The exact equivalent
A foot is exactly 0.3048 metres. Like the inch, it is a defined value rather than a measured one.
1 ft = 0.3048 m
1 m = 3.2808399 ft
How to convert it by hand
Just multiply by the conversion factor. To go from feet to metres, multiply by 0.3048; to come back, divide by that same number or multiply by 3.28084.
For example: 25 ft × 0.3048 = 7.62 m.
A tip that saves mistakes: check the result goes the way you expect. If metres are a smaller unit than feet, the number has to come out bigger. If it comes out smaller, you divided when you should have multiplied.
Conversion table
| ft | m |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.3048 |
| 2 | 0.6096 |
| 5 | 1.524 |
| 10 | 3.048 |
| 20 | 6.096 |
| 50 | 15.24 |
| 100 | 30.48 |
Reference points to picture it
| Reference | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 foot | 0.305 m |
| A 6-foot person | 1.83 m |
| An 8-foot ceiling | 2.44 m |
| A 40-foot shipping container | 12.19 m |
The trick for doing it in your head
Divide by 3 and take off about 10%. For 30 feet: 10 minus a bit gives 9.1 m, against a true 9.14.
It is fine for getting by without a phone, but not for anything that depends on precision: in a recipe, on a building site or in a dose, use the exact conversion.