Metric units
The metric system uses the meter as its base, with prefixes for orders of magnitude: millimeter (1/1000 m), centimeter (1/100 m), kilometer (1000 m). It is the official system in nearly every country and the standard in scientific work.
Length conversion
Convert any length,
elegantly.
From nanometers to light years — a calm, instant converter without the clutter.
m
3.2808399
ft1 m = 3.2808399 ft
Quick to:
1 m in all units
| Nanometers | 1000000000 | nm |
| Micrometers | 1000000 | µm |
| Millimeters | 1000 | mm |
| Centimeters | 100 | cm |
| Kilometers | 0.001 | km |
| Inches | 39.370079 | in |
| Feet | 3.2808399 | ft |
| Yards | 1.0936133 | yd |
| Miles | 0.00062137119 | mi |
| Nautical Miles | 0.0005399568 | nmi |
| Light Years | 1.057001e-16 | ly |
About length conversion
Length is the most fundamental measurement of distance — used in science, engineering, construction, sports, and daily life. Below is a short guide to the units this converter supports and the math behind them.
Imperial & US units
Inches, feet, yards and miles remain common in the United States and the United Kingdom. One foot equals 12 inches (0.3048 m), one yard equals 3 feet, and one mile equals 5,280 feet (1,609.344 m).
Nautical & astronomical
A nautical mile (1,852 m) corresponds to one minute of arc along a meridian and is used in marine and air navigation. A light year (~9.461 × 10¹⁵ m) is the distance light travels in a vacuum in one Julian year.
How the math works
Every unit is stored as a factor relative to one meter. Converting between two units is a single multiplication and division: value × from-factor ÷ to-factor. All calculations run locally in your browser, so nothing is sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I convert meters to feet?
- Multiply the meter value by 3.28084. For example, 5 meters equals about 16.4042 feet. Our converter does this instantly with full precision.
- How many centimeters are in an inch?
- One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters by international definition, set by the 1959 international yard and pound agreement.
- What is the difference between a mile and a nautical mile?
- A statute mile is 1,609.344 meters and is used on land. A nautical mile is 1,852 meters — the length of one minute of latitude — and is used in aviation and maritime navigation.
- Is this length converter accurate?
- Yes. All conversions use the official SI definitions and internationally agreed conversion factors, computed locally in your browser with double-precision math.