Centimeters to Inches (cm to in)
An inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters, so converting centimeters to inches is a single division by 2.54. One centimeter is about 0.3937 inches — a little under four tenths of an inch.
Formula
inches = centimeters ÷ 2.54
Example: 10 centimeters = 3.93701 inches.
Centimeters to Inches chart
| centimeters | inches |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.393701 |
| 2 | 0.787402 |
| 5 | 1.9685 |
| 10 | 3.93701 |
| 15 | 5.90551 |
| 20 | 7.87402 |
| 25 | 9.84252 |
| 30 | 11.811 |
| 40 | 15.748 |
| 50 | 19.685 |
| 60 | 23.622 |
| 75 | 29.5276 |
| 100 | 39.3701 |
| 150 | 59.0551 |
| 180 | 70.8661 |
Good to know
You meet this conversion most often with clothing and body measurements from metric size charts, screen and paper sizes, and product dimensions on international listings. For a quick mental estimate, multiply by 4 and divide by 10: 30 cm × 4 = 120, ÷ 10 = 12 inches (the exact answer is 11.81).
Tape measures in the US often show inches as fractions. 0.39 inches is roughly 3/8 inch, 0.5 inch is 1/2, 0.75 inch is 3/4. Our fraction converter turns any decimal into the nearest sixteenth.
Frequently asked questions
How many inches is 1 cm?
1 centimeter is 0.393701 inches (1 ÷ 2.54).
How many inches is 30 cm?
30 cm is 11.811 inches — just under a foot.
Is 2.54 exact?
Yes. Since 1959 the international inch has been defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters, which is 2.54 centimeters.