Inch to Meter Converter

About this conversion

The inch (in) is a unit of length in the imperial / US customary, commonly used for TV and monitor screen diagonals and US and UK clothing sizes. The meter (m) belongs to the metric (SI) and is typically found in measurements related to room and building dimensions and swimming pool lengths. By definition, one inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters, by international agreement since 1959. One meter is the base unit of length in the International System of Units, defined as the distance light travels in 1/299,792,458 of a second. The conversion factor between these two units is 0.0254: multiplying any value in in by this number gives the equivalent in m. For example, 10 in equals 0.2540 m. Going the other direction, 1 m equals 39.370079 in. The inch was historically based on the width of a human thumb. Its exact metric equivalent (2.54 cm) was standardized internationally in 1959. The meter was originally defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole.