Centimeters to Inches
One centimeter is 0.393701 inches. The relationship is exact in the other direction — an inch is defined as precisely 2.54 cm — so converting centimeters to inches means dividing by 2.54.
Files processed in your browser — never uploaded to our servers1 Centimeters (cm) = 0.39370079 Inches (in)
1 Centimeter (cm) = 0.39370079 Inch (in)
Quick Reference
| Centimeter (cm) | Inch (in) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.039370079 |
| 0.5 | 0.19685039 |
| 1 | 0.39370079 |
| 2 | 0.78740157 |
| 5 | 1.9685039 |
| 10 | 3.9370079 |
| 20 | 7.8740157 |
| 50 | 19.685039 |
Centimeters (cm) and Inches (in) explained
The centimeter is the metric unit most people reach for when a meter is too big and a millimeter is too fussy: body measurements, clothing, furniture, luggage. It is one hundredth of a meter, and the meter has been defined since 1983 by the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. The inch is what you need when the destination is American: US retail listings, sewing patterns published in the US, hardware specifications, and any airline or courier that publishes size limits in imperial units. Converting into inches often means converting into fractions too, since US measurement conventionally uses halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenths rather than decimals.
Formula and worked examples
in = cm ÷ 2.54
Divide centimeters by 2.54, or equivalently multiply by 0.393701. A standard 55 × 40 × 20 cm carry-on bag is 21.65 × 15.75 × 7.87 inches. A 30 cm ruler is 11.81 inches — just short of the one-foot ruler it is often sold as. A person of 180 cm is 70.87 inches, which is 5 feet 10.87 inches.
Centimeters (cm) to Inches (in) conversion table
Common Centimeters (cm) values converted to Inches (in). Every figure uses the same conversion factor as the calculator above.
| Centimeters (cm) | Inches (in) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.39370079 |
| 2 | 0.78740157 |
| 5 | 1.9685039 |
| 10 | 3.9370079 |
| 20 | 7.8740157 |
| 50 | 19.685039 |
| 100 | 39.370079 |
Where you will use this
Checking airline baggage limits
European and Latin American carriers publish cabin bag limits in centimeters while US carriers use inches. Converting your 55 × 40 × 20 cm bag to 21.65 × 15.75 × 7.87 in tells you immediately whether it clears a 22 × 14 × 9 in sizer.
Ordering clothes from a US store
US size charts give chest, waist and inseam in inches. A 81 cm waist is 31.89 inches, so you would be choosing a 32 rather than the 30 you might have guessed from a rough halving of the centimeter figure.
Following an American pattern or plan
Sewing patterns, woodworking plans and 3D printer build volumes published in the US quote inches. Converting your metric stock to inches before you start avoids a cumulative error that only shows up on the final assembly.
Pro tip
To estimate in your head, divide by 2.5 and subtract about 1.5%. A hundred centimeters becomes roughly 40 minus a bit, and the true value is 39.37 inches. If you need the answer as a US fraction, multiply the decimal remainder by 16 to get sixteenths — 0.37 in is very close to 6/16, or 3/8.