Convert Foot to Fathom
1 foot = 0.1666667 fathom (ftm). For example, 10 foot = 1.666667 fathom and 100 foot = 16.66667 fathom. Type any value below to convert foot to fathom both ways — it runs entirely in your browser.
Quick answer: Foot to Fathom
1 Foot = 0.1666667 Fathom (ft → ftm). To convert foot to fathom, multiply by 0.1666667. To convert fathom to foot, multiply by 6. The converter at the top does this instantly and both ways; the sections below give the formula, worked examples, a full conversion chart and answers to the most common foot-to-fathom questions.
How to convert Foot to Fathom
To convert foot to fathom, multiply the number of foot by the conversion factor 0.1666667, because 1 ft = 0.1666667 ftm. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 ftm = 6 ft, so you divide by 0.1666667 (or multiply by 6) to turn fathom back into foot.
ftm = ft × 0.1666667 ·
ft = ftm × 6
- Write down the value you want to convert, in foot.
- Multiply it by 0.1666667.
- The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in fathom.
Foot to Fathom — worked examples
Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 foot is 0.8333333 fathom because 5 ft × 0.1666667 = 0.8333333 ftm.
| Foot | Calculation | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ft | 1 ft × 0.1666667 = 0.1666667 ftm | 0.1666667 ftm |
| 2 ft | 2 ft × 0.1666667 = 0.3333333 ftm | 0.3333333 ftm |
| 3 ft | 3 ft × 0.1666667 = 0.5 ftm | 0.5 ftm |
| 5 ft | 5 ft × 0.1666667 = 0.8333333 ftm | 0.8333333 ftm |
| 7 ft | 7 ft × 0.1666667 = 1.166667 ftm | 1.166667 ftm |
| 10 ft | 10 ft × 0.1666667 = 1.666667 ftm | 1.666667 ftm |
| 12 ft | 12 ft × 0.1666667 = 2 ftm | 2 ftm |
| 15 ft | 15 ft × 0.1666667 = 2.5 ftm | 2.5 ftm |
| 20 ft | 20 ft × 0.1666667 = 3.333333 ftm | 3.333333 ftm |
| 25 ft | 25 ft × 0.1666667 = 4.166667 ftm | 4.166667 ftm |
| 50 ft | 50 ft × 0.1666667 = 8.333333 ftm | 8.333333 ftm |
| 100 ft | 100 ft × 0.1666667 = 16.66667 ftm | 16.66667 ftm |
Common Foot to Fathom conversions
These are the foot-to-fathom values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:
- 1 foot = 0.1666667 fathom
- 2 foot = 0.3333333 fathom
- 2.5 foot = 0.4166667 fathom
- 3 foot = 0.5 fathom
- 4 foot = 0.6666667 fathom
- 5 foot = 0.8333333 fathom
- 6 foot = 1 fathom
- 7 foot = 1.166667 fathom
- 8 foot = 1.333333 fathom
- 9 foot = 1.5 fathom
- 10 foot = 1.666667 fathom
- 12 foot = 2 fathom
- 15 foot = 2.5 fathom
- 20 foot = 3.333333 fathom
- 25 foot = 4.166667 fathom
- 30 foot = 5 fathom
- 50 foot = 8.333333 fathom
- 75 foot = 12.5 fathom
- 100 foot = 16.66667 fathom
- 200 foot = 33.33333 fathom
- 500 foot = 83.33333 fathom
- 1000 foot = 166.6667 fathom
Foot to Fathom conversion chart (both directions)
The chart below converts foot to fathom and fathom to foot side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 foot = 0.1666667 fathom, and 1 fathom = 6 foot.
