5 7 in cm: 170.18 cm + US Height Chart

Five foot seven inches equals 170.18 centimeters—but that single number carries different weight depending on who’s measuring and where they’re from. For American men, this height falls slightly below the national average; for American women, it places them well above most of their peers.

5’7″ exact cm: 170.18 cm · 5’6″ in cm: 167.64 cm · 5’8″ in cm: 172.72 cm · Average US male height: 175.3 cm · Average US female height: 161.5 cm

Five key measurements anchor this guide: the core conversion, total inches, and three percentile comparisons drawn from government health data.

How many centimeters is 5’7″?

Five foot seven inches converts to exactly 170.18 centimeters. This figure comes from multiplying 67 total inches by 2.54, the standard inch-to-centimeter ratio established by the international yard and pound agreement of 1959. You can verify this on any reputable conversion calculator—the math checks out whether you use Inch Calculator, The Calculator Site, or the CalculateMe.com converter, and all three return the same result.

The conversion matters more than it might seem. International medical forms, visa applications, and online shopping often require centimeters—and rounding 5’7″ to “about 170 cm” can create discrepancies when precision is expected. For example, 170.18 cm versus 170 cm is only 0.18 cm difference, roughly 1/140th of an inch, but some systems flag even tiny mismatches.

Manual conversion steps

• Multiply feet by 12 to get inches: 5 × 12 = 60 inches
• Add remaining inches: 60 + 7 = 67 inches total
• Multiply total inches by 2.54: 67 × 2.54 = 170.18 cm

The math checks out consistently because the conversion factor 2.54 is exact by definition—you’ll never get a different answer no matter which calculator you use. For mental math, rounding 67 × 2.5 gives you roughly 167.5 cm, which is close enough for casual estimates but falls 2.68 cm short of the precise figure.

Online calculator options

• Inch Calculator — shows step-by-step breakdown with formula
• The Calculator Site — includes comparison to nearby heights
• Calculator Soup — batch conversion for multiple values

Is 175 cm 5’7″ or 5’8″?

One hundred seventy-five centimeters equals approximately 5’8.9″, which most people round to 5’9″. So if you’re 175 cm, you’re closer to 5’9″ than 5’7″—and definitely not 5’7″. To understand why, work backward: 5’7″ is 170.18 cm, and adding one more inch (2.54 cm) brings you to 172.72 cm, which is 5’8″. At 175 cm, you’re sitting 4.82 cm above 5’8″, or nearly two inches above 5’7″.

The rounding pattern you’re likely seeing online—where 175 cm gets called “5’9″”—reflects how people typically handle these conversions in everyday speech. The Disabled World height chart pulls CDC data confirming the average American man measures 175.4 cm (5’9″), which is why 175 cm gets associated with that mark rather than 5’7″.

Exact breakdowns

• 175 cm ÷ 2.54 = 68.90 inches
• 68.90 inches − 60 = 8.90 inches above the 5-foot baseline
• 8.90 inches ÷ 12 = 0.74 feet beyond 5’8″
• Result: 5’8.9″ (commonly rounded to 5’9″)

Common rounding

The convention in the U.S. rounds height to the nearest half or quarter inch for casual conversation. So 5’8.9″ becomes 5’9″, 5’8.5″ stays 5’8.5″, and 5’8.75″ rounds up. This system works fine for social situations but creates confusion when exact figures appear on official forms. If a form asks for centimeters, give 170.18 for 5’7″, not a rounded estimate.

Is 5’7″ considered tall?

For American men, 5’7″ sits slightly below average. According to CDC data, the average U.S. man measures 5’9″ (69.0 inches or 175.3 cm), which means a 5’7″ man falls roughly 2 inches short of the mean. For women, the picture flips dramatically: the average American woman is 5’3.5″ (63.5 inches), making 5’7″ a full 3.5 inches above the female average. The NCHS data from 2015–2018 confirms these figures come from a nationally representative sample of adults 20 and older.

US male average

American men cluster around 5’9″ as the national average, per CDC FastStats. This places 5’7″ below the median—specifically around the 25th to 50th percentile depending on age and region. You’d be shorter than half of American men, though not dramatically so. The 85th percentile for U.S. men hits approximately 6’0″, which means 85% of American men are shorter than that mark.

US female average

A 5’7″ woman ranks well above average compared to the CDC figure of 63.5 inches for adult women. At 67 inches, she’s near the 90th percentile for American women—taller than roughly 9 out of 10 women she encounters. The 85th percentile for U.S. women reaches approximately 5’6.3″ (66.3 inches), which means 5’7″ exceeds that mark comfortably.

Global context

The global picture adds nuance. According to Our World in Data, the global mean height for men born in 1996 is 178.4 cm with a standard deviation of 7.59 cm, while women average 164.7 cm with a standard deviation of 7.07 cm. This puts 5’7″ (170.18 cm) slightly above the global female mean but well below the global male mean. The global male-female height ratio averages 1.07, meaning men stand about 7% taller than women on average worldwide.

