Inches to Centimeters Conversion Calculator

Inches

An inch is a unit of linear length measure equal to ¹/₁₂ of a foot or ¹/₃₆ of a yard. Because the international yard is legally defined to be equal to exactly 0.9144 meters, one inch is equal to 2.54 centimeters.^[1]

The inch is a US customary and imperial unit of length. Inches can be abbreviated as in, for example 1 inch can be written as 1 in.

Inches can also be denoted using the ″ symbol, otherwise know as a double-prime. Often a double-quote (") is used instead of a double-prime for convenience. Using the double-prime, 1 in can be written as 1″.

The standard ruler has 12", and are a common measuring tool for measuring inches. They are also often measured using tape measures which commonly come in lengths from 6' - 35'. Other types of measuring devices include scales, calipers, measuring wheels, micrometers, yardsticks, and even lasers.

Centimeters

One centimeter is equal to one-hundredth (1/100) of a meter, which is defined as the distance light travels in a vacuum in a ¹/_299,792,458 second time interval.

The centimeter, or centimetre, is a multiple of the meter, which is the SI base unit for length. In the metric system, "centi" is the prefix for 10^-2. Centimeters can be abbreviated as cm, for example 1 centimeter can be written as 1 cm.

Metric rulers typically have 30 cm, which are represented by 30 large tick marks. To get a rough idea of the actual length of a centimeter, a standard pencil is just about 1cm thick.