About this tool
This converter uses the exact international standard: 1 inch equals exactly 2.54 centimeters. Enter centimeters or inches and the opposite box fills in as you type; the conversion runs in your browser, so nothing is sent to a server.
How to use the cm to inches converter
- Type a number into the Centimeters box. It starts at 1 cm.
- Read the result in the Inches box, rounded to 4 decimal places.
- To go the other way, type into Inches and the Centimeters box updates.
- For a tape-measure fraction, find the whole centimeter in the chart below and read the Nearest 1/16 in column.
Worked example: a 55 x 40 x 20 cm cabin bag
Enter 55 in Centimeters and the Inches box shows 21.6535. Entering 40 gives 15.748 and entering 20 gives 7.874, so the bag is about 21.65 x 15.75 x 7.87 inches. Check those figures against an inch-based size limit rather than rounding 55 cm up to 22 inches, which would overstate it.
Common use cases
- Converting a product's listed dimensions (common on international or imported items) into a familiar unit
- Checking clothing or shoe measurements between metric and imperial sizing
- Converting a height, screen size, or furniture measurement for someone who works in inches
Things to watch out for
The 2.54 cm-per-inch figure is an exact international definition, not a rounded approximation — so any small differences you see between calculators usually come from how many decimal places the result is rounded to, not the underlying conversion itself. For everyday use, 2 decimal places (as in the chart below) is generally precise enough; for scientific or manufacturing work, use the calculator's full unrounded result.
Common centimeters to inches values
A quick reference for everyday sizes. Values are rounded to two decimal places.
| Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|
| 1 cm | 0.39 in |
| 2 cm | 0.79 in |
| 5 cm | 1.97 in |
| 10 cm | 3.94 in |
| 15 cm | 5.91 in |
| 20 cm | 7.87 in |
| 25 cm | 9.84 in |
| 30 cm | 11.81 in |
| 40 cm | 15.75 in |
| 50 cm | 19.69 in |
| 60 cm | 23.62 in |
| 75 cm | 29.53 in |
| 90 cm | 35.43 in |
| 100 cm | 39.37 in |
| 150 cm | 59.06 in |
| 180 cm | 70.87 in |
| 200 cm | 78.74 in |
How to convert cm to inches by hand
Divide the centimeters by 2.54, because one inch is exactly 2.54 cm. So 30 cm / 2.54 = 11.81 inches. To go the other way, multiply inches by 2.54. A mental shortcut is to multiply the centimeters by 0.4, which gives 12 inches for 30 cm. That is about 1.6% high, so it is fine for a quick estimate but not for cutting material.
Everyday sizes in centimeters and inches
An A4 sheet of paper is 21 x 29.7 cm, or 8.27 x 11.69 inches, while US Letter is 8.5 x 11 inches (21.59 x 27.94 cm). A standard doorway is about 203 cm (80 inches) tall. Shoe boxes, picture frames and suitcase limits are often listed in both units, so converting helps when you shop across countries. For heights in feet and inches, use the cm to feet and inches converter.
CM to inches chart
Every centimeter from 1 to 100 cm in decimal inches and as the nearest 1/16-inch mark on an imperial ruler or tape measure, followed by a height chart for 150–200 cm in feet and inches.
| Centimeters | Inches (decimal) | Nearest 1/16 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cm | 0.39 | 3/8 |
| 2 cm | 0.79 | 13/16 |
| 3 cm | 1.18 | 1 3/16 |
| 4 cm | 1.57 | 1 9/16 |
| 5 cm | 1.97 | 1 15/16 |
| 6 cm | 2.36 | 2 3/8 |
| 7 cm | 2.76 | 2 3/4 |
| 8 cm | 3.15 | 3 1/8 |
| 9 cm | 3.54 | 3 9/16 |
| 10 cm | 3.94 | 3 15/16 |
| 11 cm | 4.33 | 4 5/16 |
| 12 cm | 4.72 | 4 3/4 |
| 13 cm | 5.12 | 5 1/8 |
| 14 cm | 5.51 | 5 1/2 |
| 15 cm | 5.91 | 5 7/8 |
| 16 cm | 6.30 | 6 5/16 |
| 17 cm | 6.69 | 6 11/16 |
| 18 cm | 7.09 | 7 1/16 |
| 19 cm | 7.48 | 7 1/2 |
