180 cm is about 5 feet 10.87 inches, which rounds to 5′ 11″. It is 2.88 cm (1.13 in) short of six feet. The answer comes from one exact fact, 1 inch = 2.54 cm, and two steps of arithmetic. This page shows those steps, a height table for 150 to 200 cm, the reverse conversion for common feet-and-inches heights, how 180 cm compares with official average heights, and which SamemaS tool does the split into feet and inches for you.
How to work it out
Since 1959 the inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 cm, a value fixed by the international yard and pound agreement between the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. That makes the conversion exact, apart from the rounding you choose at the end.
- Centimeters to inches: 180 ÷ 2.54 = 70.866 in.
- Take out whole feet: a foot is 12 inches, and 5 × 12 = 60, so there are 5 whole feet.
- The remainder is inches: 70.866 − 60 = 10.866 in.
- Answer: 5 ft 10.87 in. Rounded to the nearest inch, 5′ 11″. Rounded to the nearest half inch, also 5′ 11″, because 10.866 is closer to 11 than to 10.5.
Strictly, the remainder is 1,380/127 of an inch, an endless decimal, so "5 ft 10.87 in" is itself rounded to two decimals. No tape measure can tell the difference.
A common slip is to stop at decimal feet. 70.866 ÷ 12 = 5.906 ft, and it is tempting to read that as "5 foot 9". It isn't: the 0.906 is a fraction of a foot, and 0.906 × 12 = 10.87 inches. Our meters to feet guide covers this decimal-feet trap in more detail.
Height conversion table
Every row was computed from 1 in = 2.54 cm. The "rounded" column is the nearest whole inch, which is how most people state their height.
| Centimeters | Feet and inches | Rounded | Total inches | Decimal feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 4 ft 11.1 in | 4′ 11″ | 59.06 in | 4.921 ft |
| 155 cm | 5 ft 1.0 in | 5′ 1″ | 61.02 in | 5.085 ft |
| 160 cm | 5 ft 3.0 in | 5′ 3″ | 62.99 in | 5.249 ft |
| 165 cm | 5 ft 5.0 in | 5′ 5″ | 64.96 in | 5.413 ft |
| 170 cm | 5 ft 6.9 in | 5′ 7″ | 66.93 in | 5.577 ft |
| 175 cm | 5 ft 8.9 in | 5′ 9″ | 68.90 in | 5.741 ft |
| 178 cm | 5 ft 10.1 in | 5′ 10″ | 70.08 in | 5.840 ft |
| 179 cm | 5 ft 10.5 in | 5′ 10″ | 70.47 in | 5.873 ft |
| 180 cm | 5 ft 10.9 in | 5′ 11″ | 70.87 in | 5.906 ft |
| 181 cm | 5 ft 11.3 in | 5′ 11″ | 71.26 in | 5.938 ft |
| 182 cm | 5 ft 11.7 in | 6′ 0″ | 71.65 in | 5.971 ft |
| 183 cm | 6 ft 0.0 in | 6′ 0″ | 72.05 in | 6.004 ft |
| 185 cm | 6 ft 0.8 in | 6′ 1″ | 72.83 in | 6.070 ft |
| 190 cm | 6 ft 2.8 in | 6′ 3″ | 74.80 in | 6.234 ft |
| 195 cm | 6 ft 4.8 in | 6′ 5″ | 76.77 in | 6.398 ft |
| 200 cm | 6 ft 6.7 in | 6′ 7″ | 78.74 in | 6.562 ft |
Notice that 179, 178 and 177 cm all round to 5′ 10″, while 180 and 181 cm both round to 5′ 11″. An inch is 2.54 cm, so each rounded height covers two or three whole centimeters. That is why two people who give the same feet-and-inches height can differ by more than 2 cm.
