Convert feet to meters easily.
1 ft x 0.3048 = 0.3048 m
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Ever tried buying curtains in Europe using measurements taken in feet? Or maybe you’ve stared at a recipe calling for a 2-meter-long countertop when your tape measure only shows feet? Converting between these units doesn’t have to feel like solving a riddle. Let’s walk through feet-to-meters conversions so you can handle any measurement mishap with confidence.
Unit definitions
What is a foot (ft)?
Description: A foot is one of those units that started with, well, actual human feet. It’s part of the imperial system still widely used in the United States for height, room dimensions, and short distances.
Symbol: ft
Common uses: Real estate, aviation altitude (in some countries), human height
Definition: 1 foot = 12 inches = exactly 0.3048 meters since 1959
What is a meter (m)?
Description: The meter is the metric system’s star player for length. It’s used globally in science, engineering, and daily life outside a few holdout nations.
Symbol: m
Common uses: Scientific research, international sports tracks, road signs worldwide
Definition: Since 1983, 1 meter = distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 seconds in a vacuum
Conversion formula
The golden rule for feet to meters:
Meters = Feet × 0.3048
Going the other way? Flip it:
Feet = Meters ÷ 0.3048
Why 0.3048? Blame it on international diplomacy—we’ll get to that historical tidbit later.
Example calculations
- Converting 10 feet to meters:
10 ft × 0.3048 = 3.048 m
That’s why a 10-ft U-Haul truck is about 3 meters long. - Switching 25 feet to meters:
25 × 0.3048 = 7.62 m
Useful for knowing how much rope you need for a 25-ft tree climb—about 7.6 meters.
Conversion tables
Feet to meters
| Feet | Meters |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3048 |
| 2 | 0.6096 |
| 3 | 0.9144 |
| 4 | 1.2192 |
| 5 | 1.524 |
| 10 | 3.048 |
| 20 | 6.096 |
| 50 | 15.24 |
| 100 | 30.48 |
Meters to feet
| Meters | Feet |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3.2808 |
| 2 | 6.5617 |
| 5 | 16.4042 |
| 10 | 32.8084 |
| 20 | 65.6168 |
| 50 | 164.042 |
| 100 | 328.084 |
Historical background
The foot’s origin story begins with ancient civilizations using body parts as rulers. The Roman pes (about 29.5 cm) and Drusian foot (33.3 cm) show how chaotic measurements were before standardization. Fast forward to 1959: the U.S., UK, and other English-speaking countries finally agreed to define 1 foot as exactly 0.3048 meters, ending centuries of regional variations.
The meter had its own drama. French revolutionaries invented it in 1793 as 1/10,000,000 of the distance from equator to North Pole. Later definitions used a platinum bar, then krypton wavelengths, before settling on light-based precision in 1983.
Interesting facts?
- The Burj Khalifa’s 828-meter height equals 2,717 feet—a number that loses its punch in imperial units.
- Until 2020, the U.S. officially required metric units for federal projects, but feet still dominate everyday use.
- Aviation altitude uses feet worldwide except in China and North Korea, creating occasional air traffic confusion.
- The 0.3048 conversion factor makes 1 meter approximately 39.37 inches—a number many Americans recognize from school rulers.
- Mount Everest’s 8,848-meter height translates to 29,029 ft, but surveyors still debate the exact figure in both units.
FAQ
Feet belong to the imperial system used mainly in the U.S., while meters are metric units used globally. One foot equals 0.3048 meters.
Cultural inertia plays a role—the U.S. and UK retain feet for everyday measurements despite metric adoption in science and trade.
A rough 'divide by 3' trick works okay. For better accuracy, multiply foot measurements by 0.3 and add 5%.
Yes! Since 1959, the international foot has been standardized to exactly 0.3048 meters through international agreement.
It depends—aerospace and U.S. construction often use feet, while civil engineering worldwide mostly uses meters.