Filipinos (and most Americans) are more accustomed to using Feet and Inches in measuring their heights.But the Philippines is officially on the metric system, so we are often required to give our heights in meters or centimeters. It is not difficult to approximate if we remember the following:

• 100 centimeters = 1 meter
• I foot = 30 centimeters (cm)
• 1 inch = 2.5 cm
• 4 inches = 10 cm

So how do we compute 4’ 8”? How about 5′ 6″?  6′ 11?

Hence, we compute 4′ 8″ as four feet ( 4 x 30cm ) and eight inches ( or 2 x 4 inches, or 2 x 10cm )

• 4′ 8″
  = 4’ + (2 x 4)” = (4 x 30) + (2 x 10)
  = 120 + 20 = 140 cm = 1.4 m
• 5’ 6”
  = 5’ + 4” + 2” = (5 x 30) + (1 x 10) + (2 x 2.5)
  = 150 + 10 + 5 = 165 cm = 1.65 m
• 6’11”
  =  6’ + (2×4”) + (3 x1”) = (6 x 30) + (2 x 10) + (3 x 2.5)
  = 180 +20 + 7.5 = 207.5m

Note that under this conversion 6’ 8” is 2.0 m

We used 2,5 cm = 1 inch instead of the exact 2.54 cm = 1 inch. To make our conversion more accurate we can add 0.5 cm for every  foot

So more accurately, we estimate as follows:

• 4’ 8”
  = 4’ + (2 x 4)” (4 x 30) + 4 x 0.5+ (2 x 10)
  = 120 + 2 + 20 = 142 cm = 1.42 m
• 5’ 6”
  = 5’ + 4” + 2” = (5 x 30) + (5 x 0.5)+ (1 x 10) + (2 x 2.5)
  = 150 + 2.5 + 10 + 5 = 167.5 cm = 1.675 m
• 6’ 11”
  =  6’ + (2×4”) + (3 x1”) = (6 x 30) + (6 x 0.5)+(2 x 10) + (3 x 2.5)
  = 180 + 3+20 + 7.5 = 210.5cm

A easier and more accurate way to compute the last example is to treat 6′ 11″ as 7 feet less 1 inch

• 7′  minus 1″
  = (7’ x 30) + (7 x 0.5) – 2.5
  = 210 + 3.5 – 2.5 = 211 cm = 2.11m

Feet and inches to meters made easy!