Feet to Inches Converter
Convert feet to inches (ft to in), whole, decimal or mixed
1 foot = 12 inches. To convert feet to inches, multiply the feet by 12.
Feet to Inches converter
Live- 0.33333333 yd
- 0.3048 m
- 30.48 cm
- 304.8 mm
- 0.0003048 km
How to convert feet to inches
The foot has been divided into 12 inches for centuries, and the modern definitions keep that ratio exact: a foot is 0.3048 m and an inch is 0.0254 m, and 0.3048 ÷ 0.0254 = 12. So feet to inches never involves rounding. 7 ft is exactly 84 in. Inches to feet is the same factor in reverse (divide by 12), and the length converter adds yards, miles and metric units from a single input.
Decimal feet are where people slip. 5.5 ft is 5 ft 6 in, but 5.6 ft is not 5 ft 6 in: 0.6 × 12 = 7.2, so 5.6 ft is 5 ft 7.2 in. Surveyors, engineers and spreadsheet exports use decimal feet, while tape measures show feet and inches, so always multiply the decimal part by 12 rather than reading it as inches. For metric, try the feet to meters converter.
Step by step
- Take the length in feet (whole or decimal).
- Multiply by 12.
- If you started with feet and inches, add the extra inches to the result.
See it on a scale
Worked examples
A 5.75 ft height, an 8 ft ceiling and a 25 ft garage or pool length.
5.75 ft × 12 = 69 in
= 69 in
8 ft × 12 = 96 in
= 96 in
25 ft × 12 = 300 in
= 300 in
How do I convert feet to inches in Excel or Google Sheets?
Put the feet in A2 and use =A2*12; if extra inches sit in column B, =A2*12+B2 gives the total, and =A2/12 turns inches back into feet.
- Named units in Excel:
=CONVERT(A2,"ft","in")returns the same number. - Decimal feet to feet and inches:
=INT(A2)&" ft "&ROUND(MOD(A2,1)*12,1)&" in"turns 12.35 into 12 ft 4.2 in. - Total inches to feet and inches:
=QUOTIENT(A2,12)&" ft "&MOD(A2,12)&" in"turns 75 into 6 ft 3 in. - Whole inches only:
=ROUND(A2*12,0)turns 5.9 ft (70.8 in) into 71 in for a form that accepts integers.
Heights typed as text, such as 5'10", cannot be multiplied directly, because the sheet sees a label rather than a number. Split them into two numeric columns, feet and inches, before applying any formula, and keep the original column so you can check the split.
How do I convert feet and inches to decimal feet?
Divide the inches by 12 and add the result to the whole feet: 5 ft 8 in is 5 + 8 ÷ 12 = 5.6667 ft.
Decimal feet are what estimating software, survey data and many spreadsheets expect, because tenths and hundredths add up without carrying twelves. Use this table for the inch part, then add the whole feet:
| Inches | Decimal feet |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 0.0833 ft |
| 2 in | 0.1667 ft |
| 3 in | 0.25 ft |
| 4 in | 0.3333 ft |
| 5 in | 0.4167 ft |
| 6 in | 0.5 ft |
| 7 in | 0.5833 ft |
| 8 in | 0.6667 ft |
| 9 in | 0.75 ft |
| 10 in | 0.8333 ft |
| 11 in | 0.9167 ft |
Four decimals keep the rounding error below 0.0006 in. Two decimals, common on site plans, can be off by up to 0.06 in, which is fine for concrete forms but not for cabinetry.
Why is a foot 12 inches?
A foot is 12 inches because it descends from the Roman foot, which was divided into 12 unciae, the Latin word that gave English both inch and ounce.
Twelve is a practical base for hand work. It divides evenly by 2, 3, 4 and 6, so a third of a foot is a whole 4 in and a quarter is 3 in; with 10 parts, a third would be 3.333… units. Carpenters still lean on this when they split boards into thirds or lay out 16 in stud spacing, which is 1 1/3 ft (1.3333 ft).
The 1959 international definitions left the ratio untouched, since they fixed the yard and derived both the foot and the inch from it. The pattern continues upward: a yard is 3 ft or 36 in, and a statute mile is 5,280 ft or 63,360 in.
