Inch in cm, inch in mm, inch in cm - find all common formats easily. From 1 inch in cm to 80 inches in cm. Plus lots of information on other measurements such as feet and board feet.

In industry, trade and technology, measurements are often given in inches (or inches in plural) and in centimetres. This can be the case, for example, when it comes to components such as threads or ball bearings from English-speaking countries. Or workpieces that a colleague from England, the USA or Canada has built. Inches are also frequently used for screen diagonals and other technical devices. Here we provide you with lots of information on length measurements and a table to help you find your measurement immediately.

What is 1 inch in cm or 1 inch in millimetres?

1 inch is the equivalent of 2.54 centimetres, i.e. 25.4 millimetres or 0.0254 metres. Donkey bridges are recommended for remembering, for example: 2 birds fly 5 kilometres in 4 minutes.

It should be noted that measurements in English-speaking countries are given in fractions, i.e. whole inches and fractions of an inch (e.g. 2 ½") or they are written in decimal, usually with three decimal places (in the USA, a point is used instead of a decimal point: e.g. 0.500").

How do you convert inches to centimetres and centimetres to inches?

The conversion is simple. If you have a certain value in inches, then multiply this inches value by 2.54. And you have the result in centimetres. Conversely, this means that the value in centimetres must be divided by 2.54 to obtain the value in inches.

Examples of frequently searched inches in centimetres:

• 8 inches in cm: 20.32
• 10 inches in cm: 25.4
• 32 inches in cm: 81.28
• 40 inches in cm: 101.6
• 70 inches in cm: 177.8

Examples for centimetres in inches:

• 1 cm in inches: 0.39
• 10 cm in inches: 3.94
• 50 cm in inches: 19.69

How is inch abbreviated?

There are two international abbreviations for inches. The first abbreviation is the sequence of letters in. The second is a double superscript, which is also used to abbreviate seconds. This abbreviation for inches looks like this: ″

In which regions is inch used?

Inches are used in English-speaking countries, especially in the USA, but also in Canada, Great Britain and other English-speaking countries. The measurement system became widespread with the expansion of British rule throughout the world. Over time, however, it was pushed back or replaced by the metric system. After the UK left the EU, however, there was an increasing tendency to return to the old units of measurement, the imperial units.

Where does the word inch come from?

The word inch is derived from the Latin word uncia, which means one twelfth. The reference of the unit to the twelfth part of a larger unit of length, for example a (regionally common) foot length, became established in the Middle Ages. At that time, "inch" also usually referred to the twelfth part of a foot. The word inch, in turn, can be traced back to the term for a piece of wood. In some places, the term "thumb width" was also used instead of "inch". In some languages, this reference to the thumb can still be seen in the term used today.

How do you convert inches into other English units of length?

The next largest units of length after inches are feet, yards and miles.

1 foot (ft) = 12 inches = 30.48 cm

1 yard (yd) = 3 feet = 0.91 m

1 mile (mi or m) = 1760 yards = 1.61 km

It should be noted that these figures apply to measurements on land. The nautical mile is slightly longer than the land mile. The nautical mile corresponds to around 1.85 km.

Where can I quickly look up the conversion from inches to cm?

Here we offer you two conversion tables for quick reference - from inches to cm and from cm to inches.

Table: Inch to cm - inch to cm conversion

What does "Two by Four" mean in connection with Inch?

Many projects in the USA are built with the so-called "Two by Four". These planed boards with rounded edges are often used in house construction in the USA and are therefore available everywhere and also very inexpensive. "Two by four" refers to the cross-section. However, if you measure these timbers, you will find that the cross-section is not 2 x 4 inches, but significantly smaller, namely 1 ½ x 3 ½ inches. The larger dimensions are due to the fact that the timber is cut to 2" x 4" in the sawmill. After drying and planing, only the above dimensions remain. Nevertheless, the designation according to the raw dimensions has become established.

In addition to the "Two by Four" described above, there are of course a number of other cross-sections for which the same applies. However, the timbers are not reduced by the same amount for all cross-sections. The final dimensions for the various cross-sections can be found in the table.

What are "board feet"?

Pre-dimensioned timbers such as the "Two by Four" are made of softwood. The timbers are also all the same length. Hardwoods, on the other hand, are sold by "board feet". This is not a length measurement, but the volume of a board. A "board foot" is the volume of a fictitious board that is 12 inches (one foot) by 12 inches and 1 inch thick. It is therefore one twelfth of a "cubic foot". This is also very confusing for many American craftsmen. If you buy hardwood in the USA, the individual boards are measured and then their volume is calculated to determine the price. The volume is then not given in cubic feet, but in 1/12 cubic feet, i.e. "board feet".

The same applies here in Germany: construction timber with fixed cross-sections is sold by the running metre, while solid wood for furniture construction is sold by volume in cubic metres.

Why are chipboards 19 mm thick?

Inch dimensions also have an impact on panel materials. You may have wondered why chipboard is 19 mm thick. The reason often given is that they are still veneered and are then 20 mm thick when veneered. This is true, but the thickness of 19 mm comes from the production of the boards to a thickness of ¾". But why are plywoods not 19 mm thick, but 18 mm? The veneer panels are also manufactured to 3/4" (19 mm), only these are sanded after the veneer layers have been glued and dried, so that the panels are then only 18 mm thick. Incidentally, the same applies here as described for the construction timber: The veneer panels are sold as ¾", but are only 23/32" (18 mm) thick. Here too, the name of the board comes from its raw size.

Further panel thicknesses and their actual thicknesses can be found in the table:

Where else do German craftsmen come into contact with American dimensions?

You often find very strange dimensions on router bits for routers. For example, a common dimension for slot cutters and rebate heads is 12.7 mm diameter. If you convert 12.7 mm into inches, the result is ½".

In the case of bit inserts for screwdrivers, the hexagon has a dimension of 6.35 mm, i.e. ¼".

Depending on the nut size, the square socket of sockets is 6.3 mm, 10 mm, 12.5 mm, 20 mm or 25 mm in size, i.e. 1⁄4″, 3⁄8″, 1⁄2″, 3⁄4″ or 1″.

There are so-called pipe clamps, which are long gluing clamps consisting of two clamp heads made of cast steel and in which a water pipe is used as a rail. Water pipes are still manufactured and traded in inches, even in our country, which is why there are two sizes of pipe clamps for ½" and ¾" pipes.

Is there a table in which the fractional values are shown in inches as decimals?