inches to meters

This converter makes instant conversions from inches (in) to meters (m). It also provides the conversion steps. To use the converter, please provide a value in the input field. The converter will begin making conversions as the values are being typed in.

Inch (in) is a unit of length in the United States (US) customary systems of measurement as well as in the British imperial system. One foot comprises 12 inches and one yard comprises three feet.

Meter (m) is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). It was defined as the length of the path travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.

How many meters in an inch?

The basis of many units of measurement have changed over the course of history as well as location. During the 1950s and 1960s, the definition of the inch was re-defined to be exactly 25.4 mm or 0.0254 m based on the international yard, which has its basis in the metric system. The adoption of this new definition of the inch took some time, but it is the definition that is still used today. Based on this definition of the inch, there are 0.0254 meters in a inch.

How to convert inches to meters

Based on the definition of 1 inch being exactly 0.0254 m, the inch to meter conversion formula is:

m = 0.0254 × in

Thus, to convert from inches to meters, multiply a value in inches by 0.0254. For example, convert 15 inches to meters:

15 in = 15 × 0.0254 m = 0.381 m