| Foot → Fathom | Fathom → Foot |
|---|---|
| 0.25 ft = 0.04166667 ftm | 0.25 ftm = 1.5 ft |
| 0.5 ft = 0.08333333 ftm | 0.5 ftm = 3 ft |
| 1 ft = 0.1666667 ftm | 1 ftm = 6 ft |
| 2 ft = 0.3333333 ftm | 2 ftm = 12 ft |
| 3 ft = 0.5 ftm | 3 ftm = 18 ft |
| 4 ft = 0.6666667 ftm | 4 ftm = 24 ft |
| 5 ft = 0.8333333 ftm | 5 ftm = 30 ft |
| 6 ft = 1 ftm | 6 ftm = 36 ft |
| 7 ft = 1.166667 ftm | 7 ftm = 42 ft |
| 8 ft = 1.333333 ftm | 8 ftm = 48 ft |
| 9 ft = 1.5 ftm | 9 ftm = 54 ft |
| 10 ft = 1.666667 ftm | 10 ftm = 60 ft |
| 12 ft = 2 ftm | 12 ftm = 72 ft |
| 15 ft = 2.5 ftm | 15 ftm = 90 ft |
| 20 ft = 3.333333 ftm | 20 ftm = 120 ft |
| 25 ft = 4.166667 ftm | 25 ftm = 150 ft |
| 30 ft = 5 ftm | 30 ftm = 180 ft |
| 40 ft = 6.666667 ftm | 40 ftm = 240 ft |
| 50 ft = 8.333333 ftm | 50 ftm = 300 ft |
| 75 ft = 12.5 ftm | 75 ftm = 450 ft |
| 100 ft = 16.66667 ftm | 100 ftm = 600 ft |
| 150 ft = 25 ftm | 150 ftm = 900 ft |
| 200 ft = 33.33333 ftm | 200 ftm = 1,200 ft |
| 250 ft = 41.66667 ftm | 250 ftm = 1,500 ft |
| 500 ft = 83.33333 ftm | 500 ftm = 3,000 ft |
| 1000 ft = 166.6667 ftm | 1000 ftm = 6,000 ft |
Foot vs Fathom: which is bigger?
A fathom is the larger unit: one fathom equals 6 foots. Put another way, you need 6 foots to make a single fathom.
What is a Foot? History, origin and usage
The foot is one of the most ancient units, based on the length of a human foot, and appeared in the Greek, Roman, Chinese and English systems with values ranging from about 250 to 335 mm. The English foot was eventually fixed at 12 inches, and since the 1959 international agreement it equals exactly 0.3048 metres.
The foot is still used in the US and UK for human height, building dimensions and, worldwide, aviation altitudes, since pilots almost everywhere report altitude in feet. It divides into 12 inches, and three feet make a yard.
Aircraft altitudes are measured in feet even in fully metric countries, a legacy of aviation's English-speaking origins. Historically the foot's length differed not only between countries but sometimes between trades within a single city.
What is a Fathom? History, origin and usage
The fathom comes from the Old English faedm, meaning 'outstretched arms' or 'embrace', because it was originally the span of a large man's arms held wide, about six feet. The word's deeper roots mean 'to spread', and from around 1600 'to fathom' also came to mean to take soundings, and figuratively to understand something fully.
The fathom is the traditional unit for water depth in seafaring and still appears on many nautical charts, though metres are now the standard. Six feet make one fathom.
The phrase 'to fathom' a problem comes directly from sailors measuring depth with a knotted, weighted line. Mark Twain took his pen name from the riverboat leadsman's call 'mark twain', meaning two fathoms of safe water.
