Convert Kilometer to Foot
Convert kilometers to feet instantly. 1 kilometer = 3280.8398950131 foot — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a conversion table and worked examples. Also check the Foot to Kilometer converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
Kilometer
A kilometer is a metric unit of length equal to one thousand meters. It is the standard unit for measuring road distances, geographic distances, and other large-scale measurements in metric countries.
The kilometer was defined alongside the meter in 1795 using the standard SI prefix kilo- (from Greek chilioi, "thousand"), denoting one thousand units.
Kilometers are used worldwide (except the United States and a few others) for road signage, geographic distance, athletic events, and scientific distances at planetary scale. Speed limits in most countries are given in km/h.
Adopted 1795 in France as part of the original metric system; the kilometer became the global standard for road and geographic distance through the 19th and 20th century metric adoption.
Foot
A foot is an Imperial and US customary unit of length equal to 12 inches or exactly 0.3048 meters. It is the most commonly used unit of length in everyday measurement in the United States.
The foot's origin is literally the length of a human foot, used as a measurement standard since antiquity. The English foot was standardized at various points in history; the modern international foot (0.3048 m exactly) was fixed by the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.
Feet are used in the US for body height, building dimensions, room sizes, road sign clearances, aviation altitude (feet above sea level), and most everyday distance estimation. The UK uses feet informally for height despite officially being metric.
Used since antiquity; standardized to 0.3048 m exactly by the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959. Aviation worldwide uses feet for altitude despite metric adoption elsewhere.
Kilometer to Foot conversion formula
The relationship between kilometers and feet:
To convert kilometers to feet, multiply the value in kilometers by 3280.8398950131. To reverse, multiply feet by 0.0003048.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in feet updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Foot to Kilometer converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert kilometers to feet
- Write down the value in kilometers (km).
- Multiply that value by the factor 3280.8398950131.
- The product is the equivalent value in feet (ft).
- To reverse, multiply the foot value by 0.0003048.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 km to ft:
1 × 3280.8398950131 = 3280.8398950131 ft
Example 2 — Convert 100 km to ft:
100 × 3280.8398950131 = 328083.9895013123 ft
Real-world example — Five-kilometre race distance
A 5-km race equals 16,404.2 ft. Race directors in metric countries handling US-based fitness-tracker integrations convert km to ft for the user-facing dashboard.
5 km × 3280.8398950131 = 16404.1994750656 ft
Real-world example — Skyscraper-class heights
A 500-m (0.5-km) skyscraper equals 1,640.42 ft. Architects and engineers translating between Asian metric-system buildings and US-spec equivalents do this conversion at every stage of the project.
0.5 km × 3280.8398950131 = 1640.4199475066 ft
Real-world example — One-kilometre run in feet
A 1-km run equals 3,280.84 feet. US fitness apps converting metric race distances into imperial step counts use km-to-ft constantly because the user's pedometer cites step length in feet.
1 km × 3280.8398950131 = 3280.8398950131 ft
Kilometer to Foot conversion table
Standard reference values for converting kilometers to feet:
| Kilometer [km] | Foot [ft] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 | 32.8083989501 |
| 0.1 | 328.0839895013 |
| 1 | 3280.8398950131 |
| 2 | 6561.6797900262 |
| 3 | 9842.5196850394 |
| 4 | 13123.3595800525 |
| 5 | 16404.1994750656 |
| 10 | 32808.3989501312 |
| 20 | 65616.7979002625 |
| 30 | 98425.1968503937 |
| 40 | 131233.5958005249 |
| 50 | 164041.9947506562 |
| 100 | 328083.9895013123 |
| 500 | 1640419.9475065616 |
| 1000 | 3280839.8950131233 |
Frequently asked questions
How many feet is 1 kilometer?
How do I convert kilometers to feet?
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How many feet is 100 kilometers?
Popular length unit conversions
Convert Kilometer to other length units
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Metric / SI (17 units)
Imperial / US Customary (27 units)
Nautical (1 units)
Astronomical (9 units)
Atomic / Physics (6 units)
Typographic (3 units)
Sources & references
Conversion factor (1 km = 3280.8398950131 ft) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- NIST — Refinement of values for the yard and pound (Federal Register 1959)
The treaty (signed by US
- International Astronomical Union — System of Astronomical Constants
The IAU defines astronomical units including the AU (149597870700 m exactly) light-year and parsec used in astronomy and astrophysics.