Going the other way: feet and inches to centimeters
To convert a height like 5′ 11″, turn it all into inches first (5 × 12 + 11 = 71), then multiply by 2.54: 71 × 2.54 = 180.34 cm. Because the inch is exact, these results need no rounding.
| Feet and inches | Centimeters | Feet and inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 0″ | 152.4 cm | 5′ 11″ | 180.34 cm |
| 5′ 3″ | 160.02 cm | 6′ 0″ | 182.88 cm |
| 5′ 6″ | 167.64 cm | 6′ 1″ | 185.42 cm |
| 5′ 8″ | 172.72 cm | 6′ 2″ | 187.96 cm |
| 5′ 9″ | 175.26 cm | 6′ 3″ | 190.5 cm |
| 5′ 10″ | 177.8 cm | 6′ 4″ | 193.04 cm |
Worked example: filling in a form
A US form asks for your height in feet and inches, and your passport says 1.80 m:
- Convert meters to centimeters: 1.80 m = 180 cm.
- Divide by 2.54: 180 ÷ 2.54 = 70.87 in.
- Split: 70.87 − 60 = 10.87 in, so 5 ft 10.87 in.
- Round to the nearest whole inch for the form: 5 ft 11 in.
Converting that answer back gives 180.34 cm, not 180 cm. The 3.4 mm difference comes entirely from rounding to whole inches, so don't expect a round trip to return exactly 180.
Round only once, at the end. If you round 70.866 in to 70.9 and then work out feet, the error is small; if you round 5.906 ft to 5.9 first and then multiply by 12, you get 10.8 in instead of 10.87. For a form, the nearest whole inch is the usual convention. If a requirement is a minimum (a ride, a uniform, a team), don't round up to reach it: compare the exact figure.
Is 180 cm tall?
It depends on who you compare with. A few official reference points:
- United States: the CDC's anthropometric reference report for 2015–2018 says the average American man aged 20 and over was 5 feet 9 inches (175.26 cm) and the average woman 5 feet 3.5 inches (161.3 cm). 180 cm is about 4.7 cm (1.9 in) above the average US man.
- Netherlands: NCD-RisC estimates put the average Dutch man at 183.8 cm (6′ 0.4″), one of the highest figures in the NCD-RisC data for Europe. 180 cm is 3.8 cm below it.
- Montenegro: 183.3 cm (6′ 0.2″) for men in the same data set.
So 180 cm is above average in the US and below average for Dutch men. Averages describe a population, not a person, and they change between surveys, so treat them as rough context.
Doorways and ceilings
In the US, the model International Residential Code (despite its name, a US code) requires the main exit door of a home to have a clear opening at least 78 inches (198.12 cm) high, measured from the threshold to the door stop. That leaves 18.12 cm (7.13 in) above a 180 cm person before shoes. Stock US interior doors are commonly 80 inches (203.2 cm). Door sizes elsewhere differ by country, so check local standards rather than assuming the US figure.
Using the SamemaS height converter
The height converter is the right tool for this question. It has fields for centimeters, meters, millimeters, decimal feet, total inches, and a split feet-plus-inches input. Type 180 into the centimeter field and it shows 5′ 10.87″ in its "US format" panel, along with the total in inches (70.86614173); type 5 and 11 into the feet and inches boxes to go the other way. The length converter also handles centimeters, feet and inches, but it shows feet as a decimal (5.906 ft for 180 cm), so it does not do the feet-and-inches split. Both run the calculation in your browser.
If you are converting body weight too, our guide to kilograms to pounds uses the same approach for stones and pounds.
The short version
- 180 cm = 70.87 in = 5 ft 10.87 in, usually written 5′ 11″.
- Method: divide by 2.54, take out 60 inches for 5 feet, and the rest is inches.
- 5′ 11″ is 180.34 cm and 6′ 0″ is 182.88 cm.
- Don't read 5.906 ft as 5 ft 9 in; multiply the decimal by 12.
- Use the height converter for feet and inches; the length converter gives decimal feet.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- International yard and pound — Wikipedia
- Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015–2018 — CDC / National Center for Health Statistics
- Average male height in Europe (NCD-RisC data) — Landgeist
- Egress Door (R311.2) — American Institute of Building Design