Length
Metres, kilometres, inches, feet, yards, statute and nautical miles, and old Castilian measures.
Tool
Tools › Unit converters
How it is calculated
The value is converted to metres and from there to every unit. Exact by definition: 1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 ft = 12 in = 0.3048 m, 1 yd = 3 ft = 0.9144 m, 1 mi = 1760 yd = 1609.344 m, 1 nautical mile = 1852 m.
Worked by hand: 6 ft 2 in = 74 in × 25.4 mm = 1879.6 mm ≈ 1.88 m.
Keep in mind
- Castilian measures varied from city to city. This uses the Burgos vara (0.835905 m), official from 1801: 1 vara = 3 feet = 4 palms. The league had several definitions; the 20,000-foot league is about 5.57 km, and the “legal league” of 5000 varas about 4.18 km.
- Measuring without instruments: a normal adult pace is about 0.75 m, an open hand span about 20-23 cm and a thumb width around 2.5 cm. Calibrate your own body measures against a known reference before relying on them.