Feet to inches conversion chart
Whole and half feet converted to inches. Every value is exact because a foot is always 12 inches.
| Feet (ft) | Inches (in) |
|---|---|
| 0.25 ft | 3 in |
| 0.5 ft | 6 in |
| 0.75 ft | 9 in |
| 1 ft | 12 in |
| 1.5 ft | 18 in |
| 2 ft | 24 in |
| 2.5 ft | 30 in |
| 3 ft | 36 in |
| 4 ft | 48 in |
| 5 ft | 60 in |
| 5.5 ft | 66 in |
| 6 ft | 72 in |
| 6.5 ft | 78 in |
| 7 ft | 84 in |
| 8 ft | 96 in |
| 9 ft | 108 in |
| 10 ft | 120 in |
| 12 ft | 144 in |
| 15 ft | 180 in |
| 16 ft | 192 in |
| 20 ft | 240 in |
| 25 ft | 300 in |
| 30 ft | 360 in |
| 40 ft | 480 in |
| 50 ft | 600 in |
| 75 ft | 900 in |
| 100 ft | 1,200 in |
Feet vs inches: how do the two units relate?
Feet and inches belong to the same customary system, so unlike most unit pairs they are two sizes on one scale, fixed at exactly 12 to 1.
| Attribute | Feet | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | ft | in |
| System | Imperial / US | Imperial / US |
| Defined as | 0.3048 m (12 in) | 0.0254 m (25.4 mm) |
| One unit equals | 12 in | 0.083333333 ft |
| Symbol shorthand | Single prime ′, as in 6′ | Double prime ″, as in 6″ |
| Typical use | Heights, room sizes, lumber lengths, altitude | Screens, fasteners, lumber cross sections, rainfall |
| Tape marking | A highlighted mark every 12 in | Fractions down to 1/16 in |
| Decimal form | Tenths and hundredths of a foot on survey and site plans | Thousandths of an inch on machined parts |
4 key differences
- A foot holds exactly 12 inches, so converting feet to inches is a multiplication that never needs rounding.
- A tenth of a foot is 1.2 in, while a tape splits the inch into halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenths, so decimal feet and tape readings rarely line up.
- US architectural drawings dimension in feet and inches, such as 12′-6″, while civil and survey plans usually use decimal feet, such as 12.50 ft.
- The foot is 30.48 cm and the inch 2.54 cm, and both values have been exact since the 1959 agreement.
Decimal feet to inches and fractions
Plans, laser measures and spreadsheets often give lengths like 10.35 ft. Multiply the decimal part by 12 to get inches, then round to the nearest 1/16 in to find it on a tape.
| Decimal feet | Inches | Nearest 1/16 in |
|---|---|---|
| 0.05 ft | 0.6 in | 5/8 in |
| 0.1 ft | 1.2 in | 1 3/16 in |
| 0.15 ft | 1.8 in | 1 13/16 in |
| 0.2 ft | 2.4 in | 2 3/8 in |
| 0.25 ft | 3 in | 3 in |
| 0.3 ft | 3.6 in | 3 5/8 in |
| 0.35 ft | 4.2 in | 4 3/16 in |
| 0.4 ft | 4.8 in | 4 13/16 in |
| 0.45 ft | 5.4 in | 5 3/8 in |
| 0.5 ft | 6 in | 6 in |
| 0.55 ft | 6.6 in | 6 5/8 in |
| 0.6 ft | 7.2 in | 7 3/16 in |
| 0.65 ft | 7.8 in | 7 13/16 in |
| 0.7 ft | 8.4 in | 8 3/8 in |
| 0.75 ft | 9 in | 9 in |
| 0.8 ft | 9.6 in | 9 5/8 in |
| 0.85 ft | 10.2 in | 10 3/16 in |
| 0.9 ft | 10.8 in | 10 13/16 in |
| 0.95 ft | 11.4 in | 11 3/8 in |
What do the ′ and ″ symbols mean in feet and inches?
In US writing, a single prime (′) or apostrophe marks feet and a double prime (″) or quotation mark marks inches, so 5′ 10″ means 5 feet 10 inches. To convert it to inches only, multiply the feet by 12 and add the inches: 5 × 12 + 10 = 70 in.
Going back from inches
Divide the inches by 12. The whole number is feet and the remainder is inches: 70 ÷ 12 = 5 remainder 10, so 70 in is 5′ 10″. Do not write 70 ÷ 12 = 5.83 as “5 ft 83 in” or “5 ft 8.3 in”; 0.83 ft is 10 in.
Height is the most common case
US height is quoted in feet and inches. 6′ 0″ is 72 in, which is exactly 182.88 cm if you need metric; the inches to cm converter finishes that step, and the cm to inches converter goes the other way.
When do you need to convert feet to inches?
