You're standing in a doctor’s office or filling out a dating profile and that one number pops up: five foot eight. It sounds simple. Most people just want a quick answer so they can move on with their day. If that’s you, here it is: 5 8 in cm is exactly 172.72 centimeters. But honestly? Nobody says "one hundred seventy-two point seven two" in real life. Most people just round it to 173 cm and call it a day. But if you’re looking at medical records or tailoring a suit, those fractions actually start to matter.
The math behind it is pretty straightforward once you stop trying to do it all in your head. One inch is defined as exactly 2.54 centimeters. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, five feet equals 60 inches. Add the extra eight inches, and you’re looking at 68 inches total. Multiply 68 by 2.54. There you go. 172.72.
It’s weirdly specific.
The Weird Psychology of Being 5 8
In the United States, 5'8" is just a hair below the average height for an adult male, which usually sits around 5'9". This puts you in a bit of a "height purgatory." You aren't short, but you aren't "tall" by modern social media standards. Interestingly, if you go to Japan or parts of Southeast Asia, 173 cm is actually quite tall. It’s all about perspective.
Context is everything.
Have you ever noticed how height "grows" on the internet? If you look at celebrity data, a guy who is 171 cm will almost always claim he is 5 8 in cm because 173 sounds better than 170. It’s the same reason 5'11" guys claim they are 6 feet. There is a strange social pressure to round up to the nearest milestone.
How the Metric Conversion Actually Works
If you want to be a stickler for the math—and if you’re doing construction or science, you definitely should be—you have to use the international yard and pound agreement of 1959. Before that, inches were slightly different depending on which country you were in. Can you imagine the chaos? Now, the world agrees.
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1 inch = 2.54 cm.
Let's break down the 5'8" calculation again, slowly.
$5 \text{ feet} \times 12 \text{ inches/foot} = 60 \text{ inches}$
$60 \text{ inches} + 8 \text{ inches} = 68 \text{ inches}$
$68 \times 2.54 = 172.72 \text{ cm}$
If you are using a measuring tape in Europe, you’ll see the tick marks for millimeters. That .72 means you are almost at the three-quarter mark of that last centimeter. It's tiny. It’s the thickness of a few credit cards stacked together.
Why hospitals might get it "wrong"
Go to a hospital and they might record you as 172 cm or 173 cm. Why? Because humans shrink throughout the day. Your spinal discs compress as you walk around. You are literally taller when you wake up than when you go to bed. A nurse measuring you at 4:00 PM might see 172 cm, while a morning measurement might hit that 172.72 cm mark perfectly.
Comparing 173 cm to the Rest of the World
In the UK and the US, we’re still stuck in the imperial system for height, mostly because of tradition. But the rest of the world has moved on. If you travel to Germany or Brazil and tell someone you are five-eight, they might look at you like you're speaking a dead language.
In those places, people think in blocks of ten. 170 cm is the baseline. 175 cm is the next "tier." Being 173 cm (the rounded version of 5 8 in cm) puts you right in the middle.
- In the Netherlands, the average male height is over 182 cm. You’ll feel short there.
- In Bolivia, the average is closer to 160 cm. You’ll feel like a giant.
- In the fashion world, 173 cm is often the bare minimum height for certain types of female modeling, though runway usually demands 175 cm+.
Real-World Applications for 172.72 cm
It's not just about ego. Knowing your height in centimeters is vital for things you might not expect.
Ergonomics is a huge one. If you’re buying a high-end office chair like a Herman Miller, they categorize their sizes (A, B, or C) based on your height in centimeters and your weight. A person who is 5 8 in cm usually falls right into the "Size B" category. If you get the wrong one, your lower back will let you know within a week.
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Then there’s the airline industry. If you’ve ever wondered why some people look so miserable in economy class, it’s because seat pitch is often designed for the "average" person. At 173 cm, you usually have just enough legroom to be comfortable. If you were even two inches taller, your knees would be hitting the tray table.
Tailoring and Fitness
If you’re buying clothes from brands like ASOS or Zara, you’ll notice their size guides are almost always written in centimeters first. A 173 cm frame usually fits a "Regular" length pant. However, "Short" lengths in many brands are designed for anyone under 175 cm.
In the gym, your height changes your leverages. A person who is 5'8" often has a mechanical advantage in movements like the bench press or the squat compared to someone who is 6'5". Shorter limbs mean the bar has a shorter distance to travel. It's one of the reasons many elite powerlifters aren't actually that tall. They are just incredibly dense and efficient at 170-175 cm.
The Conversion Factor: Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake people make is trying to divide by 2.5 instead of 2.54. It seems like a small difference, but over 68 inches, that error adds up.
Using 2.5: $68 \times 2.5 = 170 \text{ cm}$
Using 2.54: $68 \times 2.54 = 172.72 \text{ cm}$
That’s a 2.72 cm difference! That’s over an inch of "lost" height just because of bad math. If you’re trying to meet a height requirement for the military or a police force, that's the difference between qualifying and being sent home.
Making the Switch Permanently
While the US persists with feet and inches, the metric system is objectively better for precision. There’s a reason NASA uses it. There’s a reason your medicine is measured in milligrams and milliliters. Centimeters offer a level of granularity that "five foot eight" just can't touch.
If you're tracking your child's growth, centimeters are way more rewarding. You can see a 1 cm growth spurt much more easily than waiting for them to clear another half-inch.
So, next time someone asks how tall you are, or you're filling out a form for an international visa, remember that 5 8 in cm is 172.72. Call it 173 if you're feeling confident. Call it 172 if you're feeling humble. Just don't call it 170.
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Practical Steps for Your Next Measurement
Stop guessing. If you need this measurement for something official, do it right.
- Stand against a flat wall with your heels touching the baseboard. No shoes. No socks.
- Use a hard, flat object—like a hardcover book—and place it flat on your head, pushing it against the wall.
- Mark the bottom of the book with a pencil.
- Use a metric tape measure to find the distance from the floor to that mark.
If you hit that 172.7 cm mark, you are a true 5'8". If you find you’re actually 175 cm, congratulations—you’ve been lying to yourself in the wrong direction and you’re actually nearly 5'9".
Check your passport or your driver's license. Often, these documents carry outdated information from when you were sixteen. Re-measuring in centimeters gives you a more accurate, modern data point for everything from bike sizing to calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Accurate height is the first step in accurate health tracking.
Don't rely on old gym records or what your mom told you in high school. Use a metal tape measure, get the 172.72 cm confirmation, and use that number for all your online shopping and medical forms. It saves a lot of headaches in the long run.