The short answer: 172 centimeters comes to 5 ft 7.7 in. That is 172 multiplied by 0.03280839895, the factor fixed by definition, carried to full precision before anything is rounded for display.
At 172 cm — 1.72 m — a BMI of 18.5 to 25, the band the WHO calls healthy, runs from 54.7 to 74 kg (121 to 163 lb). BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, so those figures come straight from the height on this page rather than from a chart.
Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 30 instead of using the exact factor 0.03280839895. At 172 that shortcut gives 5.7333333 feet, off by 0.09029 feet or about 1.60%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
The formula
172 cm- The quantity being converted
0.03280839895- Exact feet in one centimeter
5.643044619 ft- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Start with 172 centimeters.
- Scale it by 0.03280839895 — that is how many feet fit in a single centimeter.
- That gives 5.64304461942 feet, or 5 ft 7.7 in.
- The reverse works the same way with division: 5.643044619 ft ÷ 0.03280839895 = 172 cm.
Worked examples
The conversion itself
172 cm × 0.03280839895 = 5.64304461942 ft (5 ft 7.7 in). One multiplication, with no rounding until the value reaches the screen.
The sanity check
Divide the answer back: 5.643044619 ft ÷ 0.03280839895 returns 172 cm. If a converter fails this test it has inverted the factor, which is the single most common conversion error there is.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
What is 172 centimeters in feet and inches?
172 centimeters is exactly 5 ft 7.7 in. Carried to full precision that is 5.64304461942 feet.
How do you convert centimeters to feet?
One step: multiply the centimeter figure by 0.03280839895. Here that is 172 × 0.03280839895 = 5.643044619 feet.
What is 5.643044619 feet back in centimeters?
Divide by 0.03280839895, or multiply by 30.48 — either returns 172 centimeters.
How much is 172 cm in practice?
At 172 cm — 1.72 m — a BMI of 18.5 to 25, the band the WHO calls healthy, runs from 54.7 to 74 kg (121 to 163 lb). BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, so those figures come straight from the height on this page rather than from a chart. The reference table shows the values either side of it for comparison.
What is a centimeter?
One hundredth of a metre, and the everyday metric unit for body measurements and paper sizes.
What is a foot?
Twelve inches, or exactly 0.3048 metres — still standard for human height and aviation altitude in the US.
172 cm in feet — nearby values
| Centimeters | Feet | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 166 cm | 5 ft 5.4 in | 5.446194226 |
| 167 cm | 5 ft 5.7 in | 5.479002625 |
| 168 cm | 5 ft 6.1 in | 5.511811024 |
| 169 cm | 5 ft 6.5 in | 5.544619423 |
| 170 cm | 5 ft 6.9 in | 5.577427822 |
| 171 cm | 5 ft 7.3 in | 5.61023622 |
| 172 cm | 5 ft 7.7 in | 5.643044619 |
| 173 cm | 5 ft 8.1 in | 5.675853018 |
| 174 cm | 5 ft 8.5 in | 5.708661417 |
| 175 cm | 5 ft 8.9 in | 5.741469816 |
| 176 cm | 5 ft 9.3 in | 5.774278215 |
| 177 cm | 5 ft 9.7 in | 5.807086614 |
| 178 cm | 5 ft 10.1 in | 5.839895013 |
Exact factor: 1 centimeter = 0.0328083989501 feet. The row for 172 cm is the value this page is about.