Convert feet (survey) to feet

Explanation

From this page you can convert feet (survey) to feet (or sft to ft) simply, by using the application above.

In case you are wondering, to convert from feet (survey) to feet you need to multiply by 1. This factor is calculated using the respective definitions of the two units you can find below.

Formula

1 sft≈1 ft

feet (survey)sft

dimension	length
system	U.S. customary units (USCS)
symbol	sft

The survey foot (sft) is a unit of length used only in the United States.

Definition of the survey foot

One survey foot is equal to ¹²⁰⁰⁄₃₉₈₇ of a meter.

NIST Handbook 44 Specifications: Appendix C p. C-10

Survey length units

link	li
foot	sft
rod	rd	25 links
chain	ch	4 rods or 66 feet
furlong	fur	10 chains
mile	mi	8 furlongs
league	lea	3 miles

The United States Survey Units

In 1959, the International yard and pound agreement defined the international yard as exactly 0.9144 meter. Since a yard is three feet, the international foot was therefore 0.3048 meter.

At the time, for all survey purposes, the U.S. used a foot defined as 1200/3937 meter. This definition was kept and the unit renamed the survey foot.

The difference between the survey foot and the international foot is only of two parts per billions. An international foot is equal to 0.999998 survey feet. Whilst of no consequence for most use cases, this difference can become problematic in surveying where distances can be measured in hundreds of miles.

The other survey units being based on this survey foot they are also slightly bigger than their respective international counterpart.

feetft

dimension	length
symbol	ft, '

The foot (ft, ') is a unit of length in the international mass and length units.

Definition of the foot

One foot is defined as ¹⁄₃ of a yard.

From the Weights and Measures Act of 1985: Measurement of length

Value in terms of the SI

One foot is equivalent to 0.3048 meters.

History

The foot is another unit based on the human body. It has historically been used in multiple unit systems, namely the Greek, Roman, French, English and Chinese. Its size could vary a lot between those systems.

Equivalences

One foot is also equivalent to:

Some Facts

The Concorde service ceiling was 60000 feet, while most current commercial flights fly somewhere around 40000 feet. A very high cruise altitude was necessary to reduce drag and allow for supersonic speed.

International length units

inch	in
foot	ft	12 inches
yard	yd	3 feet
chain	ch	22 yards
furlong	fur	10 chains
mile	mi	8 furlongs
league	lea	3 miles

The International Mass and Length Units

The International Mass and Length Units are units based on the international yard and the international pound.

They were created in 1959 when Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America agreed upon a common definition of the yard and the pound.