Convert centimeter to meter (cm to m)
1 centimeter = 0.01 meters. Multiply centimeters by 0.01 to get meters; divide meters by 0.01 to go back.
Centimeters to meters conversion table
How to convert centimeters to meters
Take the value in centimeters.
10 cm
Divide by 100.
10 ÷ 100
Round to the precision you need.
= 0.1 m
The centimeter and the m are both defined in terms of the metre and the kilogram, so this factor is exact, not an approximation.
Table of Contents
Centimetres to metres
The centimetre is defined as one hundredth of a metre, so the factor is exactly 100: 100 cm = 1 m and 1 cm = 0.01 m. To convert, divide the number of centimetres by 100, which is the same as moving the decimal point two places to the left. 180 cm is 1.80 m, 45 cm is 0.45 m, and 2,500 cm is 25 m. Because the factor is a power of ten, the conversion is exact and works the same way for any size.
Where each unit is used
Heights, clothing and furniture are given in centimetres because the numbers stay whole: a 180 cm person, a 90 cm desk. Rooms, fabric, running tracks and building plans use metres: a 4.5 m wall, a 100 m sprint. Switching between the two is usually about presentation rather than precision, and both are the same measurement written at a different scale.
Worked examples
A door that is 203 cm tall is 2.03 m. A sofa 220 cm long needs 2.2 m of wall. A child who has grown from 96 cm to 104 cm is now 1.04 m tall. Going back the other way, multiply metres by 100: a 3.6 m ceiling is 360 cm.
What is a centimeter?
A centimeter is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one-hundredth of a meter or 0.01 meters.
What is a meter?
A meter is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 100 centimeters or approximately 39.3701 inches.
Common centimeters to meters conversions
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