Centimeters to Inches (cm to in)
One centimeter is 0.3937 inches, so divide centimeters by 2.54. A 60 × 45 × 40 cm export carton is 23.62 × 17.72 × 15.75 in. US carriers round each side to a whole inch before they work out dimensional weight, so convert each side first.
1 cm = 0.39 in
inches (in)
Quick reference
How to convert centimeters to inches
To convert centimeters to inches, multiply by the conversion factor:
Divide centimeters by 2.54, or multiply by 0.3937, to get inches. Convert each side of the carton before you multiply, because US carriers measure each side in inches and round it before working out dimensional weight.
| Centimeters | Inches |
|---|---|
| 10 | 3.94 |
| 30 | 11.81 |
| 40 | 15.75 |
| 50 | 19.69 |
| 60 | 23.62 |
| 80 (Euro pallet width) | 31.50 |
| 100 | 39.37 |
| 120 (Euro pallet length) | 47.24 |
| 235 (inside width of a container) | 92.52 |
Supplier cartons in cm, US carriers in inches
Packing lists from metric countries give carton sizes in centimeters, but US parcel and LTL pricing works in inches. Divide each side by 2.54. A 60 × 45 × 40 cm export carton is 23.62 × 17.72 × 15.75 in, or 6,592 in³, which is about 47.4 lb of dimensional weight at the 139 divisor.
Carriers also round each side to a whole inch before they work out dimensional weight (USPS always rounds up), so that 60 cm side is billed as 24 in. That nudges the billed weight up a little compared with the raw math.
Container and pallet sizes in inches
A few values cover most freight paperwork: 100 cm is 39.37 in, and 120 cm, the length of a Euro pallet, is 47.24 in. The inside of a 20ft container is 590 × 235 × 239 cm, or about 232 × 92.5 × 94 in, and its door opening is 234 × 228 cm, about 92 × 90 in.
Two Euro pallets placed long side across need 240 cm, more than the 235 cm inside a container. So in a container they go in side by side on their short 80 cm sides.
Metric pallet sizes in inches
The ISO's standard pallet sizes are all set in millimeters. In inches, the Euro pallet (1,200 × 800 mm) is 47.24 × 31.50 in, the 1,200 × 1,000 mm pallet is 47.24 × 39.37 in, the Asian 1,100 × 1,100 mm pallet is 43.31 in square, and the Australian 1,165 × 1,165 mm pallet is 45.87 in square.
None of them is exactly the US 48 × 40 in pallet, so check the footprint before you plan racking or a trailer load around a metric pallet.
Frequently asked questions
What is 1 cm in inches?
0.3937 in, exactly 1 ÷ 2.54. Ten centimeters is 3.94 in, and a meter is 39.37 in.
How do I convert cm³ to cubic inches?
Divide by 16.387, which is 2.54 × 2.54 × 2.54. A 6,000 cm³ carton is about 366 in³.
Do carriers round a carton's inches before billing?
Yes. USPS rounds each side up to the next whole inch, and UPS and FedEx round too (their own pages differ on up or nearest). So a 60 cm side, 23.62 in, is usually billed as 24 in.