Convert height between feet/inches and centimetres • UK clothing & shoe sizes
| Feet & Inches | Centimetres | Feet & Inches | Centimetres |
|---|
| UK | EU | US | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 46 | 36 | Extra Small |
| 38 | 48 | 38 | Small |
| 40 | 50 | 40 | Medium |
| 42 | 52 | 42 | Large |
| 44 | 54 | 44 | X-Large |
| 46 | 56 | 46 | XX-Large |
| UK | EU | US | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 34 | 2 | XX-Small |
| 8 | 36 | 4 | X-Small |
| 10 | 38 | 6 | Small |
| 12 | 40 | 8 | Medium |
| 14 | 42 | 10 | Large |
| 16 | 44 | 12 | X-Large |
| 18 | 46 | 14 | XX-Large |
| 20 | 48 | 16 | XXX-Large |
Note:.
| UK | EU | US | Foot Length (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 39 | 6.5 | 24.5 |
| 7 | 40 | 7.5 | 25.4 |
| 8 | 41 | 8.5 | 26.0 |
| 9 | 42 | 9.5 | 26.7 |
| 10 | 43 | 10.5 | 27.3 |
| 11 | 44 | 11.5 | 28.0 |
| 12 | 45 | 12.5 | 28.6 |
| 13 | 46 | 13.5 | 29.3 |
| UK | EU | US | Foot Length (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 35 | 5 | 22.0 |
| 4 | 36 | 6 | 22.9 |
| 5 | 37.5 | 7 | 23.7 |
| 6 | 39 | 8 | 24.5 |
| 7 | 40 | 9 | 25.4 |
| 8 | 41 | 10 | 26.0 |
Note: UK shoe sizes differ from US by +0.5 for men (US = UK + 0.5) and +2 for women (US = UK + 2). EU sizing runs in Paris points (2⁄3 cm per size).
The United Kingdom occupies a unique position in the world of measurement. While the country officially adopted the metric system in 1965 and joined the European Communities in 1973 (requiring metrication for trade), the transition was never fully completed. Unlike most other Commonwealth nations and European countries, the UK retained imperial units for many everyday purposes:
Road signs still show distances in miles and yards, beer is sold by the pint, and people describe their weight in stones and pounds. Height is a particularly interesting case: while medical records, passports, and driver's licences all use centimetres, everyday conversation almost always uses feet and inches.
In British general practice (GP) surgeries, height is always recorded in centimetres as part of the electronic health record system. This is required for clinical calculations like BMI (Body Mass Index), drug dosing, and growth charts for children. Despite this, when a GP asks a patient their height, most patients will answer in "feet and inches".
Passports: Since 2015, UK passport applications ask for height in centimetres only (previously offered both options). Driver's licences issued by the DVLA record height in centimetres. School health checks use metric. Yet ask someone in a pub how tall they are, and you'll almost certainly hear "about 5 foot 10."
| Country / Region | Height System | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Mixed (ft/in for conversation, cm for official records) | Roads: miles. Weight: stones. Beerints. Height: both. |
| 🇺🇸 United States | Imperial (feet & inches) | One of three countries (with Liberia & Myanmar) that hasn't officially adopted metric. Height always in ft/in. |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Mostly metric, but ft/in for height | Canadian English speakers commonly give height in feet and inches despite official metrication in the 1970s. French speakers more often use cm. |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Metric (cm) | Fully metricated since the 1970s. Height is always in centimetres, though older generations may still reference feet. |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Mixed (similar to UK) | Roads in km/h (unlike UK). Height is ft/in in conversation, cm in medical settings. |
| 🇪🇺 Continental Europe | Metric (cm) | : |
| 🇮🇳 India | Both (ft/in common, cm in official use) | Height often given in feet/inches colloquially. Official documents and medical use centimetres. |