Feet to inches converter

How to convert feet to inches

Multiply feet by 12. A foot is exactly 12 inches, so 6 ft = 72 in, 8 ft = 96 in and 15 ft = 180 in. For feet plus inches, multiply the feet by 12 and add the extra inches: 5 ft 10 in = 60 + 10 = 70 in.

NIST's conversion tables define the foot as 0.3048 m and the inch as 0.0254 m, and 0.3048 ÷ 0.0254 is exactly 12.

Feet to inches chart

Decimal feet to inches

Plans and spreadsheets often give lengths in decimal feet. Multiply the whole value, decimals included, by 12: 7.25 ft × 12 = 87 in, which is 7 ft 3 in.

For a tape measure, split off the whole feet and turn the leftover inches into sixteenths. 6.35 ft is 76.2 in, or 6 ft 4.2 in, and 0.2 × 16 = 3.2, so mark about 6 ft 4 3/16 in.

The decimal part is never a count of inches. 5.5 ft is 66 in (5 ft 6 in), and 5.10 ft is 61.2 in, not 5 ft 10 in.

Fractions, sums and differences

• Half a foot is 6 in, a quarter foot 3 in and an eighth of a foot 1.5 in.
• 5 ft 10 1/2 in is 60 + 10.5 = 70.5 in.
• Add or subtract in feet, then convert once: 2.5 ft + 3.25 ft = 5.75 ft = 69 in, and 2.5 ft − 3.25 ft = −9 in, meaning the second piece is 9 inches longer.

Square feet to square inches

A square foot is 12 in × 12 in, or 144 in². A 3 ft × 4 ft panel is 36 in × 48 in, which is 1,728 in², the same as 12 ft² × 144.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up the marks ′ and ″. 6′ is 6 feet, or 72 in. 6″ is 6 inches.
• Multiplying an area by 12. 12 ft² × 12 = 144 is a length factor applied to an area; multiply square feet by 144.
• Overstating precision. A length good to ±0.01 ft is good to ±0.12 in, however many decimals you write.

Typing feet and inches

• Typed as feet, 5+10/12 means 5 ft 10 in and gives 70 in. 5+10 would mean 15 ft.
• The length converter accepts 5 ft 10 in written with units.

Related converters

For the opposite direction, use inches to feet. For metric lengths, use feet to cm or inches to cm, and for square units the area converter.