Construction Converter
Convert measurements for construction and home projects
You're buying materials for a renovation in a country where measurements are metric, but the plans you're working from are in feet and inches. Lumber is priced per kilogram in one market and per pound in another. You need conversions to order the right quantities and compare prices fairly.
View full converter + formula + examples →1 Foot = 0.3048 Meter
Context
Construction projects require precision, and precision breaks down when you're mixing imperial and metric systems. Architectural plans from the US are in feet and inches; specifications from Europe are in centimeters and meters. Material weights are critical—you need to know how heavy something is to ensure proper support and calculate shipping. Drywall, concrete, steel beams: they're all sold and specified differently depending on region.
Mixing systems leads to expensive mistakes: ordering materials in the wrong quantities, miscalculating structural requirements, or paying premium prices because you don't understand pricing per unit. Whether you're following international plans, sourcing materials from different countries, or working on a project in an unfamiliar region, conversion tools are essential to ensure your build is accurate, safe, and cost-effective.
All Construction Converter Conversions
Why this matters
Following US building plans in a metric country
Your blueprints specify a wall 12 feet long and 8 feet tall. Local suppliers measure in meters. You need to convert feet to meters to order drywall and lumber accurately.
Calculating room dimensions and floor area
A room is 15 feet by 12 feet. You need the square footage for flooring, but local flooring suppliers quote in square meters. You need to convert square feet to square meters to compare prices.
Ordering materials with mixed unit specifications
Building codes specify lumber dimensions in inches (e.g., 2x4), but European suppliers list in centimeters. You need to convert to ensure you're ordering compatible materials.
Calculating material weight and load capacity
A steel beam specification says it weighs 500 pounds. Local equipment rentals list weight limits in kilograms. You need to convert to ensure your equipment can handle the material.
Frequently asked
Plans say the wall is 10 feet long, but I need the metric measurement. How many meters? →
10 feet is approximately 3.05 meters. Use [Feet to Meters](/length/feet-to-meters/) for any dimension. For construction, precision matters—framing lumber, drywall sheets, and trim are all sized in specific increments, so exact conversion is important.
I need tile that's 1.5 inches square, but the supplier lists in centimeters. What's the metric size? →
1.5 inches is approximately 3.81 centimeters. Use [Inches to Centimeters](/length/inches-to-centimeters/) for tile, hardware, and trim specifications. Most modern suppliers list both, but having the exact conversion helps ensure a perfect fit.
The floor is 18 feet by 14 feet. How many square meters is that? →
That's 252 square feet, or approximately 23.4 square meters. Use [Square Feet to Square Meters](/area/square-feet-to-square-meters/) for flooring, roofing, and siding. Flooring is often priced per square meter, so knowing the exact area helps you estimate costs.
A brick weighs 4.5 pounds. How many kilograms is that? →
4.5 pounds is approximately 2 kilograms. Use [Pounds to Kilograms](/weight/lbs-to-kg/) for material weights. Knowing weight is critical for calculating structural load, determining how many bricks your foundation can support, and estimating delivery weight.
Concrete is 150 pounds per cubic foot. What's that in kg per cubic meter? →
Concrete at 150 lbs/ft³ is approximately 2,400 kg/m³. This is a more complex conversion (volume + weight), so use [Pounds to Kilograms](/weight/lbs-to-kg/) and [Cubic Feet to Cubic Meters](/volume/cubic-feet-to-cubic-meters/) together. Concrete density is critical for load calculations.
The foundation spec says it needs to support 50,000 pounds. What's that in kilograms? →
50,000 pounds is approximately 22,680 kilograms (or about 22.7 metric tons). Use [Pounds to Kilograms](/weight/lbs-to-kg/) for structural requirements. Load capacity matters—this is not approximate; work with exact conversions when safety is involved.