Centimeters to Inches Converter
Enter a value below to convert centimeters to inches, or vice versa - one inch is exactly 2.54 cm.
1 cm = 0.393701 in · 1 in = 2.54 cm. Enter a value above to convert centimeters to inches or back.
Centimeter
- Definition
- A centimeter (symbol: cm) is a unit of length in the metric system and the International System of Units (SI), defined as one hundredth of a meter (1 cm = 0.01 m).
- History / origin
- The centimeter is built on the SI base unit, the meter; the prefix "centi" means one hundredth. Metric prefixes scale the meter in powers of ten - kilo (10³), mega (10⁶), giga (10⁹) and tera (10¹²) above it, and centi (10⁻²), milli (10⁻³), micro (10⁻⁶) and nano (10⁻⁹) below it.
- Current use
- The centimeter is used worldwide in countries that have adopted the metric system, wherever a smaller denomination of the meter is convenient - everyday measurements, rainfall, map scales, and body height, which outside the United States is normally given in centimeters.
Inch
- Definition
- An inch (symbol: in) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement, defined since 1959 as exactly 25.4 millimeters. There are 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard.
- History / origin
- The word "inch" comes from the Latin "uncia", meaning one-twelfth - here one-twelfth of a Roman foot. Earlier English definitions were based on three barleycorns laid end to end, and before that on the width of a human thumb.
- Current use
- The inch is used mainly in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. It is also common for electronic components such as display and screen sizes, which are quoted as a diagonal measurement in inches.
Centimeter to inch conversion table
| Centimeter [cm] | Inch [in] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 cm | 0.0039370079 in |
| 0.1 cm | 0.0393700787 in |
| 1 cm | 0.3937007874 in |
| 2 cm | 0.7874015748 in |
| 3 cm | 1.1811023622 in |
| 5 cm | 1.968503937 in |
| 10 cm | 3.937007874 in |
| 20 cm | 7.874015748 in |
| 50 cm | 19.6850393701 in |
| 100 cm | 39.3700787402 in |
| 1000 cm | 393.7007874016 in |
How to convert centimeters to inches
One inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters, so to convert a length in centimeters to inches you divide by 2.54 - or, equivalently, multiply by 0.3937007874:
inches = cm ÷ 2.54 = cm × 0.3937007874
1 cm = 0.3937007874 in · 1 in = 2.54 cm
Example. To convert 15 cm to inches, multiply by 0.3937007874: 15 cm = 15 × 0.3937007874 = 5.905511811 in. Going the other way, 6 inches is 6 × 2.54 = 15.24 cm.
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