CM to Meters Converter
ConversionsChoose the direction and enter the length. The converter divides centimeters by 100 or multiplies meters by 100 and gives the same length in millimeters; from centimeters to meters it also writes the length as meters and centimeters.
Step by step
175 / 100 = 1.75
- A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter: 175 / 100 = 1.75 m.
- Written as meters and centimeters: 1 m and 75 cm.
- In millimeters: 175 × 10 = 1,750 mm.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- cm
- length in centimeters, one hundredth of a meter
- m
- length in meters, the SI unit of length
- mm
- length in millimeters, one thousandth of a meter
- c
- the centimeters rounded to the 4 decimals the remainder is shown with
- ⌊x⌋
- x rounded down to a whole number
How it works
The meter (m) is the SI base unit of length and the centimeter (cm) is one hundredth of it: 1 cm = 0.01 m and 1 m = 100 cm. The prefix "centi" always stands for 10⁻². To change cm to m, divide by 100, which moves the decimal point two places to the left: 175 cm is 1.75 m. To change m to cm, multiply by 100 and move the point two places to the right: 2.5 m is 250 cm.
The converter works in both directions and also writes centimeters as meters plus centimeters, the way a height or a room size is often said aloud: 175 cm is 1 m and 75 cm, and 99.5 cm is 0 m and 99.5 cm. Under every result it shows the length in millimeters, since 1 cm is 10 mm. In the United States you meet centimeters on international product specs, medical charts, sewing patterns and travel sites; for feet and inches use the cm to feet and inches converter, and for inches use the cm to inches converter.
The factor is exact, because metric length units differ only by powers of ten: 1 m = 10 dm = 100 cm = 1,000 mm. Areas and volumes are different, since the length enters two or three times. One square meter is 100 × 100 = 10,000 square centimeters and one cubic meter is 100 × 100 × 100 = 1,000,000 cubic centimeters, so 5,000 cm² is 0.5 m². Do not divide an area or a volume by 100.
The formula
Because "centi" means 10⁻², the conversion between centimeters and meters is exact. Only the displayed digits are rounded. For the mixed notation the converter first rounds the centimeters to the 4 decimals it shows, then counts the whole meters (those centimeters divided by 100 and rounded down) and gives the remainder in centimeters: 250 cm is 2 m and 50 cm, and 99.5 cm is 0 m and 99.5 cm. Rounding first keeps the remainder below 100 cm: 199.99996 cm rounds to 200 cm, so it reads as 2 m and 0 cm, not as 1 m and 100 cm.
Millimeters follow from 1 cm = 10 mm. To start from millimeters, divide by 10 to get centimeters and by 1,000 to get meters.
Example
How many meters is a height of 175 cm?
- A centimeter is one hundredth of a meter: 175 / 100 = 1.75 m.
- Written as meters and centimeters: 1 m and 75 cm.
- In millimeters: 175 × 10 = 1,750 mm.
175 cm = 1.75 m, which is 1 m and 75 cm.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How can you change cm to m?
Divide the centimeters by 100. The decimal point moves two places to the left: 250 cm is 2.5 m, 175 cm is 1.75 m and 5 cm is 0.05 m. In the converter, choose "cm → m" and enter the centimeters.
How do you change 321 cm to m?
Divide 321 by 100: 321 cm is 3.21 m, which is 3 whole meters and 21 cm. Any number of centimeters works the same way, with decimals too: 31.5 cm is 0.315 m.
How do I convert 4.000cm into meters?
4.000cm is just 4 cm, because the zeros after the point add nothing. 4 / 100 = 0.04, so 4.000cm is 0.04 m, the same as 4 centimeters.
How do I convert cm to m without a calculator?
Move the decimal point two places to the left. 480 cm becomes 4.80 m, 75 cm becomes 0.75 m and 7 cm becomes 0.07 m, adding a zero in front when the number runs out of digits.
Is 100cm equal to 1 meter?
Yes, 100cm is exactly 1 meter, because "centi" means one hundredth. So there are 100 centimeters in a meter, and 1 cm is exactly 0.01 m. Every length follows from it: 200 cm is 2 m and 50 cm is 0.5 m.
How do I go the other way, from m to cm?
Multiply the meters by 100. The decimal point moves two places to the right: 1.75 m is 175 cm, 2.5 m is 250 cm and 0.07 m is 7 cm. Choose "m → cm" in the converter and enter the meters.
What is 200 centimeters in meters, and 1,000 centimeters?
200 cm divided by 100 is 2 m, and 1,000 cm divided by 100 is 10 m. In practice the point moves back two places: 500 cm becomes 5 m and 1,200 cm becomes 12 m.
What is larger, 5000 cm or 5 m?
5000 cm is larger. 5000 / 100 = 50, so 5000 cm is 50 m, ten times as long as 5 m. To compare lengths, turn both into the same unit first: 5 m is 500 cm.
Is 10 cm the same as 1 meter?
No. 10 cm is 0.1 m, one tenth of a meter or a decimeter. It takes 100 cm to make 1 meter. The mix-up comes from the factor 10 between centimeters and millimeters: 1 cm is 10 mm, but 1 m is 100 cm.
How do you write 175 cm in meters and centimeters?
175 cm is 1 m and 75 cm: 175 / 100 = 1.75, which is 1 whole meter, and the remaining 75 cm. The converter shows this form under the result when "cm → m" is selected.
How tall is 175 cm in feet and inches?
175 cm is about 5 ft 9 in: 175 / 2.54 = 68.9 inches, which is 5 feet and 8.9 inches. Going the other way, how tall in cm is 5'2"? It is 62 inches × 2.54 = 157.48 cm, or about 1.57 m. For exact values use the cm to feet and inches converter.
How many millimeters are in a centimeter and in a meter?
1 cm is 10 mm and 1 m is 1,000 mm. The converter also shows the length in millimeters: 175 cm is 1,750 mm. To go from millimeters to centimeters, divide by 10.
How do you convert cm² to m² or cm³ to m³?
The factor is no longer 100: 1 m² is 10,000 cm² and 1 m³ is 1,000,000 cm³, because the length counts two or three times. So 5,000 cm² is 0.5 m² and 2,500,000 cm³ is 2.5 m³.
How do I easily convert metric units?
Metric units differ by factors of ten, so converting means moving the decimal point. A kilometer is 1,000 m, a meter 100 cm, a centimeter 10 mm. Going to a smaller unit, multiply and move the point right; going to a larger unit, divide and move it left.
Why do some converters show 1.1 cm as 0.011000000000000001 m?
Computers store decimals in binary, so 1.1 / 100 can come out as 0.011000000000000001 in floating-point arithmetic. The true value is 0.011 m, and this converter shows the rounded 0.011 instead of the noise in the last digits.
Where is the centimeter to meter conversion chart?
The chart under the converter lists common lengths from 1 cm = 0.01 m up to 1,000 cm = 10 m, for example 175 cm = 1.75 m. Read it from left to right for cm to m, or look up the meters in the right column to find the centimeters.
Does the converter send the lengths I enter to a server?
No. The calculation runs in your browser, so the lengths you type are not sent anywhere. The converter is free and needs no sign-up.
- The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition: SI prefixes (centi = 10⁻²) and the meter (Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM))
- Metric (SI) Prefixes (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B: Conversion Factors (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- Metric prefix (Wikipedia)
- Metre (Wikipedia)