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UnitChart

Length and Distance Converter

Convert between metric and imperial units of length — millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, yards and miles.

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Check this before you rely on it. This converter is provided free and without warranty, and its results are not professional advice.

Popular length conversions

cm to inchesinches to cmmm to inchesinches to mmkm to milesmiles to kmmeters to feetfeet to meterscm to feetfeet to inchesinches to feetmm to cmcm to mmmeters to cmyards to metersmiles to feet

Length unit reference chart

What one of each unit is worth in meters, the base unit used for every conversion in this category.

Length units expressed in meters
UnitSymbol1 unit in m
millimetersmm0.001 m
centimeterscm0.01 m
metersm1 m
kilometerskm1,000 m
inchesin0.0254 m
feetft0.3048 m
yardsyd0.9144 m
milesmi1,609.344 m
micrometersµm0.000001 m
nanometersnm1e-9 m
nautical milesnmi1,852 m
decimetersdm0.1 m
micronsµ0.000001 m
angstromsÅ1e-10 m
milsmil0.0000254 m
furlongsfur201.168 m
fathomsftm1.8288 m
rodsrd5.0292 m
chainsch20.1168 m
handshh0.1016 m
leagueslea4,828.032 m
light yearsly9.460730473e15 m
astronomical unitsau149,597,870,700 m
parsecspc3.085677581e16 m

Length units explained

Millimeters (mm)

The millimeter is a metric unit equal to one thousandth of a meter. It is the smallest unit marked on a standard metric ruler and is the working unit of engineering drawings, machining tolerances and rainfall measurement.

Centimeters (cm)

The centimeter is one hundredth of a meter. It is the unit most people reach for when measuring body height, clothing, paper and everyday objects in metric countries.

Meters (m)

The meter is the SI base unit of length, defined since 1983 as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.

Kilometers (km)

The kilometer is one thousand meters and is the standard unit for road distances and long-range measurement almost everywhere outside the United States and the United Kingdom.

Inches (in)

The inch has been defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement. It is the base unit of the imperial and US customary length system and is still standard for screen sizes, pipe diameters and construction in the United States.

Feet (ft)

One foot equals 12 inches, or exactly 0.3048 meters. It remains the everyday unit of human height and building dimensions in the US, and is the international standard for aviation altitude.

Yards (yd)

The yard is exactly 0.9144 meters, or 3 feet. It is used for fabric, landscaping and — most visibly — for measuring the field in American football.

Miles (mi)

The international mile is exactly 1,609.344 meters, or 5,280 feet. It is the standard unit of road distance and speed limits in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Micrometers (µm)

The micrometer, also called the micron, is one millionth of a meter. It is the working scale of cell biology, air filtration ratings and semiconductor manufacturing.

Nanometers (nm)

The nanometer is one billionth of a meter. Visible light spans roughly 380 to 750 nanometers, and modern chip process nodes are named after this scale.

Frequently asked questions

What is the base unit of length?

This converter routes every length conversion through the meter. Converting from one unit to another means converting to meters first and then out again, which keeps every pair consistent with every other pair.

How accurate are these length conversions?

Results are shown to 10 significant digits using exact defined factors wherever a unit has one. No rounding is applied beyond that final display step.

All length conversions

Every length conversion page on this site, 186 in total.