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1Converting Inches to Feet
2Getting a "Feet and Inches" Measurement
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Reviewed byGrace Imson, MA
Last Updated: November 27, 2023Fact Checked
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Converting inches to feet is quick and easy once you know how to do it! The basics to remember are that there are 12 inches in one foot, so you can get from inches to feet by dividing by 12.[1] You can get back to inches by multiplying the number of feet by twelve.
Convert Inches to Feet
Use this conversion calculator to convert inches to feet.
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Formuladivide the length value by 12
Method 1
Method 1 of 2:
Converting Inches to Feet
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1
Start with your number of inches. Write this number down or type it into your calculator. If you wrote it down, be sure to label it "inches."
- Let's follow along with an example problem. If we want to figure out how tall a 70 inch-tall girl is in feet, we'll start by writing down 70 inches.
2
Divide this number by twelve.[2] You're looking for the number of times that 12 fits inside your number of inches. If it fits exactly into your inches a certain number of times, you'll get a whole number as your answer. If it doesn't fit perfectly into your number of inches, you'll get a decimal, a fraction, or a mixed number.
- In our example, dividing 70 inches by 12 gets us 70 / 12 = 5.83. We can also write this as 5 & 10/12 (5 & 5/6) or 5 remainder 10. See below for more information on remainders.
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3
Write your answer in feet. The answer you just got is the number of feet you were looking for. Label it "feet." If you're doing this for school, you may lose points if you forget the label.
- The answer we got was 5.83, so we would write it as 5.83 feet. The girl is 5.83 feet tall.
4
Get back to inches by multiplying by 12.[3] Once you have a feet measurement, just multiply by 12 to get back to inches.[4] Since multiplying is basically dividing backwards, you'll end up with your original number of inches.
- In our example problem, 5.83 × 12 = 70 inches. This was our original number of inches.
5
Use the same steps for decimals and fractions. Inches aren't always written as whole numbers.[5] If you have an inch measurement that's written as a fraction or decimal, use the same process as above. See WikiHow's guides on dividing decimals and dividing fractions if you need help.
- Let's use an example problem to show how to do this. We'll figure out how many feet 15.4 inches and 15 & 2/5 inches are. These are the same numbers, just written differently.
- Decimal: 15.4 / 12 = 1.28 feet
- Fraction: 15 & 2/5 = (75 + 2)/5 = 77/5 inches.
- 77/5 inches / 12 = 77/5 × 1/12 = 77/60 feet, or 1 & 17/60 feet
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:
Getting a "Feet and Inches" Measurement
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1
Divide the number of inches by 12. Instead of using fractions or decimals, feet measurements are often written as a mix of feet and inches. For instance, you might say that someone is "five feet, nine inches tall".[6] Getting these "feet and inches" measurements is easy. Start by dividing by 12 — just like normal.
- For this section, let's figure out how many feet 28 inches is. To start, we'll divide 28 by 12. 28 / 12 = 2.33.
2
Find the remainder. When you divide a number and it doesn't "fit" perfectly, you'll have a little bit left over. This is called the "remainder." For example, when you divide the number 16 by 5, 5 fits in three times, but not perfectly. There is still 1 "left over." This means the answer to 16 / 5 can be written 3 remainder (or "R") 1. Now, look for the remainder in your division problem.[7]
- In our example, 12 goes into 28 twice, plus some left over. 12 × 2 = 24. Since 28 is 4 more than 24, the remainder is 4. We could write our answer, 2.33, as 2 R 4.
3
Use the whole number as the feet and the remainder as the inches. Once you know your whole number answer and its remainder, getting a "feet and inches" measurement is easy. Your whole number is the number of feet. Your remainder is the number of inches. Write your answer like this: " x feet, y inches."
- In our example problem, we got an answer of 2 R 4. Since 2 is the whole number, we know we have two feet in our answer. Since 4 is the remainder, we know we have four inches. So, our answer is 2 feet, 4 inches.
4
To get back to inches, multiply the feet by 12 and add the inches. Getting back to inches for these kinds of measurements is just a little bit harder than normal. Start by multiplying the number of feet by 12. This will give you a number of inches. Now, just add the other number of inches to get an answer that's only in inches.
- In our example, we would start by multiplying 2 feet by 12. 2 × 12 = 24 inches. Add the 4 inches to this to get 28 inches. This is our original inches measurement.
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Sample Inches to Feet Converter
Inches to Feet Converter
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Question
5' 8" x 7" - How do I multiply this?
Donagan
Top Answerer
First convert 5'8" to inches: 5 ft 8 in = (5 x 12) + 8 = 68 in. Then multiply 68 inches by 7 inches. That's 476 square inches.
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Question
What is 5110 mm in feet and inches?
Donagan
Top Answerer
5,110 mm ÷ 25.4 = 201.18 inches. Divide by 12 to get 16 feet, 9.18 inches.
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Question
How can I convert 45 inches into feet as a mixed number?
Community Answer
Since there are 12 inches in a foot, you should divide the number of inches into groups of 12 so you can see how many feet you have.45 / 12 = 3 feet and 9 inches, or 3 3/4 feet.
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Having trouble with the basics of division?[8] See WikiHow's division articles for help with lots of division topics.
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A quick way to go from inches to feet is to use an online converter. A good one is available here.[9]
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References
- ↑ http://calculator-converter.com/converter_in_to_ft_inch_to_feet_calculator.php
- ↑ https://www.cuemath.com/measurement/inches-to-feet/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=101JtxnyMQE
- ↑ https://www.khanacademy.org/math/cc-fourth-grade-math/cc-4th-measurement-topic/cc-4th-convert-length/v/feet-to-inches-exercise-example
- ↑ https://www.cuemath.com/measurement/inches-to-feet/
- ↑ https://www.cuemath.com/measurement/inches-to-feet/
- ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/division-remainder.html
- ↑ https://www.mathsisfun.com/long_division.html
- ↑ http://www.checkyourmath.com/convert/length/inches_feet.php
About This Article
Reviewed by:
Grace Imson, MA
Math Teacher
This article was reviewed by Grace Imson, MA. Grace Imson is a math teacher with over 40 years of teaching experience. Grace is currently a math instructor at the City College of San Francisco and was previously in the Math Department at Saint Louis University. She has taught math at the elementary, middle, high school, and college levels. She has an MA in Education, specializing in Administration and Supervision from Saint Louis University. This article has been viewed 375,891 times.
13 votes - 86%
Co-authors: 21
Updated: November 27, 2023
Views:375,891
Categories: Conversion Aids
Article SummaryX
Converting inches to feet is easy. Since there are 12 inches in 1 foot, all you have to do is divide the number of inches by 12 to convert them to feet. For example, if you’re measuring an object that’s 24 inches tall and you want to know how much that is in feet, divide 24 inches by 12 to get 2 feet. If the number of inches doesn’t convert exactly to whole feet, you’ll get an answer that includes a fraction. For instance, let’s say you’re measuring something that’s 50 inches long. Divide by 12 to get approximately 4.17 feet, rounding up to the nearest hundredth. Similarly, if you’re dealing with something that’s less than 12 inches, you’ll get a fraction of a foot when you make the conversion. For example, 7 inches divided by 12 gives you approximately 0.58 feet, or a little over half a foot. If you want to convert feet back to inches, just multiply by 12. This can also be helpful if you get a result like 5.5 feet and you want to convert just the decimal back to inches for a feet and inches measurement. Multiply the .5 by 12 to get 6 inches, then rewrite your measurement as 5 feet, 6 inches. To learn what to do if the number of inches is written as a decimal, scroll down!
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