Meters to Feet
Convert meters (m) to feet (ft). Both measure distance and dimension, and the conversion comes up in construction, navigation, sports work.
The Formula
``
feet = meters × 3.28083989501
meters = feet × 0.3048
`
One meter is 3.2808 feet, and one foot is 0.3048 meters.
Conversion Table
| Meters | Feet |
|---|---|
| 1 m | 3.2808 ft |
| 2 m | 6.5617 ft |
| 5 m | 16.4042 ft |
| 10 m | 32.8084 ft |
| 25 m | 82.021 ft |
| 50 m | 164.042 ft |
| 100 m | 328.084 ft |
| 500 m | 1,640.42 ft |
| 1,000 m | 3,280.84 ft |
The Other Direction
| Feet | Meters |
|---|---|
| 1 ft | 0.3048 m |
| 2 ft | 0.6096 m |
| 5 ft | 1.524 m |
| 10 ft | 3.048 m |
| 25 ft | 7.62 m |
| 50 ft | 15.24 m |
| 100 ft | 30.48 m |
| 500 ft | 152.4 m |
| 1,000 ft | 304.8 m |
What Each Unit Is
Meters (m) — the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second — the SI base unit of length. Defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole, then by a platinum bar, and since 1983 by the speed of light.
Feet (ft) — exactly 0.3048 metres, or one third of a yard. A human foot, standardised across centuries of conflicting local definitions.
A Sense of Scale
A doorway is about 2 m tall- An Olympic pool is 50 m
- A city block is 80–120 m
- A ceiling is 8–9 ft
- Aviation altitude is always in feet
- A door is about 6.7 ft
Doing It in Your Head
Multiply by 10, then divide by 3. That is off by 1.60% — close enough to judge a
distance, a weight or a price, and not close enough to sign off on a drawing.
Exact Mental shortcut 32.8084 ft 33.3333 ft 328.084 ft 333.3333 ft
Precision
The factor 3.28083989501 is rounded. For engineering work carry more digits than the table above, and round only at the end — rounding at each step compounds.
In Code
`javascript
const meterToFoot = (value) => value * 3.28083989501;
``
Where This Conversion Comes Up
- Construction
- Navigation
- Sports
- Sewing
- Mapping
How Many Decimals Do You Need?
Rounding the factor costs accuracy, and how much depends on the factor. Converting 137 m with the factor truncated at each decimal place:
| Decimals kept | Factor | 137 m becomes | Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 3 | 411 | 8.5600% |
| 1 | 3.3 | 452.1 | 0.5840% |
| 2 | 3.28 | 449.36 | 0.0256% |
| 3 | 3.281 | 449.497 | 0.0049% |
| 4 | 3.2808 | 449.47 | 0.0012% |
The right number of significant figures is set by your input, not by the converter. If you measured meters to three significant figures, the answer in feet is only good to three — writing more digits claims precision the measurement never had.