Foot (ft)
A foot is exactly 12 inches or 0.3048 meter. Three feet make one yard, and 5,280 feet make one statute mile.
- Symbol
- ft
- System
- Imperial
- Meter value
- 0.3048 m
- Singular
- foot
- Plural
- feet
- Aliases
- foot, feet
What a foot measures
The foot is a human-scale customary unit used for heights and built spaces. Values are often paired with inches rather than written as decimal feet.
- One foot contains exactly 12 inches.
- Three feet make exactly 1 yard.
- One foot equals exactly 0.3048 meter.
- A 6-foot height equals 72 inches or 1.8288 meters.
Where feet are used
building dimensionshuman heightelevationaviation altitudeproperty and room measurements
Definition and standardization
The international foot is exactly 0.3048 meter and derives from the internationally standardized yard.
The text symbol is ft. A single-prime mark is common in architectural notation but can be ambiguous in plain text.
Feet-and-inches notation is mixed-radix: 12 inches, not 10, carry into the next foot.
Measurement
Tools used to measure feet
- Tape measure for rooms and construction
- Folding rule for trade work
- Laser distance meter with customary-unit display
- Surveying instruments for elevations and sites
Quality check
Common mistakes
- Reading decimal feet as feet-and-inches
- Forgetting that 0.5 foot equals 6 inches
- Using 10 inches as the carry point instead of 12
Foot questions
How many inches are in a foot?
There are exactly 12 inches in 1 foot.
How many meters are in a foot?
One foot equals exactly 0.3048 meter.
Is 5.5 feet the same as 5 feet 5 inches?
No. The decimal part is half a foot, so 5.5 feet equals 5 feet 6 inches.