30 cm to inches

How to convert 30 cm to inches

An inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters, so divide:

30 cm ÷ 2.54 = 11.811 in ≈ 11.81 in

The converter above starts at 30 cm and also shows the length to the nearest sixteenth of an inch, the way a U.S. tape measure is marked: 11 13/16 in. For other lengths, use the full cm to inches converter; to go the other way, inches to cm.

30 cm is a little under a foot

A foot is 12 inches, and 12 inches is 30.48 cm, so 30 cm falls 4.8 mm short of a foot. That is why a metric school ruler, marked to 30 cm, is slightly shorter than a U.S. 12-inch ruler, and why the two scales drift apart along their length: at the 30 cm mark the inch scale reads 11 13/16, not 12. For a quick estimate, 30 cm and one foot are the same; for a part that must fit an opening, the 4.8 mm matters. A frame sold as 30 cm and one sold as 12 inches will not take each other’s glass or mat without trimming.

Nearby lengths

From 25 to 35 cm, with the nearest sixteenth of an inch:

Reading a U.S. tape measure: the long marks are inches, the next longest half-inches, then quarters, eighths and sixteenths. 11 13/16 in is the sixteenth mark three steps before 12. If your tape shows millimeters on one edge, 30 cm is the 300 mm mark, which is easier to hit exactly.

To convert several sizes from a metric pattern or a parts list, open Convert a list of values and paste the centimeters one per line; the CSV gives each in inches. For feet and inches together, see cm to feet and inches.

What is about 30 cm long?

Pizzas, skillets and cake pans sold as 30 cm in Europe match 12-inch ones in the U.S. closely enough for any recipe; the area differs by about 3%. A 30 cm ruler is the usual length for metric rulers, as 12 inches is for U.S. ones. A 30 cm shelf, board or tile is 11 13/16 in on a tape measure: order it as 12 inches and expect 4.8 mm to spare, or a 3/16 in gap at the end.