Meters to centimeters converter

How to convert meters to centimeters

Multiply meters by 100 to get centimeters, which moves the decimal point two places to the right. 1 m = 100 cm, 1.75 m = 175 cm and 3 m = 300 cm. Use it to mark a meter length on a centimeter tape or to cut fabric, cable or timber.

Moving the decimal point two places

There are exactly 100 centimeters in a meter, because centi means one hundredth (NIST). Shift the point two places right, adding zeros if you run out of digits:

• 1.75 m → 175 cm
• 1.5 m → 1.50 → 150 cm
• 0.05 m → 5 cm, and 0.005 m → 0.5 cm

Cutting 1 m into three equal pieces gives 1/3 m each, which is 33.3333333333 cm, so mark about 33.3 cm.

Meters to centimeters chart

Meters and centimeters together

The two digits after the point are the centimeters. 1 m 75 cm is 1.75 m, or 175 cm, and 1 m 5 cm is 1.05 m, or 105 cm.

Add lengths in meters, then convert once: 1.2 m + 0.35 m = 1.55 m, or 155 cm. If one length is already in centimeters, convert the others before adding.

Square and cubic meters in centimeters

• 1 m² = 10,000 cm². A 3 m × 4 m room is 300 cm × 400 cm, or 120,000 cm². Multiplying its 12 m² by 100 would give 1,200, a hundred times too small.
• 1 m³ = 1,000,000 cm³. A box 50 cm on each side holds 0.125 m³, which is 125,000 cm³, or 125 liters.

Common mistakes

• Multiplying by 1,000. That gives millimeters: 1.75 m is 1,750 mm but 175 cm.
• Reading 1.05 m as 1 m 50 cm. 1.05 m is 105 cm; 1 m 50 cm is 1.5 m, or 150 cm.
• Losing the tolerance. ±0.002 m (2 mm) is ±0.2 cm; carry it with the converted length.

Related conversions

Use cm to meters for the reverse direction and meters to feet for imperial lengths. For millimeters, see cm to mm. The length converter handles other lengths; squared and cubed units go in the area converter and volume converter.