You need it whenever something is sold or specified in feet but cut, fitted or entered in inches.
- Lumber and building. Boards are sold by length in feet (8, 10, 12, 16 ft), but cuts are marked in inches. A 2×4 labelled that way actually measures 1.5 × 3.5 in in cross section; the length in feet is true to size.
- Ceilings and doors. A standard 8 ft ceiling is 96 in, and many interior doors are 80 in tall, leaving 16 in above the door.
- Fabric, rope and cable. Sold by the foot or yard, cut by the inch. One yard is 3 ft or 36 in.
- Aquariums, rugs and furniture. A 4 ft tank is 48 in long, and an 8 × 10 ft rug is 96 × 120 in.
For floor or wall area, multiply lengths first and then use the square feet to square meters converter; a square foot is 144 square inches, not 12.
Heights in feet and inches to total inches
Medical forms, BMI calculators and sports rosters often ask for height in inches only. Multiply the feet by 12 and add the inches.
| Height | Total inches | Decimal feet |
|---|---|---|
| 4′ 10″ | 58 in | 4.833 ft |
| 5′ 0″ | 60 in | 5 ft |
| 5′ 2″ | 62 in | 5.167 ft |
| 5′ 4″ | 64 in | 5.333 ft |
| 5′ 6″ | 66 in | 5.5 ft |
| 5′ 8″ | 68 in | 5.667 ft |
| 5′ 10″ | 70 in | 5.833 ft |
| 6′ 0″ | 72 in | 6 ft |
| 6′ 2″ | 74 in | 6.167 ft |
| 6′ 4″ | 76 in | 6.333 ft |
| 6′ 6″ | 78 in | 6.5 ft |
What are the most common feet-to-inches mistakes?
The classic one is treating a foot as 10 inches; the rest come from mixing decimal feet with feet-and-inches notation.
- Multiplying by 10. Metric habits die hard, but a foot has 12 inches, not 10. 3.5 ft is 42 in, not 35 in.
- Reading decimal feet as inches. 6.25 ft is 6 ft 3 in, because 0.25 × 12 = 3. It is not 6 ft 2.5 in.
- Forgetting the leftover inches. 7′ 4″ is 84 + 4 = 88 in. Converting only the 7 ft gives 84 in and loses 4 in.
- Squaring and cubing. For area multiply by 144 (12²), and for volume by 1,728 (12³). A cubic foot holds 1,728 cubic inches; the cubic feet to cubic yards converter takes that further.
A quick check: inches should always be the bigger number, exactly twelve times the feet. If a result is smaller, or ends in a strange fraction for a whole number of feet, redo the multiplication.
Sources and further reading
The standards and references behind the numbers on this page. Links open in a new tab.
Standards and official sources
Feet to inches FAQs
Short, exact answers to what people ask most.
How many inches are in a foot?
There are exactly 12 inches in one foot. The ratio is fixed by definition, so 1 ft = 12 in with no rounding.
How many inches is 5 feet 6 inches?
Multiply 5 by 12 to get 60, then add 6. 5 feet 6 inches is 66 inches.
What is 5.5 feet in inches?
5.5 feet is 66 inches, because 5.5 × 12 = 66. That is the same as 5 feet 6 inches.
Is 5.6 feet the same as 5 feet 6 inches?
No. 0.6 of a foot is 0.6 × 12 = 7.2 inches, so 5.6 ft is 5 feet 7.2 inches. Decimal feet are tenths of a foot, not inches.
How many inches is 6 feet?
6 feet is exactly 72 inches, which is 182.88 centimeters.
How many square inches are in a square foot?
A square foot is 144 square inches, because 12 × 12 = 144. The factor of 12 applies only to lengths.
How many inches is 3 feet?
3 feet is 36 inches, which is exactly one yard.
How many inches is 10 feet?
10 feet is 120 inches, because 10 × 12 = 120.
What is 2.5 feet in inches?
2.5 feet is 30 inches, or 2 feet 6 inches.
How many inches tall is 5 feet 4 inches?
5 feet 4 inches is 64 inches: 5 × 12 = 60, plus 4.
How many feet is 100 inches?
100 inches is 8.3333 feet, which is 8 feet 4 inches.
Related conversions
Definitions of the foot (0.3048 m) and inch (0.0254 m) from NIST Special Publication 811, NIST Handbook 44 (Appendix C) and the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement; word history from the Oxford English Dictionary; spreadsheet functions from Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets documentation. Last updated . How we verify our numbers.