Convert 1 Foot to other units
It can help to see a foot next to the other units it is commonly compared with. One foot (ft) is equal to:
| 1 Foot equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 0.0003048 km | Kilometre |
| 0.3048 m | Metre |
| 3.048 dm | Decimetre |
| 30.48 cm | Centimetre |
| 304.8 mm | Millimetre |
| 304,800 µm | Micrometre |
| 0.0001893939 mi | Mile |
| 0.3333333 yd | Yard |
| 12 in | Inch |
| 0.0001645788 nmi | Nautical Mile |
| 0.001515152 fur | Furlong |
| 0.01515152 ch | Chain |
| 1.515152 li | Link |
| 0.06060606 rd | Rod |
| 0.06060606 pole | Pole |
| 0.1666667 ftm | Fathom |
| 3 hand | Hand |
| 1.333333 span | Span |
| 2.666667 finger | Finger |
| 0.6666667 cubit | Cubit |
| 0.05 rope | Rope |
| 0.16764 ken | Ken |
| 0.00006313131 lea | League |
| 864 pt | Point |
| 2.0375e-12 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 3.2217e-17 ly | Light-year |
| 0.03048 dam | Decametre |
| 0.003048 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.00005485961 nl | Nautical League |
Convert 1 Fathom to other units
One fathom (ftm) is equal to:
| 1 Fathom equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 0.0018288 km | Kilometre |
| 1.8288 m | Metre |
| 18.288 dm | Decimetre |
| 182.88 cm | Centimetre |
| 1,828.8 mm | Millimetre |
| 1,828,800 µm | Micrometre |
| 0.001136364 mi | Mile |
| 2 yd | Yard |
| 6 ft | Foot |
| 72 in | Inch |
| 0.000987473 nmi | Nautical Mile |
| 0.009090909 fur | Furlong |
| 0.09090909 ch | Chain |
| 9.090909 li | Link |
| 0.3636364 rd | Rod |
| 0.3636364 pole | Pole |
| 18 hand | Hand |
| 8 span | Span |
| 16 finger | Finger |
| 4 cubit | Cubit |
| 0.3 rope | Rope |
| 1.00584 ken | Ken |
| 0.0003787879 lea | League |
| 5,184 pt | Point |
| 1.2225e-11 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 1.933e-16 ly | Light-year |
| 0.18288 dam | Decametre |
| 0.018288 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.0003291577 nl | Nautical League |
Tips for converting Foot to Fathom
- To go from foot to fathom, multiply by 0.1666667; to go back, divide by 0.1666667 (or multiply by 6).
- For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 foot ≈ 0.1666667 fathom, so 10 foot ≈ 1.666667 fathom.
- The converter above keeps full precision; the tables round for readability, so use the tool for exact figures.
- Both fields update live as you type — change either side to convert in that direction.
How to use this Foot to Fathom converter
Type a number into the Foot field and the equivalent in Fathom appears instantly — there is no “convert” button to press and nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded and is safe for any data. You can also type into the Fathom field to convert the other way (fathom to foot). Use the swap control to flip the two units, and copy the result with a single click. Because the calculation runs in your browser with full floating-point precision, the converter is more exact than the rounded figures shown in the reference chart above — use the chart for quick look-ups and the tool for precise work.
Accuracy and method
Every figure on this page — the formula, the worked examples, the conversion chart and the “convert to other units” tables — is computed from a single verified conversion factor (1 ft = 0.1666667 ftm), never copied from a hand-typed lookup table that could drift. That factor is derived from each unit’s definition in terms of a common base unit, and an automated check re-verifies all of the site’s factors on every update, so the numbers here stay correct over time. This matters for foot-to-fathom conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.
The metric units (km, m, cm, mm, µm) are exact by definition, and the imperial units (mile, yard, foot, inch, nautical mile) use their exact international values. Traditional units (hand, span, finger, cubit, rod/pole, link, rope, ken, league) are given at their commonly accepted standard sizes — historical local values sometimes differed, so confirm against a primary source before relying on them for legal or historical work.
Frequently asked questions
- How many fathom are in 1 foot?
- 1 foot = 0.1666667 fathom (ftm). To convert any number of foot to fathom, multiply by 0.1666667.
- How do I convert foot to fathom?
- Multiply the number of foot by 0.1666667. For example, 10 foot = 10 × 0.1666667 = 1.666667 fathom, and 25 foot = 4.166667 fathom.
- How many foot are in 1 fathom?
- 1 fathom = 6 foot. So to convert fathom back to foot, multiply by 6.
- What is the formula to convert foot to fathom?
- fathom = foot × 0.1666667. The reverse formula is foot = fathom × 6.
- How much is 100 foot in fathom?
- 100 foot = 16.66667 fathom. (And 1000 foot = 166.6667 fathom.)
- Which is bigger, a foot or a fathom?
- A fathom is larger: 1 fathom = 6 foot.
- Is this foot to fathom converter accurate?
- Yes — every value is computed from the exact 0.1666667 ftm per ft factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.
- Can I convert fathom to foot too?
- Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 fathom = 6 foot.