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Convert Centimeter to Inch

Please provide values below to convert centimeter [cm] to inch [in], or vice versa.

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Centimeter

Definition: A centimeter (symbol: cm) is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), the current form of the metric system. It is defined as 1/100 meters.

History/origin: A centimeter is based on the SI unit meter, and as the prefix "centi" indicates, is equal to one hundredth of a meter. Metric prefixes range from factors of 10-18 to 1018 based on a decimal system, with the base (in this case the meter) having no prefix and having a factor of 1. Learning some of the more commonly used metric prefixes, such as kilo-, mega-, giga-, tera-, centi-, milli-, micro-, and nano-, can be helpful for quickly navigating metric units.

Current use: The centimeter, like the meter, is used in all sorts of applications worldwide (in countries that have undergone metrication) in instances where a smaller denomination of the meter is required. Height is commonly measured in centimeters outside of countries like the United States.

Inch

Definition: An inch (symbol: in) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. An inch was defined to be equivalent to exactly 25.4 millimeters in 1959. There are 12 inches in a foot and 36 inches in a yard.

History/origin: The term "inch" was derived from the Latin unit "uncia" which equated to "one-twelfth" of a Roman foot.

There have been a number of different standards for the inch in the past, with the current definition being based on the international yard. One of the earliest definitions of the inch was based on barleycorns, where an inch was equal to the length of three grains of dry, round barley placed end-to-end. Another version of the inch is also believed to have been derived from the width of a human thumb, where the length was obtained from averaging the width of three thumbs: a small, a medium, and a large one.

Current use: The inch is mostly used in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It is also sometimes used in Japan (as well as other countries) in relation to electronic parts, like the size of display screens.



Centimeter to Inch Conversion Table

Centimeter [cm]Inch [in]
0.01 cm0.0039370079 in
0.1 cm0.0393700787 in
1 cm0.3937007874 in
2 cm0.7874015748 in
3 cm1.1811023622 in
5 cm1.968503937 in
10 cm3.937007874 in
20 cm7.874015748 in
50 cm19.6850393701 in
100 cm39.3700787402 in
1000 cm393.7007874016 in


How to Convert Centimeter to Inch

1 cm = 0.3937007874 in
1 in = 2.54 cm

Example: convert 15 cm to in:
15 cm = 15 × 0.3937007874 in = 5.905511811 in



Convert Centimeter to Other Typography Units