| 20 cm | 7.87 | 7 7/8 |
| 21 cm | 8.27 | 8 1/4 |
| 22 cm | 8.66 | 8 11/16 |
| 23 cm | 9.06 | 9 1/16 |
| 24 cm | 9.45 | 9 7/16 |
| 25 cm | 9.84 | 9 13/16 |
| 26 cm | 10.24 | 10 1/4 |
| 27 cm | 10.63 | 10 5/8 |
| 28 cm | 11.02 | 11 |
| 29 cm | 11.42 | 11 7/16 |
| 30 cm | 11.81 | 11 13/16 |
| 31 cm | 12.20 | 12 3/16 |
| 32 cm | 12.60 | 12 5/8 |
| 33 cm | 12.99 | 13 |
| 34 cm | 13.39 | 13 3/8 |
| 35 cm | 13.78 | 13 3/4 |
| 36 cm | 14.17 | 14 3/16 |
| 37 cm | 14.57 | 14 9/16 |
| 38 cm | 14.96 | 14 15/16 |
| 39 cm | 15.35 | 15 3/8 |
| 40 cm | 15.75 | 15 3/4 |
| 41 cm | 16.14 | 16 1/8 |
| 42 cm | 16.54 | 16 9/16 |
| 43 cm | 16.93 | 16 15/16 |
| 44 cm | 17.32 | 17 5/16 |
| 45 cm | 17.72 | 17 11/16 |
| 46 cm | 18.11 | 18 1/8 |
| 47 cm | 18.50 | 18 1/2 |
| 48 cm | 18.90 | 18 7/8 |
| 49 cm | 19.29 | 19 5/16 |
| 50 cm | 19.69 | 19 11/16 |
| 51 cm | 20.08 | 20 1/16 |
| 52 cm | 20.47 | 20 1/2 |
| 53 cm | 20.87 | 20 7/8 |
| 54 cm | 21.26 | 21 1/4 |
| 55 cm | 21.65 | 21 5/8 |
| 56 cm | 22.05 | 22 1/16 |
| 57 cm | 22.44 | 22 7/16 |
| 58 cm | 22.83 | 22 13/16 |
| 59 cm | 23.23 | 23 1/4 |
| 60 cm | 23.62 | 23 5/8 |
| 61 cm | 24.02 | 24 |
| 62 cm | 24.41 | 24 7/16 |
| 63 cm | 24.80 | 24 13/16 |
| 64 cm | 25.20 | 25 3/16 |
| 65 cm | 25.59 | 25 9/16 |
| 66 cm | 25.98 | 26 |
| 67 cm | 26.38 | 26 3/8 |
| 68 cm | 26.77 | 26 3/4 |
| 69 cm | 27.17 | 27 3/16 |
| 70 cm | 27.56 | 27 9/16 |
| 71 cm | 27.95 | 27 15/16 |
| 72 cm | 28.35 | 28 3/8 |
| 73 cm | 28.74 | 28 3/4 |
| 74 cm | 29.13 | 29 1/8 |
| 75 cm | 29.53 | 29 1/2 |
| 76 cm | 29.92 | 29 15/16 |
| 77 cm | 30.31 | 30 5/16 |
| 78 cm | 30.71 | 30 11/16 |
| 79 cm | 31.10 | 31 1/8 |
| 80 cm | 31.50 | 31 1/2 |
| 81 cm | 31.89 | 31 7/8 |
| 82 cm | 32.28 | 32 5/16 |
| 83 cm | 32.68 | 32 11/16 |
| 84 cm | 33.07 | 33 1/16 |
| 85 cm | 33.46 | 33 7/16 |
| 86 cm | 33.86 | 33 7/8 |
| 87 cm | 34.25 | 34 1/4 |
| 88 cm | 34.65 | 34 5/8 |
| 89 cm | 35.04 | 35 1/16 |
| 90 cm | 35.43 | 35 7/16 |
| 91 cm | 35.83 | 35 13/16 |
| 92 cm | 36.22 | 36 1/4 |
| 93 cm | 36.61 | 36 5/8 |
| 94 cm | 37.01 | 37 |
| 95 cm | 37.40 | 37 3/8 |
| 96 cm | 37.80 | 37 13/16 |
| 97 cm | 38.19 | 38 3/16 |
| 98 cm | 38.58 | 38 9/16 |
| 99 cm | 38.98 | 39 |
| 100 cm | 39.37 | 39 3/8 |
Height chart: cm to feet and inches
| Centimeters | Total inches | Feet + inches | Nearest inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 59.1 | 4 ft 11.1 in | 4 ft 11 in |
| 155 cm | 61.0 | 5 ft 1.0 in | 5 ft 1 in |
| 160 cm | 63.0 | 5 ft 3.0 in | 5 ft 3 in |
| 165 cm | 65.0 | 5 ft 5.0 in | 5 ft 5 in |
| 170 cm | 66.9 | 5 ft 6.9 in | 5 ft 7 in |
| 175 cm | 68.9 | 5 ft 8.9 in | 5 ft 9 in |
| 180 cm | 70.9 | 5 ft 10.9 in | 5 ft 11 in |
| 185 cm | 72.8 | 6 ft 0.8 in | 6 ft 1 in |
| 190 cm | 74.8 | 6 ft 2.8 in | 6 ft 3 in |
| 195 cm | 76.8 | 6 ft 4.8 in | 6 ft 5 in |
| 200 cm | 78.7 | 6 ft 6.7 in | 6 ft 7 in |
Source: thealltools.com/tools/cm-to-inches
Frequently asked questions
1 centimeter equals about 0.3937 inches. The exact value is 1 ÷ 2.54 inches, because 1 inch is defined as exactly 2.54 cm; 0.3937 is that value rounded to 4 decimal places, as the converter shows it.
In 1959, the US, UK, and other countries agreed to define the inch as exactly 2.54 centimeters, making it a fixed international standard rather than an approximation. Every cm-to-inch conversion today is based on that exact figure.
The underlying conversion factor (2.54 cm per inch) is exact by international agreement, so the calculator's result is as precise as the number of decimal places you need — it isn't an approximation.
170 cm is 66.93 inches, which is 5 ft 6.9 in — about 5 ft 7 in to the nearest inch. For any height, divide the centimeters by 2.54 to get inches, then divide by 12: the whole number is feet and the remainder is inches.