How to Calculate CM Into Inches

Some rulers measure centimeters and inches.

Centimeters and inches are two units of measurement that quantify distance. Inches are used in the imperial system of measures, while centimeters are used in the metric system. Both units are used to represent relatively small but easily measurable quantities, such as the length of a pencil or the height of a flower. You abbreviate centimeters as "cm" and inches as "in."

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Determine the length in centimeters that you want to convert to inches.

2. Divide the number of centimeters by 2.54 to convert to inches. For example, if you had 20 cm, you would divide 20 by 2.54 to get about 7.874 inches.

3. Multiply the number of centimeters by 0.3937 to convert from centimeters to inches. For example, if you have 20 cm, you would multiply 20 by 0.3937 to get 7.874 inches.

References

• Colorado State: Commonly Used Metric Prefixes