How many cm is a 5’7″ girl?

The conversion is identical regardless of gender: 5’7″ equals 170.18 cm for anyone. Where gender becomes relevant is in how that height is perceived. For women, 5’7″ places you above approximately 90% of American women based on NCHS percentile data. If you’ve ever wondered whether that celebrity or colleague is “really” 5’7″, the answer likely depends on whether they’re a man (slightly below average) or a woman (tall by most standards).

Conversion same as male

Feet and inches don’t change based on who’s being measured. The formula (5 × 12 + 7) × 2.54 = 170.18 cm works universally. This is good news for anyone filling out international forms—the conversion is standardized. You won’t find a “male formula” versus a “female formula” anywhere, because the metric system doesn’t care about gender.

Tallness for females

Among American women, 5’7″ qualifies as notably tall. The average stands at 5’3.5″, and regional variations—Northern and Midwestern women trend 1-2 inches taller on average due to Scandinavian and Germanic ancestry—still don’t consistently reach 5’7″. A 5’7″ woman might find herself among the taller women in most rooms, particularly in the South and Southwest where averages run slightly shorter. Globally, 170.18 cm exceeds the international female mean of 164.7 cm by 5.48 cm.

Is 168 cm almost 5’7″?

One hundred sixty-eight centimeters equals 5’6.1″, which is 1.9 centimeters short of 5’7″ (170.18 cm)—about 0.75 inches. Not quite “almost” if precision matters, but close enough for casual conversation where people round to the nearest inch. If you’ve seen 168 cm marketed as “5’6″” on clothing labels or height charts, that’s the source of the gap: manufacturers round down to the nearest whole number.

168 cm conversion

• 168 cm ÷ 2.54 = 66.14 inches
• 66.14 inches ÷ 12 = 5.51 feet
• 5.51 feet = 5’6.14″ (rounds to 5’6″ in casual usage)
• 168 cm is approximately 5’6.1″

Difference from 5’7″

The gap between 168 cm and 170.18 cm amounts to 2.18 cm—roughly 0.86 inches. In practical terms, you might notice this difference when standing back-to-back with someone exactly 5’7″, but many people wouldn’t catch it in passing. For sizing purposes, however, that difference can affect inseam recommendations or shirt sleeve length by half a size. The CalculateMe.com percentile calculator places 168 cm around the 5’6″ mark for men (below the 25th percentile for most populations) and well above the 50th percentile for women.

Nearby Heights: 5’5″ to 5’9″ Comparison

Eleven common heights from 5’0″ to 5’10” span a range often asked on forms, discussed in medical contexts, or compared in clothing sizes.

The gap from 5’6″ to 5’7″ represents just one inch (2.54 cm), but that single inch pushes women from the 70th percentile to the 85th percentile in the U.S.—a significant jump in relative standing.

US Ethnic and Regional Height Variations

Average height varies across American demographic groups, which shifts what “5’7″” means in different communities. The James L Nuzzo analysis of NCHS data breaks down these variations across racial and ethnic subgroups for adults 20 and older.

The implication: a 5’7″ man (170.18 cm) falls 5.12 cm below the national average for American men and 6.52 cm below Non-Hispanic White American men specifically. However, he nearly matches the Asian/Hispanic American male average of 67.1 inches (170.4 cm). For women, a 5’7″ person exceeds every ethnic subgroup average, making it a notably tall height regardless of background.

Confirmed versus Unclear Facts

These distinctions matter when citing sources: the confirmed facts come from multiple tier-1 and tier-2 sources, while the unclear items reflect gaps in current research that future data may resolve.

“Men in the U.S. have an average body height of 5’9” (69.0 in.) and a median (50th percentile) body height of 69.1 in.”

— James L Nuzzo (Researcher, NCHS Data Analysis)

“Women in the U.S. have an average and median (50th percentile) body height of 5’3½” (63.5 in / 161.3 cm).”

— James L Nuzzo (Researcher, NCHS Data Analysis)

“According to the CDC, the average American man over 20 is 5’9\” (175.4 cm) tall, while the average American woman is 5’3.5\” (161.5 cm).”

— Disabled World (Health Data Publisher)

Summary

Five foot seven inches converts to exactly 170.18 centimeters—a figure that places you slightly below the average American man but well above the average American woman. For anyone filling out international documents, comparing yourself to CDC height data, or simply settling a conversion debate, the precise math and percentile context give you something more useful than a number: a place on the scale. For Americans specifically, 5’7″ signals average-to-short for men and notably tall for women—a gap that reflects how differently height norms operate across genders in this country. Know your context before you round, because that 0.18 cm difference can matter more than it looks.

Related reading: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Height

Article mentions comparisons to 5’6″ and 5’8″, while the 511 in cm guide explores 5’11” at 180.34 cm with similar US averages and percentiles.

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