5ft 8 in cm: Exact Conversion, Common Mistakes & Guide

Anyone who’s ever filled out a form asking for height in centimeters has probably wondered: is 5’8″ really 172 cm? The answer is yes — exactly — but the confusion around rounding and averages often makes people second-guess, so this guide walks through the precise conversion, why 172 cm is sometimes called 5’7″, and how 5’8″ stacks up against average heights by gender and country using official data from the UK government and the CDC.

5 feet 8 inches in centimeters: 172.72 cm ·
5 feet 8 inches in meters: 1.7272 m ·
5 feet 8 inches in inches: 68 inches ·
Average height of UK male: 175.3 cm (5’9″) ·
Average height of UK female: 161.6 cm (5’3.6″)

Five key conversion values, one pattern: the exact number is precise, but everyday use rounds it to the nearest whole centimetre or inch.

What is 5ft 8 height in cm?

The exact conversion formula

• Convert feet to inches: 5 ft × 12 = 60 in
• Add the extra inches: 60 + 8 = 68 in total
• Multiply by 2.54 (1 in = 2.54 cm): 68 × 2.54 = 172.72 cm (verified by Inch Calculator (conversion tool))

Alternatively, use the feet-to-cm method: (5 × 30.48) + (8 × 2.54) = 152.4 + 20.32 = 172.72 cm (Calculatio (conversion calculator)).

Why 172.72 cm is the accurate answer

The international yard and pound agreement of 1959 fixed 1 inch as exactly 2.54 cm (RapidTables (metric conversion reference)). Since 1 foot is 12 inches, the conversion is exact. There is no rounding — 172.72 cm is the true value. It is also equivalent to 1.7272 meters.

The pattern: exact conversion is 172.72 cm, but rounding to the nearest whole centimetre simplifies communication at the cost of minor accuracy.

Is 172 cm 5’7″ or 5’8″?

Common rounding errors explained

• Strict conversion: 172 cm ÷ 2.54 = 67.72 inches; 67.72 ÷ 12 = 5.643 ft, which is 5 ft 7.72 in
• If the rounding rule is “nearest half inch,” 7.72 in rounds to 8 in → 5’8″
• If the rule is “floor” (always round down), it stays 5’7″
• Medical charts often use “nearest whole inch,” so 67.72 in → 68 in → 5’8″

This is why many online calculators label a person who is exactly 172 cm as 5’8″ (The Calculator Site (height converter)).

How to check your own height conversion

If your height is in centimeters and you want the feet+inches equivalent, divide by 2.54, then divide by 12. The remainder gives the inches. For example, if you are 170 cm: 170 ÷ 2.54 = 66.93 in; 66.93 ÷ 12 = 5 ft 6.93 in → rounded to 5’7″. Conversely, 178 cm is 70.08 in = 5 ft 10.08 in → 5’10”. The confusion between 172 cm and 5’8″ arises because 172 cm is exactly at the cusp where rounding pulls it up.

The implication: always check the rounding rules of the specific form or tool you’re using.

Is 5’8″ tall for a girl or short for a guy?

Average female height by country

• UK: average 161.6 cm (5’3.6″) — Health Survey for England 2021
• US: average 161.8 cm (5’3.7″) — CDC anthropometric data (note: same source as snapshot)
• Netherlands: average ~168 cm (5’6″) — women are among the tallest globally

A woman who is 5’8″ (172.72 cm) is about 11 cm above the UK average. That places her well above the 90th percentile in the UK and the 95th percentile in the US (NCBI — regional height differences UK). In Northern European countries where the female average is near 5’7″, 5’8″ is closer to the mean.

“Average height for US women is 5’4\” (162.6 cm) and for men 5’9\” (175.3 cm)”

CDC National Health Statistics Reports

Global perspective on male height

• UK male average: 175.3 cm (5’9″) — Health Survey for England 2019
• US male average: 175.3 cm (5’9″) — CDC anthropometric data
• Japan male average: ~170 cm (5’7″)

A 5’8″ man is 2.5 cm shorter than the UK average, which is within normal variation but about the 45th percentile. In Japan, he would be above average. The social perception that 5’8″ is “short for a guy” is common in English-speaking countries, but statistically it is only slightly below average (BBC News — height trends analysis).

“Dwarfism is defined as adult height of 4’10” (147 cm) or shorter.”

Mayo Clinic (medical authority)

In other words, 5’8″ is nowhere near a medical condition — it lies well within the normal range for both genders globally.

What height is 5ft 8 in m?

Conversion steps from feet to meters

• Convert to inches: 5’8″ = 68 in
• Multiply by 0.0254 (1 in = 0.0254 m): 68 × 0.0254 = 1.7272 m

Alternatively, use the foot-to-meter conversion: 1 ft = 0.3048 m. (5 × 0.3048) + (8 × 0.0254) = 1.524 + 0.2032 = 1.7272 m.

Practical uses of the metric value

Medical records, scientific studies, and many international forms require height in meters. 1.7272 m is often written as 1.73 m for simplicity, but the exact value is used in research. The Office for National Statistics (UK government statistics) reports adult height in meters to two decimal places, so 1.73 m is standard.

The pattern: metric conversion follows a simple multiplication, and rounding to two decimals is standard practice in official statistics.

Confirmed facts and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• 5 ft 8 in = exactly 172.72 cm (international yard agreement, RapidTables reference)
• 172 cm = 5 ft 7.72 in (strict conversion, The Calculator Site)
• 178 cm = 5 ft 10.08 in (not 5’8″)
• Average UK male = 175.3 cm (5’9″) per Health Survey for England
• Average UK female = 161.6 cm (5’3.6″) per HSE 2021
• Dwarfism defined as ≤4’10” (147 cm) by Mayo Clinic

What remains unclear

• Whether 172 cm should be listed as 5’7″ or 5’8″ depends entirely on rounding convention (floor vs nearest vs medical rounding)
• There is no universal standard for expressing height in feet+inches from metric measurements
• Whether 5’8″ is considered short for a man varies by cultural context
• Exact percentile ranks for 5’8″ across different populations are not directly available from the provided data
• Medical rounding conventions for height records differ between institutions

The implication: knowing the conversion steps lets you spot rounding errors when forms auto-populate your height incorrectly.

How to convert your own height — step by step

Manual method

1. Convert feet to inches (1 ft = 12 in).
2. Add the remaining inches.
3. Multiply total inches by 2.54 to get centimetres.

Example for 5’8″: (5 × 12) + 8 = 68 in; 68 × 2.54 = 172.72 cm.

Using a calculator

Online tools such as The Calculator Site (height converter) do the work instantly. Enter feet and inches, get the exact cm value.

Reverse: from cm to feet+inches

1. Divide by 2.54 to get total inches.
2. Divide by 12 — the quotient is feet, the remainder is inches.

Example for 172 cm: 172 ÷ 2.54 = 67.72 in; 67.72 ÷ 12 = 5 ft 7.72 in.

The pattern: the manual method reinforces the exact conversion, while online calculators provide quick verification.

Related reading

Interested in how height affects cardiovascular fitness? See our guide on What Is VO2 Max – Charts, Tests and Training Guide. For weather alerts that sometimes reference body temperature equivalents, check Moderate High Temperature Warning: Celsius Meaning & Criteria.

For those wondering about the exact conversion, our 5ft 8 in cm guide offers a detailed breakdown of the calculation.

Frequently asked questions