Convert Inches to Centimeters
5 inches is 12.7 cm. One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters.
5 inches is 12.7 centimeters, because one inch is 2.54 centimeters. To convert inches to centimeters, multiply by 2.54; to go the other way, divide by 2.54 or multiply by 0.39370079. The factor is exact rather than rounded: it follows from NIST. Exactly 25.4 millimeters since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, and one twelfth of a foot.
Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check
- Inches × 2.54
5 * 2.5412.7 cm
5 inches in every length unit
| Unit | Value | Exact factor |
|---|---|---|
| inches (as entered) | 5 in | — |
| feet | 0.4166666667 ft | × 0.0833333333333 |
| yards | 0.1388888889 yd | × 0.0277777777778 |
| miles | 0.00007891414141 mi | × 0.0000157828282828 |
| millimeters | 127 mm | × 25.4 |
| decimetres | 1.27 dm | × 0.254 |
| centimeters | 12.7 cm | × 2.54 |
| meters | 0.127 m | × 0.0254 |
| kilometers | 0.000127 km | × 0.0000254 |
| nautical miles | 0.00006857451404 nmi | × 0.0000137149028078 |
| micrometers | 127,000 µm | × 25,400 |
| nanometers | 127,000,000 nm | × 25,400,000 |
| thou | 5,000 thou | × 1,000 |
Factors are entered by hand from NIST rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.
The same converter answers this pair however it is written: inches to centimetres is the British spelling of the same units — the metre and the litre are spelled that way outside the United States and the quantity does not change.
How do you convert inches to centimeters? The converter and the working
- 1.Take the measurement in inches.
- 2.Multiply by 2.54 — that is how many centimeters fit in one inch.
- 3.To go back the other way, divide by 2.54, or multiply by 0.39370079.
Worked example: 25 inches to centimeters
- Formula
- in × 2.54 = cm
- Arithmetic
- 25 × 2.54 = 63.5 cm
- Answer
- 25 in = 63.5 cm
The factor is exact, so this figure is exact too — only the display is rounded.
Inches to centimeters conversion table
| Inches | Centimeters |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 2.54 cm |
| 2 in | 5.08 cm |
| 3 in | 7.62 cm |
| 4 in | 10.16 cm |
| 5 in | 12.7 cm |
| 6 in | 15.24 cm |
| 7 in | 17.78 cm |
| 8 in | 20.32 cm |
| 9 in | 22.86 cm |
| 10 in | 25.4 cm |
| 12 in | 30.48 cm |
| 15 in | 38.1 cm |
| 20 in | 50.8 cm |
| 25 in | 63.5 cm |
| 50 in | 127 cm |
| 100 in | 254 cm |
| 200 in | 508 cm |
| 300 in | 762 cm |
| 500 in | 1,270 cm |
| 1000 in | 2,540 cm |
| 2000 in | 5,080 cm |
| 5000 in | 12,700 cm |
| 10000 in | 25,400 cm |
What is an inch?
Exactly 25.4 millimeters since the 1959 international yard and pound agreement, and one twelfth of a foot.
What is a centimeter?
One hundredth of a meter, and the unit most of the world states height in.
How many centimeters are in an inch?
One inch is 2.54 centimeters, exactly. Going the other way, one centimeter is 0.39370079 inches. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.
Every length unit here
The whole group — 13 units with their symbols and the size of each one in meters — is on the conversion index, along with every pair it makes. The table above already gives each of them relative to an inch.
Source: NIST — international yard and pound agreement (inch = 25.4 mm exactly)
Cite this page
- APA
- Rule Calculator. (2026). Convert Inches to centimeters. Rule Calculator. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/inch-to-centimeter
- MLA
- "Convert Inches to centimeters." Rule Calculator, August 16, 2026, https://rulecalculators.com/convert/inch-to-centimeter.
- Chicago
- Rule Calculator. "Convert Inches to centimeters." Rule Calculator. Last reviewed August 16, 2026. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/inch-to-centimeter.
The date is when the figures on this page were last checked against their source, not the day you opened it. Add your own access date if your style needs one.
Questions people actually ask
- How many centimeters are in an inch?
- 2.54. One hundredth of a meter, and the unit most of the world states height in.
- How do I convert centimeters back to inches?
- Divide by 2.54, or multiply by 0.39370079 — they are the same operation.
The values people look up
Each one is this page with the value filled in, and each answers in its own title.
Other length conversions
Centimeters to inches — the same conversion the other way.