The exact factor, and a shortcut you can do in your head
A foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 metres, so one metre is 3.28084 feet. For a quick estimate, triple the metres and add 10%: 5 m → 15 + 1.5 = 16.5 ft, against the exact 16.4. Using a flat 3.28 is fine for room sizes but drifts about 0.03% — enough to matter in engineering.
Quick reference
| Metres | Feet (decimal) | Feet & inches |
|---|---|---|
| 1.00 m | 3.28 ft | 3 ft 3 in |
| 1.70 m | 5.58 ft | 5 ft 7 in |
| 1.80 m | 5.91 ft | 5 ft 11 in |
| 2.00 m | 6.56 ft | 6 ft 7 in |
| 3.00 m | 9.84 ft | 9 ft 10 in |
| 10.0 m | 32.81 ft | 32 ft 10 in |
| 100 m | 328.08 ft | 328 ft 1 in |
A standard building storey runs about 3 to 4 m, which is 9 ft 10 in to 13 ft 1 in. A 50 m Olympic pool is 164 ft long.
Decimal feet and feet-plus-inches are not the same output
- Decimal feet. 5.91 ft keeps the leftover as a fraction of a foot — right for calculations and spreadsheets.
- Feet and inches. To get the human form, keep the whole feet and multiply the decimal part by 12: 5.91 ft → 0.91 × 12 = 10.9 in, so 5 ft 11 in.
- Height context. Passports and medical forms take centimetres or metres, but everyday US height is stated in feet and inches, which is why both formats stay in use.
Common questions
What is the exact metres to feet factor?
One metre is 3.28084 feet. It comes from the 1959 agreement that fixed one foot at exactly 0.3048 metres, so the factor 1 divided by 0.3048 is exact.
How do I convert metres to feet in my head?
Multiply by 3 and add 10 percent. For 5 metres: 5 times 3 is 15, plus 1.5 is 16.5 ft, against the exact 16.4. The estimate stays within about half a percent.
What is 1.8 m in feet and inches?
1.8 m is 5.9055 ft. Keep the 5 whole feet, then multiply the 0.9055 leftover by 12 to get 10.9 inches, so 1.8 m reads as 5 ft 11 in.
