Convert foot to meter.

About this conversion

Feet-to-meters is the standard conversion when working between imperial construction documents (US, UK, Canada in some sectors) and SI engineering (most of the world, plus all scientific work). The factor is exactly 0.3048 — derived from the 25.4 mm inch.

Formula

m = ft × 0.3048

Real-world examples

Reference values

Tips & tricks

• For rough mental conversion, multiply by 0.3: 10 ft ≈ 3 m, 100 ft ≈ 30 m.
• Container shipping uses 20' and 40' lengths. These correspond to 6.10 m and 12.19 m, but the trade still uses feet.
• Aviation uses feet exclusively for altitude worldwide, even in metric countries — "FL350" means 35,000 feet (Flight Level), about 10,700 m.

Origin & history

The foot existed in Roman, English, Scottish, and many other systems with slightly different lengths until standardization. The international foot (1959) is exactly 0.3048 m. The US Survey foot (slightly different, 1200/3937 m) was used in US land surveying until 2022.

What is a foot?

One foot equals exactly 12 inches or 0.3048 meters. Building heights, room dimensions in the US, aircraft altitudes, and lumber lengths.

What is a meter?

The meter is the SI base unit of length, defined by the distance light travels in vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Room dimensions, building heights, athletic distances (100 m sprint), and most everyday distances.

How big is one ft in real terms?

Some everyday comparisons can make the unit easier to picture.

• 8 ft — about the height of a residential ceiling.
• 100 ft — about the length of a US football end zone.
• 300 ft — roughly the height of a 30-story building.

How to convert foot to meter

To convert a value from foot (ft) to meter (m), apply the conversion factor shown in the formula above. The calculation is the same whether you do it by hand, in a spreadsheet, or with the live converter on this page.

Steps:

1. Take your input value in ft.
2. Apply the formula see formula above.
3. The result is your value in m.

For repeated calculations, save the formula in a spreadsheet or use the live converter at the top of this page — it handles the math automatically and displays the result as you type.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert ft to m?

Apply the formula ft → m shown above, or just type your value into the converter at the top of this page. The result updates instantly.

Which is bigger, ft or m?

This depends on the conversion ratio in the formula. If the factor multiplied by your value gives a larger number, then m is the smaller unit (so it takes more of them to express the same quantity). If the result is smaller, then m is the larger unit.

When would I use ft versus m?

Both units measure length, so the choice depends on context. Foot is typically used for engineering specs, construction, navigation, and everyday measurement; meter similarly. Most professional fields standardize on one or the other based on regional conventions or technical tradition.

How precise is this ft to m conversion?

The conversion factor shown is the internationally defined exact value (or the best-published approximation if the relationship is irrational, like degrees-to-radians). The live converter on this page uses double-precision floating-point math, accurate to about 15 significant digits — far beyond any practical engineering need.

Is the conversion ratio exact, or an approximation?

Most unit conversions between SI metric units, and between SI and US customary units, have been formally defined as exact values since the 1959 international yard-pound agreement and subsequent SI redefinitions. Exceptions are unit pairs that involve irrational numbers (radians, e.g.) or empirical conversions (like food calories, which depend on temperature). When in doubt, consult the formula at the top of this page.

Related conversions

See also