Calculator
What the Feet to Meter does
Feet to Meter: 1 ft = 0.3048 m, so multiply a foot value by 0.3048 to get metre, or divide to go back. Example: 1 ft = 0.3048 m.
From Value, From and To, this tool derives Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion. You can nudge a single number and watch the effect straight away.
Most people who open the Feet to Meter are people following a recipe or spec written elsewhere. Two industries often use the same word for slightly different quantities.
There is no account, no upload and no server round trip, because the page does the work itself.
The method, a field-by-field reference and a worked example built from the defaults are all on this page.
What do the Feet to Meter fields mean?
The Feet to Meter uses 3 inputs. Pre-filled inputs double as documentation: each one shows what a reasonable value looks like.
| Field | What to enter | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Value | required | 1 |
| From | choose from Nanometre (nm), Micrometre (µm), Angstrom (Å), Millimetre (mm), Centimetre (cm) or Metre (m) | Foot (ft) |
| To | choose from Nanometre (nm), Micrometre (µm), Angstrom (Å), Millimetre (mm), Centimetre (cm) or Metre (m) | Metre (m) |
How does the Feet to Meter work?
Both units are converted through length's base unit (m), so any of the 19 units in the dropdowns can be paired in either direction without loss of accuracy.
Factors follow the internationally agreed definitions. The inch has been exactly 25.4 mm since 1959, and an exact definition is used wherever one exists. Where a unit is fixed by measurement rather than by agreement, the accepted CODATA or IAU value is used.
Worked example
These are the values the Feet to Meter loads by default, and the result it produces from them. This is the worked example the page starts from, reproduced here so you can check the arithmetic.
| Value | 1 |
|---|---|
| From | Foot (ft) |
| To | Metre (m) |
| Result | 0.3048 m |
|---|---|
| How it was calculated | 1 ft = 0.3048 m, so 1 × 0.3048 = 0.3048 m |
| Reverse conversion | 3.280839895 ft (if you meant 1 m) |
Feet and metres
1 foot equals exactly 0.3048 metres by international agreement (since 1959), so converting feet to metres is a fixed multiplication, not an approximation. The only rounding happens when you decide how many decimal places to keep.
Worth knowing
- Quick mental math: multiply feet by 0.3, then add roughly 1.6% of that result to correct for the shortfall (0.3 vs. the true 0.3048), or just use 0.305 for a very close one-step estimate.
- Building codes, ceiling heights and lumber dimensions in the US are specified in feet and inches; converting to metres is mostly needed for imported materials, international shipping paperwork, or comparing specs against a metric-country product.
- Elevation and aircraft altitude are given in feet worldwide by aviation convention, even in fully metric countries, so a "35,000 ft" cruising altitude converts to about 10,668 m regardless of where the flight is.
Definitions: BIPM SI Brochure · NIST reference on units
Read next: Unit Conversion Mistakes That Have Destroyed Real Things
How to use it
- Fill in Value.
- Pick a value for From: the options are Nanometre (nm), Micrometre (µm), Angstrom (Å), Millimetre (mm), Centimetre (cm) or Metre (m).
- Pick a value for To: the options are Nanometre (nm), Micrometre (µm), Angstrom (Å), Millimetre (mm), Centimetre (cm) or Metre (m).
- Live output means you can search for a target value by nudging an input up and down.
- The panel reports Result, How it was calculated and Reverse conversion.
- Copy Link puts the current inputs in the URL, so bookmarking it brings the same numbers back.
What this tool does not do
- Repeated conversions compound rounding, so convert once from the original value where you can.
- Conversion factors use SI definitions; some industries use their own rounded factors.
- It applies one method. If your situation calls for a different convention, the answer will not match.
- Confirm the units before you act on the output. The arithmetic is only as sound as what went in.
Frequently asked questions
Only Value, From and To. Every box already holds a working value, which means a single edit is enough to get a meaningful answer.
With the values loaded when the page opens, result comes out as 0.3048 m. The figure is derived from the inputs above, so it updates whenever they do.
It never leaves the tab. The page does the work itself rather than asking a server to.
No. There is no account, no usage cap and no trial period. The site is funded by advertising rather than by charging for the tools.
It matches what you would get working it out by hand, with fewer opportunities to slip.