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International Foot

Also called: foot, ft, international foot

Definition: The international foot is the standard foot of 0.3048 meters exactly; it replaced the US survey foot for all uses from 1 January 2023, apart from historic data.

Updated October 29, 2026 · How we check facts

The international foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 meter, a value set in 1959. It is the foot used in everyday life and construction. NIST says the older US survey foot (about 0.3048006 m) should not be used after 31 December 2022, except for historic and legacy applications.

Conversion

m = feet × 0.3048
feet = m ÷ 0.3048
inches = feet × 12

Example

A 1.8 m ceiling is 1.8 ÷ 0.3048 = 5.91 ft, or about 5 ft 10.9 in. A mile is 1,609.344 ÷ 0.3048 = 5,280 feet.

Use feet to meters, feet to inches and the feet in a mile guide for other values; the tape measure guide covers the foot's smaller subdivisions.

International vs survey foot

The two differ by about 0.6 micrometers per foot, or roughly 3 mm per mile, which only matters in large geodetic surveys.

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Guides that explain it

Related terms

Mile (mi)The statute mile is a unit of length equal to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards; NIST lists it as exactly 1,609.344 meters.US Customary UnitsUS customary units are the inch, foot, mile, ounce, pound, cup and gallon used for everyday measures in the United States; each is defined by an exact or fixed value in SI units.Fluid Ounce (fl oz)A fluid ounce is a unit of volume; one US fluid ounce is 29.57353 milliliters, and 8 of them make a US cup. It is not the same as the ounce used to weigh things.Gram (g)The gram is a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram, the SI base unit of mass; about 0.03527 ounces.Ounce (avoirdupois)The avoirdupois ounce is the US and imperial unit of weight equal to 1/16 pound, or 28.34952 grams. It measures mass, unlike the fluid ounce, which measures volume.Pound (lb)The pound is a unit of weight equal to 16 ounces; NIST lists the avoirdupois pound as 0.4535924 kilograms, or about 453.59 grams.Tablespoon (tbsp)A tablespoon is a US customary unit of volume equal to 3 teaspoons, half a fluid ounce or 1/16 cup; NIST lists it as 14.78676 milliliters.Teaspoon (tsp)A teaspoon is a US customary unit of volume equal to 1/3 tablespoon or 1/6 fluid ounce; NIST lists it as 4.928922 milliliters and US labels round it to 5 mL.

Sources