How to Translate Inches Into Centimeters

Your ruler might only measure in inches.

If you have a ruler or other measuring device with only inches on it, but you have to submit your distance in centimeters (cm), you need to convert from inches to centimeters. For example, your science teacher may require you to use metric units rather than American units. Each inch is equal to precisely 2.54 centimeters. Knowing this conversion factor can make quick work of translating a distance in inches to a distance in centimeters.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Power on the calculator.

2. Multiply the number of inches by 2.54 cm per inch. The inch units will cancel, leaving you with just centimeters. For example, if you have 7 inches, you would multiply 7 inches by 2.54 cm per inch to get 17.78 cm.

3. Check your answer by dividing the number of inches by 0.3937 inches per centimeter. The inch units will cancel. Continuing the example, you would divide 7 inches by 0.3937 inches per cm to get 17.78 cm.

4. Verify your answer with a conversion website.

References

• Colorado State University: Commonly Used metric System Units, Symbols, and Prefixes

Resources

• Metric Conversions: Inches to Centimeters