Height: cm to feet and inches, and adult height estimate

How it is calculated

1. 1 inch = 2.54 cm exactly, 1 foot = 12 inches.
2. Feet-inches → cm: (feet × 12 + inches) × 2.54.
3. Boy: (father’s height + mother’s height + 13) ÷ 2. Girl: (father + mother − 13) ÷ 2.
4. Most children end up within ± 8.5 cm of this value.

Example

180 cm = 5 ft 10.9 in. Father 180 cm and mother 165 cm: a boy will be about 179 cm (between 170.5 and 187.5 cm).

Good to know

• The conversion is exact; the adult height estimate is not.
• The parents method ignores health, food and the age of puberty.
• For any question about a child’s growth, talk to a doctor.

Sources

• Tanner J. M. et al., mid-parental target height (1970)
• International yard and pound agreement (1959)