Feet to cm
5'8" in cm
5'8" is 172.7 cm (1.73 meters).
- Centimeters
- 172.7 cm
- Meters
- 1.73 m
- Total inches
- 68
- Feet / inches
- 5'8"
5'8" next to the average man and woman
The chart is preloaded with these heights. Rename them, add more people or switch units — it is the full comparison tool.
How to convert 5'8" to centimeters
Multiply the feet by 30.48 and the inches by 2.54, then add the two:
5 × 30.48 + 8 × 2.54 = 152.4 + 20.32 = 172.72 cm
Is the conversion exact?
Yes. The international inch has been defined as exactly 2.54 cm since 1959, so 5'8" is exactly 172.72 cm with no rounding in the conversion itself. Rounded to one decimal place that is 172.7 cm, and to the nearest whole centimeter 173 cm.
5'8" in other units
| Unit | 5'8" |
|---|---|
| Centimeters | 172.72 |
| Meters | 1.727 |
| Millimeters | 1,727 |
| Total inches | 68 |
| Feet (decimal) | 5.667 |
5'8" in everyday terms
- 5'8" is 81.3 cm taller than a standard kitchen counter (91.4 cm).
- 5'8" is 30.5 cm shorter than a standard interior door (203.2 cm).
- 5'8" is 71.1 cm shorter than a standard 8-foot ceiling (243.8 cm).
- 5'8" is 132.1 cm shorter than a basketball rim (304.8 cm).
These reference heights are typical values for buildings and fittings in the US; the chart above draws 5'8" on the same scale as any of them if you add them from the Objects tab.
How 5'8" ranks among adults
5'8" is taller than about 37% of adult men and 95% of adult women in the US.
Percentiles are estimated from the CDC averages, assuming heights follow a normal distribution with a standard deviation of about 7.6 cm for men and 7.1 cm for women. Real distributions differ slightly at the extremes.
Heights near 5'8"
Every inch adds 2.54 cm, so 5'7" is 170.2 cm and 5'9" is 175.3 cm.
Compared with average heights
- 5'8" is 2.6 cm shorter than the average US man (175.3 cm).
- 5'8" is 11.4 cm taller than the average US woman (161.3 cm).
Averages: CDC anthropometric reference data for US adults, 2015–2018.
How to measure 5'8" accurately at home
If you want to check whether you really are 5'8", a careful home measurement is accurate to within about half a centimeter:
- Measure in the morning, barefoot, standing on a hard floor rather than carpet.
- Stand with your heels, buttocks, shoulders and the back of your head touching a wall, and look straight ahead.
- Have someone rest a hardcover book or a set square flat on your head, square against the wall, and mark the wall underneath it.
- Measure from the floor to the mark with a metal tape, and repeat two or three times; use the average.
Frequently asked questions
How many centimeters is 5'8"?
5'8" is exactly 172.72 cm, which rounds to 172.7 cm.
Is 5'8" tall?
5'8" is 2.6 cm shorter than the average US man (175.3 cm). 5'8" is 11.4 cm taller than the average US woman (161.3 cm).
What percentage of adults are shorter than 5'8"?
5'8" is taller than about 37% of adult men and 95% of adult women in the US.
What is 5'8" in meters?
5'8" is 1.73 meters, or 1,727 millimeters.