Inch
Definition: An inch (symbol: in) measures length in the imperial and US customary systems. Since 1959, one inch equals exactly 25.4 millimeters. A foot has 12 inches, and a yard has 36 inches.
History/origin: The word “inch” comes from the Latin “uncia,” meaning one-twelfth of a Roman foot.
In the past, inches had different standards. Today’s version uses the international yard. Long ago, people measured an inch with three grains of dry, round barley laid end to end. Another old way based it on the width of a human thumb. They averaged the thumbs of a small, medium, and large person.
Current use: People mainly use inches in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Japan and some other countries use it for electronic parts, like screen sizes.
Centimeter
Definition: A centimeter (symbol: cm) measures length. It belongs to the SI system, which is today’s metric system. One centimeter equals 1/100 of a meter.
History/origin: The centimeter comes from the meter, the main SI unit for length. The prefix “centi” means one hundredth. Metric prefixes use powers of 10, from 10−18 to 1018. The base unit like the meter has no prefix and equals 1. Knowing common prefixes—kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, centi-, milli-, micro-, and nano—helps you work with metric units fast.
Current use: People use centimeters worldwide in metric countries when they need a smaller unit than the meter. Like the meter, it fits many everyday tasks. For example, height is often measured in centimeters outside the United States.
Inch to Centimeter Conversion Table
| Inch [in] | Centimeter [cm] |
| 0.01 in | 0.0254 cm |
| 0.1 in | 0.254 cm |
| 1 in | 2.54 cm |
| 2 in | 5.08 cm |
| 3 in | 7.62 cm |
| 5 in | 12.7 cm |
| 10 in | 25.4 cm |
| 20 in | 50.8 cm |
| 50 in | 127 cm |
| 100 in | 254 cm |
| 1000 in | 2540 cm |
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1 in = 2.54 cm
1 cm = 0.3937007874 in
Example: convert 15 in to cm:
15 in = 15 × 2.54 cm = 38.1 cm
A 19-inch bust is 19×2.54=48.26 cm. Round it to 48 cm for clothing sizes.
5 feet is 60 inches, plus 2 inches = 62 inches. That’s 62×2.54=157.48 cm, or about 157 cm.
Yes, 1 inch is exactly 2.54 cm by international agreement since 1959.
Divide 37 by 2.54: 37÷2.54≈14.57 inches, or about 14.6 inches.
No, 12 inches is 12×2.54=30.48 cm, close but a bit more than 30 cm.
28×2.54=71.12 cm, or about 71 cm.
40×2.54=101.6 cm.
No, half an inch (0.5 inch) is 0.5×2.54=1.27 cm. 0.5 cm is about 0.2 inches.
Yes, almost—50 cm is 50÷2.54≈19.69 inches, very close to 20 inches.
No, 1 foot (12 inches) is 30.48 cm, so 30 cm is just under 1 foot (about 11.8 inches).
No, 1 inch is only 2.54 cm—10 cm is about 3.94 inches.