luminous intensity.

1. Circular arcs and spherical surfaces

• Radian is a unit of circular arc
• Sterandian A unit of the spherical surface area.

1. Other

• degrees Celsius is a measurement for thermodynamics temperature. You can use this temperature converter, which converts the degree Celsius in Kelvins or Fahrenheit.
• katal an element of catalytic activity,
• hertz A unit of cycles per second.