Foot to Meter
Convert foot (ft) to meter (m) instantly. Handy for travel, construction and everyday measurements.
Foot → Meter
0.3048
m
1 ft = 0.3048 m
Frequently asked questions
Exactly 0.3048 metres, by international definition since 1959. Multiply feet by 0.3048, or divide by 3.28084, to get metres.
Convert the inches to a decimal fraction of a foot first: 9 ÷ 12 = 0.75, so 5.75 feet. Then 5.75 × 0.3048 = 1.753 metres. Entering 5.9 for five feet nine inches is the standard mistake and produces 1.798 m, about 4.5 cm too tall.
Because the two sides of the transaction use different units. Brochures and floor plans quote feet and square feet, while the sale deed, the approved building plan and the land records use metres and square metres. Converting lets you check one against the other, and discrepancies between marketing area and registered area are common enough to be worth checking every time.
Dividing by 3.28084, or multiplying by 0.3048
A foot is exactly 0.3048 metres, so converting from feet to metres is a multiplication by that factor — or equivalently a division by 3.280839895.
Metres = feet × 0.3048
Because 0.3048 is a definition rather than a measurement, the conversion carries no inherent error. Any imprecision comes from how the original figure in feet was measured.
The direction that matters in Indian property
This is the conversion Indian homebuyers need more often than the reverse, because the two sides of a property transaction speak different units.
Marketing material, brokers and floor plans quote feet and square feet. The sale deed, the approved building plan and the land records are in metres and square metres. Converting a quoted 1,200 sq ft to 111.48 sq m is what lets you check the brochure against the registered document — and discrepancies between the two are common enough to be worth checking every time.
The same applies to plot dimensions. A plot described as "40 by 60" in feet is 12.19 by 18.29 metres, and the approved plan will state the latter.
Common values
- 1 ft = 0.305 m
- 5 ft = 1.524 m
- 5 ft 6 in = 1.676 m
- 6 ft = 1.829 m
- 10 ft = 3.048 m — a common ceiling height
- 50 ft = 15.24 m
- 100 ft = 30.48 m
Feet and inches to metres
Convert the inches to a decimal fraction of a foot first, then apply the factor.
5 feet 9 inches: 9 ÷ 12 = 0.75, so 5.75 feet. Then 5.75 × 0.3048 = 1.753 m.
Entering "5.9" for five feet nine inches is the standard mistake, and it produces 1.798 m — about 4.5 cm too tall. Inches must be divided by twelve, not appended as a decimal.
Where feet still appear in metric contexts
Aviation uses feet for altitude globally, including Indian airspace, because international air traffic control is standardised on it.
Diving depths and some marine measurements.
Screen and display sizes are in inches rather than feet, but follow the same imperial persistence.
Timber, plywood and some construction materials in India are still sold in foot-based sizes — an 8 by 4 sheet is 2.44 by 1.22 metres — because the supply chain standardised on those dimensions long ago.
A mental approximation
Divide by 3 and subtract about 9% of the result. For 30 feet: 30 ÷ 3 = 10, less 0.9 = 9.1 metres. The exact answer is 9.14.