The short answer
US government forms (passport, visa, driver’s license, employment authorization) ask for height in feet and inches, rounded to the nearest whole inch. The conversion factor is 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly (or equivalently 1 cm = 0.3937 in). For a quick mental conversion, divide your height in centimeters by 2.5 and round to the nearest inch.
This guide gives the exact conversion for every common height between 1.50 m and 2.00 m, explains the rounding rules each agency uses, and answers the practical questions that come up when filling out US forms with a metric-only background.
Conversion table for adult heights
For most adults filling out US forms, here are the exact conversions from centimeters and meters to feet and inches:
| Centimeters | Meters | Feet and inches (exact) | Rounded to whole inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 1.50 m | 4 ft 11.06 in | 4 ft 11 in |
| 155 cm | 1.55 m | 5 ft 1.02 in | 5 ft 1 in |
| 160 cm | 1.60 m | 5 ft 2.99 in | 5 ft 3 in |
| 165 cm | 1.65 m | 5 ft 4.96 in | 5 ft 5 in |
| 170 cm | 1.70 m | 5 ft 6.93 in | 5 ft 7 in |
| 175 cm | 1.75 m | 5 ft 8.90 in | 5 ft 9 in |
| 178 cm | 1.78 m | 5 ft 10.08 in | 5 ft 10 in |
| 180 cm | 1.80 m | 5 ft 10.87 in | 5 ft 11 in |
| 183 cm | 1.83 m | 6 ft 0.05 in | 6 ft 0 in |
| 185 cm | 1.85 m | 6 ft 0.83 in | 6 ft 1 in |
| 188 cm | 1.88 m | 6 ft 2.01 in | 6 ft 2 in |
| 190 cm | 1.90 m | 6 ft 2.80 in | 6 ft 3 in |
| 193 cm | 1.93 m | 6 ft 3.98 in | 6 ft 4 in |
| 195 cm | 1.95 m | 6 ft 4.77 in | 6 ft 5 in |
| 198 cm | 1.98 m | 6 ft 5.95 in | 6 ft 6 in |
| 200 cm | 2.00 m | 6 ft 6.74 in | 6 ft 7 in |
The “rounded to whole inch” column is what you enter on the form. If your exact value is between two inches, round to the nearer one (standard arithmetic rounding).
How to convert your own height
If your height is not in the table above, use this formula:
Then split the result into whole feet and remaining inches:
Example: a person who is 173 cm tall.
- 173 ÷ 2.54 = 68.11 inches
- 68.11 ÷ 12 = 5.676, so floor is 5 feet
- 68.11 − (5 × 12) = 8.11 inches
- Round 8.11 to 8 inches
- Result: 5 ft 8 in
Or use the calculator on the meters-to-feet homepage which does both steps in one input.
What US forms actually ask for
The forms vary slightly in how they want the height entered:
US passport application (DS-11, DS-82): two separate boxes, one for feet, one for inches. Inches must be a whole number from 0 to 11. You cannot enter “5 ft 11.5 in” or “1.80 m.”
US visa application (DS-160): dropdown menu for height in feet and inches. The dropdown also has a centimeters option in some browser locales, but the system stores the value in feet/inches internally.
Green card application (I-485): enters as feet and inches with whole-inch precision. The supporting documents may include foreign records showing centimeters, which the officer will mentally convert.
US driver’s license application (varies by state): most state DMVs ask in feet and inches and measure on the spot. The form value is for the record but the DMV’s own measurement is what goes on the license.
TSA PreCheck application: feet and inches, whole inches.
Employment authorization (I-765, I-9): typically feet and inches, with some employers accepting centimeters in their internal HR systems.
In every case, the underlying convention is feet and inches rounded to the whole inch. Centimeter precision is not preserved on US official documents.
Quick mental conversion shortcuts
If you need to convert in your head without a calculator:
Centimeters to inches: divide by 2.5 and add 1 percent. For 178 cm, 178 ÷ 2.5 = 71.2 in, plus 1 percent (0.7) gives 71.9 in, very close to the exact 70.08 in. (For 1 percent precision, the divisor is 2.54, but dividing by 2.5 is faster and the 1.6 percent error is invisible at the whole-inch level for most heights.)
Inches to centimeters: multiply by 2.5 and add 1.5 percent. For 71 in, 71 × 2.5 = 177.5 cm, plus 1.5 percent (2.66) gives 180.2 cm. The exact value is 180.34 cm.
Centimeters to feet directly: divide by 30 for a rough estimate. For 175 cm, 175 ÷ 30 ≈ 5.83 ft, which is close to the exact 5.74 ft. The error is about 1.5 percent on the high side.
For more on mental math tricks for unit conversion, see our meters to feet without a calculator guide.
Common confusion points
Three things trip people up when converting metric height for US forms.
Confusing centimeters and meters. A person who is 1.75 m tall is NOT 175 ft. Always check whether the source value is in meters (whole number near 2) or centimeters (three-digit number around 170). Some European forms use meters with two decimal places (1.75 m), others use centimeters as integers (175 cm), and a few use both interchangeably.
Rounding both feet and inches. Round the inches, not both. A person who is 5 ft 11.6 in should round to 5 ft 12 in, which then carries to 6 ft 0 in. Do not round 5 ft 11.6 to “6 ft 0” and then enter that. Do the arithmetic step by step.
Converting from an old passport with a different rounding. If your previous passport says 5 ft 11 in and your actual measurement is 5 ft 10.5 in, the rounding depends on which form rounds up vs down at the half-inch mark. US forms round 0.5 up (so 5 ft 10.5 in becomes 5 ft 11 in). Your old passport may have rounded down. Inconsistency between two of your own documents is normal and not a problem.
When precision actually matters
The height on US identity documents is informational. Border control, customs, and most agencies do not verify it. The exceptions are:
- Military and law enforcement applications, where height is measured on the spot during physical exams. The self-reported value on the application matters less than the measurement at the assessment.
- Aviation medical certificates (FAA Class 1, 2, 3 medicals). The aviation medical examiner measures you in pounds and inches. Self-reported values are entered then verified.
- Insurance applications (some life and disability insurance products). The carrier may send a paramedical examiner who measures you in either system depending on the carrier.
For passports, visas, driver’s licenses, and most other documents, your self-reported feet-and-inches value is what goes on the record. Honest rounding to the nearest inch is the right standard.
Convert any height value
For any height in centimeters or meters not listed in the table above, the meters-to-feet calculator on the homepage gives the exact feet-and-inches result. The conversion is based on the 1959 international foot definition, which is the same standard used by every US federal agency.
For more on what “average” height means in different countries and how 1.80 m compares globally, see our guide Is 1.80 m tall? Adult heights by country.
Sources and further reading: