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Sources and Accuracy
Length conversions use the metre as the reference unit. Common imperial relationships are exact where standardized, such as 1 inch = 0.0254 metre and 1 foot = 0.3048 metre.
Displayed results are rounded for readability. The calculator keeps enough precision for everyday use and switches to scientific notation for very large or very small values. Last reviewed: 2026-05-21.
About These Units
centimeter [cm]
Definition
The centimeter is one hundredth of a meter and is a convenient metric unit for small everyday lengths.
History
Centimeters come from the decimal metric system, where prefixes make units scale cleanly by powers of ten.
Current use
Centimeters are common for body measurements, clothing sizes, school work, crafts, furniture, and product dimensions.
meter [m]
Definition
The meter is the SI base unit of length and is used as the reference unit for metric distance and size.
History
The meter was introduced during the development of the metric system and is now defined using the speed of light.
Current use
Meters are used worldwide in science, construction, engineering, mapping, product dimensions, and everyday measurement.