Convert Feet (ft) to Meters (m)

What Is a Foot?

The foot (ft) is a unit of length in the US customary and British imperial systems. Since the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement, one foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters (one-third of a yard). The foot is the primary unit for measuring height, room dimensions, and elevation in the United States.

What Is a Meter?

The meter (m) is the SI base unit of length, defined by the speed of light in vacuum. It is the global standard for measuring distance in science, engineering, construction, and everyday life in most countries. One meter ≈ 3.281 feet.

Feet to Meters Formula

The conversion factor is exact by international definition:

meters = feet × 0.3048 exact

This comes from the 1959 agreement: 1 yard = 0.9144 m exactly, so 1 foot = 0.9144 ÷ 3 = 0.3048 m exactly.

Worked Example

Convert 6 feet (a common height) to meters:

1. Multiply: 6 × 0.3048 = 1.8288 m

So a 6-foot person is approximately 1.83 meters tall.

Quick Estimation

For mental math, multiply by 0.3 (underestimates by 1.6%). Example: 10 ft × 0.3 = 3.0 m (exact: 3.048 m). Or divide feet by 3.3 for a close approximation.

Common Use Cases

• Aviation: Altitude is in feet (ICAO standard), but ground-level and many operational calculations use meters.
• Real estate: US property dimensions in feet; international buyers need meter equivalents for planning.
• Athletics: Olympic standards use meters, but US facilities measure in feet.
• Height conversion: US/UK height in feet and inches must convert to meters for international documents and medical records.