Verification: factors follow standard unit definitions; round for display only.

Feet to meters

Convert ft to m when a US floor plan, property survey, athletic mark, or construction cut list lists feet but you need metric numbers for SI documentation, international comparison, BIM models, or engineering specs set to meters.

Feet and meters both measure length, but they belong to different customary systems. Since 1959, the international foot has been defined as exactly 0.3048 m—not an approximation from body measurements. That fixed ratio means every foot-to-meter conversion uses one exact factor; display rounding is the only source of visible error.

meters = feet × 0.3048  ·  equivalently   meters = feet ÷ 3.280839895

Multiplying by 0.3048 is preferred when you want the direct definition. Dividing by 3.280839895 gives the same answer within normal calculator precision.

Step-by-step conversion (worked example 1)

Convert 6 ft to meters—a standard interior door height in US homes:

1. Write the formula: m = ft × 0.3048
2. Multiply: 6 × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m
3. Round-trip check: 1.8288 ÷ 0.3048 = 6 ft ✓

Step-by-step conversion (worked example 2)

Convert 10 ft to meters—the ceiling height specified on many US residential framing plans:

1. Apply: 10 × 0.3048 = 3.048 m
2. Verify round-trip: 3.048 ÷ 0.3048 = 10 ft exactly—confirms the international foot definition

Step-by-step conversion (worked example 3)

Convert 5 ft 10 in to meters—a common adult height expressed in US feet-and-inches:

1. Convert to decimal feet: 5 + (10 ÷ 12) = 5.833 ft
2. Multiply: 5.833 × 0.3048 = 1.778 m
3. Result: 1.78 m (about 178 cm on a metric form)

Quick mental estimate (no calculator)

For a fast approximation, multiply feet by 0.3 instead of 0.3048. Example: 10 ft × 0.3 = 3 m (exact: 3.048 m—about 1.6% low). For slightly better accuracy, use 0.305. Good for rough site checks; use 0.3048 when tolerances, commerce, or engineering drawings are involved.

Anchor values every converter should match

Where feet → meters comes up

• Construction & trades: US architectural drawings dimension rooms in feet and inches (14 ft × 12 ft bays) while metric BIM models and international suppliers expect meters. Converting 14 ft → 4.267 m lets you align a framing plan with a 4.2 m module on a European curtain-wall spec.
• Height & body measurements: US medical and sports forms list height in feet and inches; international records and passport data use meters. A 6′ 1″ athlete (73 in → 6.083 ft) converts to 1.854 m for comparison with metric world rankings.
• Real estate: US listings quote lot width, ceiling height, and garage depth in feet; international buyers and mortgage stress tests often need metric. A 9 ft ceiling converts to 2.743 m—above the 2.7 m premium-height threshold common in European listings.
• Engineering & surveying: Legacy US site plans and utility as-builts mark pipe runs and setbacks in feet; municipal GIS layers and SI-based hydraulic models require meters. A 50 ft setback becomes 15.24 m for zoning compliance checks in mixed jurisdictions.

Meters to feet

Convert m to ft when a floor plan, athletic result, or international listing uses meters but you need feet for US construction drawings, real estate listings, tape measures, or runway references.

Reverse the foot-to-meter process: divide meters by 0.3048 (or multiply by 3.280839895). Because the foot is legally defined in meters, this direction is equally exact—precision limits come from your input measurement, not from the conversion factor.

feet = meters ÷ 0.3048  ·  equivalently   feet = meters × 3.280839895

Step-by-step conversion (worked example)

Convert 3.048 m to feet—a ceiling height often specified as 10 ft in US construction:

1. Write the formula: ft = m ÷ 0.3048 (or m × 3.280839895)
2. Divide: 3.048 ÷ 0.3048 = 10 ft exactly
3. Round-trip check: 10 × 0.3048 = 3.048 m ✓

Quick mental estimate (reverse direction)

Approximation: multiply meters by 3.28 instead of 3.280839895. Example: 2 m × 3.28 = 6.56 ft (exact: 6.562 ft—about 0.03% low). For even quicker math, some use 3.3, but that runs roughly 0.6% high. Use the exact factor when tolerances, commerce, or engineering drawings are involved.

Quick reference (m → ft)

Reverse conversion is essential when you inherit metric documentation but lay out on a foot-first job site, or when you normalize mixed-unit tender packages for US subcontractors.

Units compared, common mistakes, and related tools

Both directions share one exact factor. Avoid shortcut errors, verify with anchor points, and keep unit symbols explicit on every drawing and cut list.

Feet vs meters at a glance

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using 0.3 instead of 0.3048—0.3 is fine for mental estimates (about 1.6% low), but unacceptable for structural layout, runway length, or commerce where cumulative error matters.
• Multiplying when you should divide (or vice versa)—ft → m means multiply by 0.3048; m → ft means divide by 0.3048 (or multiply by 3.280839895). A sanity check: meters are larger units than feet for the same physical length (e.g. 1 m ≈ 3.28 ft, not 0.3 ft).
• Forgetting to convert inches to decimal feet first—5′ 10″ is 5.833 ft, not 5.10 ft. Divide inches by 12 and add to whole feet before multiplying by 0.3048.
• Confusing the US survey foot with the international foot—older US survey plats used a foot ≈ 0.30480061 m (~2 ppm longer). Modern construction, commerce, and aviation use the international foot (0.3048 m exactly).
• Rounding too early in multi-step work—convert at full precision, then round once for the cut list or label. Stacked rounding causes fit problems in assemblies and cumulative error on long runs.

Exactness and round-trip verification

The factor 0.3048 is exact by international definition, not a measured approximation. Converting 10 ft → 3.048 m → 10 ft should recover the original within floating-point limits. Test anchors: 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly; 10 ft = 3.048 m exactly; 1 m = 3.280839895… ft.

Related length converters

For the inverse of this page, open meters to feet. For finer metric/imperial steps, see centimeters to inches, inches to centimeters, meters to yards, and kilometers to miles.