Convert Feet to Meters (ft to m)
1 foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters — a fixed international value set in 1959, not a rounded approximation, so this calculator never drifts on repeated conversions.
Quick converter
Common conversions
Common values in feet — heights, ladders, and fence lengths — and their exact meter equivalents.
| Feet (ft) | Meters (m) |
|---|---|
| 3 ft | 0.91 m |
| 5 ft | 1.52 m |
| 5.5 ft | 1.68 m |
| 6 ft | 1.83 m |
| 6.5 ft | 1.98 m |
| 8 ft | 2.44 m |
| 10 ft | 3.05 m |
| 20 ft | 6.10 m |
Rounded for readability. Use the converter above for exact decimals.
How it works
This direction is for when you already have a measurement in feet — a US ladder or fence rating, an elevation figure from a US hiking guide, an aviation altitude — and need it in meters for a metric context: comparing gear specs, filling in a metric form, or reading a trail description written for an international audience.
Home improvement is a common trigger: a US hardware store sells ladders rated for a maximum reach in feet (say, a 20 ft extension ladder) or fence panels sold in 6 ft or 8 ft lengths. Converting those to meters — 20 ft ≈ 6.1 m, 8 ft ≈ 2.44 m — matters when matching them against a metric building plan or a fence height limit set by a local council in meters.
Aviation is a notable case where feet are used worldwide, even in metric countries: a flight's cruising altitude is announced in feet (35,000 ft) almost everywhere, but a small number of countries, including Russia and China, historically used meters for altitude instead, so conversions occasionally matter when cross-referencing older charts or international flight planning material.
US hiking guides and trail descriptions often list elevation gain and mountain heights in feet — a 14,000 ft peak in Colorado, for example — which converts to about 4,267 m, useful for comparing against a European or Asian mountain listed in meters.
Driving anything taller than a car in the US turns this conversion into a safety check. Overpass and parking-structure clearances are posted in feet and inches, so a 13 ft 6 in bridge is 4.11 m and a 6 ft 8 in garage entrance is 2.03 m. A rental campervan or box truck states its own height in feet on the paperwork, and the comparison is easier once both numbers are in the metric height the driver actually remembers.
Frequently asked questions
- How many meters is 6 feet?
- 6 feet equals 1.8288 m (6 × 0.3048). That is a common adult height reference point, often rounded to 1.83 m.
- How do I convert feet to meters without a calculator?
- Multiply the feet value by 0.3 for a rough estimate, or by 0.3048 for the exact answer. For example, 6 ft × 0.3 = 1.8, close to the exact 1.8288 m.
- A ladder is rated for 20 feet of reach — how many meters is that, and does it matter for a metric worksite?
- 20 ft converts to exactly 6.096 m. Many countries regulate maximum working height or scaffold-free reach in meters, so converting a US ladder's feet rating is worth checking against local metric safety limits before using imported equipment on a job site outside the US.
- A flight's cruising altitude is 35,000 feet — how many meters is that?
- 35,000 ft converts to about 10,668 m. Altitude is announced in feet on almost every commercial flight worldwide by international convention, even though the aircraft and airspace around it may otherwise be managed entirely in metric units.
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Last updated: 2026-08-22