You're standing in a doctor’s office or maybe you’re filling out a dating profile. You think you know your height. You’ve been five-foot-seven since high school. But then, the medical assistant slides that metal bar down on the stadiometer and says a number in centimeters that sounds totally foreign. If you’re trying to figure out 5' 7 in cm, you aren't just looking for a math equation; you’re looking for where you fit in the world.
The math is actually pretty straightforward, even if it feels clunky. To get from the imperial system to the metric world, you have to break it down. One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters. Since there are 12 inches in a foot, five feet equals 60 inches. Add those extra seven inches and you’re looking at 67 inches total. Multiply 67 by 2.54. The result is exactly 170.18 cm.
Most people just round it. They say 170 cm. Honestly, that’s fine for a casual conversation at a bar or while buying a jumpsuit online, but if you’re looking at medical records or construction specs, those decimal points actually start to matter.
Why 170.18 cm is a weirdly important threshold
Height isn't just a number. It's a social marker. In the United States, the average height for an adult male is roughly 5' 9", while the average woman sits around 5' 4". If you are 5' 7 in cm, you are in this fascinating middle ground. You’re taller than the average woman but just a bit shorter than the average man. This "in-between" status actually changes how clothes are designed and how car seats are engineered.
Have you ever noticed how some "medium" shirts feel like tents and others feel like baby tees? That's because the "fit model" for most American brands is often a 5' 10" male or a 5' 6" female. If you’re 170 cm, you’re hitting the ceiling of many "petite" ranges but barely scratching the surface of "regular" men’s sizing. It’s an awkward spot.
I once spoke with a tailor in London who told me that the most difficult height to drape a suit for isn't the really tall guy or the really short guy. It’s the 5' 7" guy. Why? Because the proportions of the torso versus the legs are usually right at a tipping point. If the jacket is a half-inch too long, you look like you’re wearing your dad’s clothes. Too short, and you look like you’ve outgrown your school uniform.
The global perspective on being five-foot-seven
If you feel "short" at 170 cm in the Netherlands, it’s because you are. The average Dutch man is nearly 183 cm (6' 0"). But take that same 170 cm frame to Southeast Asia or parts of Latin America, and suddenly you’re the tall one in the room. In countries like Vietnam or Peru, the average male height has historically hovered around 165 cm, though that’s shifting upward with better nutrition.
It’s all relative.
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- In Mexico, 170 cm is roughly the average height for men.
- In Japan, you'd be slightly above the national average for adult males.
- In Montenegro, you might feel like you're standing in a hole.
Health experts, like those at the World Health Organization (WHO), track these metrics to understand "stunting" and nutritional trends. They don't use feet and inches. They use centimeters because the metric system allows for much more granular tracking of growth charts. If a child's growth slows by 0.5 cm, it’s a data point. If you’re using inches, you might not notice a change until it’s a full quarter-inch, which is a massive leap in clinical terms.
The math you can do in your head
Most of us hate doing math on the fly. If you’re traveling and need a quick conversion for 5' 7 in cm, just remember the number 170.
Think of it this way: 5' 6" is 167.6 cm. 5' 8" is 172.7 cm. So, 5' 7" is the 170 mark.
It's a "clean" number in the metric world. In many European countries, 170 cm is a common cutoff for height requirements in certain professions, like certain branches of the military or police forces, though those rules have been relaxed significantly in the last twenty years to avoid discrimination.
The psychology of the 170 cm mark
There is a weird psychological thing that happens with height. In the U.S., men who are 5' 11" will almost always claim they are 6' 0". It’s a survival instinct on dating apps. Similarly, I’ve noticed people who are 5' 7 in cm often try to round up to 5' 8".
But 170.18 cm is actually a very "strong" height. In the world of sports, particularly soccer and MMA, this height is often considered optimal for a low center of gravity combined with enough reach to be dangerous. Look at Lionel Messi. He’s shorter than 170 cm (he’s about 167 cm or 5' 6"), and he’s the greatest to ever play the game. Being 5' 7" gives you that same agility but with a slightly longer stride.
In the UFC, the Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions are dominated by athletes right around this height. They have the bone density to stay powerful without having to cut massive amounts of weight to hit their target. It’s a "power density" height.
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Measuring yourself correctly (It’s harder than you think)
Most people measure their height wrong. They use a tape measure against a carpeted floor. That’s useless. Carpet compresses.
If you want to know if you are truly 170.18 cm, you need a hard floor. Stand with your heels, glutes, and the back of your head against a flat wall. Don't look up; look straight ahead. Have someone else place a flat object—like a hardcover book—on top of your head, making sure it’s level with the floor. Mark the wall.
Then, use a metal tape measure. Why metal? Because cloth tapes stretch over time.
If you measure yourself in the morning, you’ll likely be closer to 171 cm. By the time you go to bed, you might be 169.5 cm. This isn't a glitch in the matrix. Your spinal discs compress throughout the day as gravity does its thing. You are literally taller when you wake up.
Fashion and fit for the 170 cm frame
If you are five-foot-seven, shopping is your greatest enemy and your best friend.
The main issue is "stacking." This is when your jeans bunch up at the ankles because the inseam is too long. Most "off the rack" pants come in a 30 or 32-inch inseam. If you’re 5' 7", you probably need a 28 or 29-inch inseam.
If you wear 32s, you look shorter because the fabric at your feet creates a visual "weight" that drags the eye down. Getting your pants hemmed—which costs maybe fifteen bucks—can make you look three inches taller instantly. It's the best investment you can make if you’re 170 cm.
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Why the metric system wins here
The imperial system is archaic. It’s based on the length of a king's foot or some other nonsense from hundreds of years ago. The metric system is based on the Earth itself.
When you say 5' 7 in cm, you are moving from a subjective, regional measurement to a global standard. 170.18 cm is the same in Paris as it is in Tokyo or Sao Paulo.
Actionable steps for the 5' 7" individual
If you’ve confirmed you’re sitting at that 170 cm mark, here is how you should handle it in the real world.
First, stop rounding up. There is a quiet confidence in being precise. If someone asks, say "one-seventy." It sounds more technical and less like you're trying to hide something.
Second, check your ergonomics. If you work at a desk, the standard desk height is 29 inches. For someone who is 170 cm, this might actually be a little high. You might find that your shoulders are slightly shrugged all day. Try lowering your chair or getting a footrest. Your lower back will thank you.
Third, when buying a bike—whether it's a road bike or a mountain bike—you are almost certainly a "Medium" or a 52–54 cm frame. Don't let a salesperson talk you into a "Large." You’ll be overreaching, and your handling will suffer.
Lastly, understand your BMI correctly. Body Mass Index calculations use kilograms and meters squared. To find yours, take your weight in kilograms and divide it by $1.7018^2$. Because the height is a constant in this equation, knowing your exact centimeter measurement helps you track fitness goals with much more accuracy than just "five-seven-ish."
You are 170.18 centimeters of human potential. It’s a height that fits into sports cars, airplane seats, and most theater chairs without much struggle. It’s the height of versatility.
To make use of this information, start by re-measuring yourself tonight and tomorrow morning to find your "true" average height. Use that specific number next time you order custom-fit clothing or set up a home office. Accurate data always leads to better comfort.