You're standing there with a tape measure, or maybe you’re looking at a driver's license application, and the number 170 pops up. It’s one of those "middle of the road" numbers. In the metric world, it feels solid. It’s round. It’s clean. But the second you try to figure out how tall is 170 cm in foot measurements, things get messy. Why? Because the imperial system loves fractions and weird base-12 math that doesn't play nice with decimals.
Let's just get the math out of the way first. 170 cm is approximately 5 feet 7 inches. If you want to be annoying about it—and sometimes we have to be—the exact decimal is about 5.577 feet. But nobody walks around saying they are five-point-five-seven-seven feet tall. If you said that at a party, people would slowly back away toward the snack bowl. In the real world, we use feet and inches. To get there, you divide 170 by 2.54 to get the total inches (66.92), then divide by 12. You end up with 5 feet and change. That "change" is almost exactly 7 inches.
The Reality of 170 cm in the Real World
Is 170 cm tall? Honestly, it depends entirely on where you are standing and who you are standing next to. Context is everything.
If you are a woman in the United States, 170 cm is actually quite tall. The average height for American women is roughly 5 feet 4 inches (162.5 cm). Being 5'7" means you’re taller than about 80% of the female population. You’ll likely find that standard "regular" length jeans fit you perfectly, though you might occasionally feel like a giant in a room full of people wearing heels.
Now, flip the script. If you are a man, 170 cm feels different. The average height for men in the U.S. is about 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm). Being 5'7" puts you a couple of inches below that median. It’s not "short" in a way that makes life difficult—you can still reach the top shelf at the grocery store—but you’ll notice that many of your peers tower over you just slightly.
In places like the Netherlands or Montenegro, where the average male height pushes 6 feet (183 cm), 170 cm is definitely considered on the shorter side. But head over to Southeast Asia or parts of Latin America, and suddenly, 170 cm is the big man on campus. It's all relative. Height is a moving target.
The Math Behind the Conversion
Let's look at the actual physics of this for a second. One inch is defined exactly as 25.4 millimeters. That’s an international standard.
To convert how tall is 170 cm in foot and inches, you follow this path:
First, take 170 and divide it by 2.54. You get 66.929 inches.
Next, you know that 5 feet is 60 inches (12 times 5).
Subtract 60 from 66.929.
You are left with 6.929 inches.
Rounding up to 7 inches is the standard practice because, let's be real, a tenth of an inch is about the thickness of a couple of credit cards. Most people fluctuate by that much just between waking up in the morning and going to bed at night. Spinal compression is real. You are literally taller at 8:00 AM than you are at 8:00 PM.
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Why Do We Care So Much About 170 cm?
There’s a weird psychological thing with the number 170. In the modeling world, 170 cm (5'7") is often the absolute "floor" for female commercial models. High fashion and runway usually demand 5'9" or 5'10", but 170 cm is that magical threshold where you can still book decent catalog work.
In the world of dating apps—which, let's be honest, is where most height obsession lives these days—5'7" is a bit of a battleground. There is this strange, arbitrary "6-foot rule" floating around social media. It's nonsense, obviously. But 170 cm is often the height where men start to wonder if they should "round up" to 5'8" or 5'9" on their profiles.
Don't do it. People can tell.
Famous People Who Are 170 cm
Sometimes it helps to see who else is in the 170 cm club. It’s a surprisingly prestigious list.
Tom Cruise is famously around 170 cm. He has spent his entire career being an action star, jumping off buildings and flying fighter jets, while being 5'7". It hasn't stopped him from being one of the most successful humans to ever appear on screen.
Robert Downey Jr. is another one. He’s usually cited at 5'8", but many who have met him in person suggest he’s closer to the 170 cm mark. Then you have athletes like Lionel Messi. Messi is actually shorter, around 167 cm (5'6"), but he dominates a sport where physical presence can be huge.
For women, 170 cm is a common "starlet" height. Names like Selena Gomez and Billie Eilish often hover around this mark. They look tall on camera because they have great proportions, which is often more important than the actual number on the tape measure.
Clothing and Fit at 170 cm
If you are 170 cm, shopping is actually pretty easy. You are in the "sweet spot" for most manufacturers.
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Most clothing brands design their "Medium" or "Size 8-10" based on a fit model who is roughly 5'6" to 5'7". This means that if you are 170 cm, the sleeves of your jackets will likely hit your wrists exactly where they should. Your trousers won't need to be hemmed every single time you buy a new pair.
However, there is a catch. If you have long legs and a short torso, or vice versa, 170 cm can be tricky. A person who is 170 cm with a 32-inch inseam is going to look much taller than someone who is 170 cm with a 28-inch inseam. It's about the visual break.
Proportions Matter More Than the Number
Think about it this way. If you wear high-waisted pants, you are tricking the eye into thinking your legs start higher up. This makes you look taller than 170 cm. If you wear oversized, long shirts that cover your hips, you’ll look shorter.
Also, posture. Honestly, most people lose an inch just by slouching over their phones all day. If you stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, and imagine a string pulling the top of your head toward the ceiling, you’ll likely measure closer to 171 or 172 cm.
The International Perspective on 170 cm
If you travel, your height "value" changes.
In the UK, Australia, and Canada, they mostly use centimeters for official stuff but people still talk in feet and inches for height. It's a weird hybrid system. You’ll tell your doctor you’re 170 cm, and then you’ll tell your mate at the pub you’re 5'7".
In Europe, specifically France or Italy, 170 cm is a very standard, respectable height. You won't stand out, and you won't disappear. But go to Japan or South Korea, and you’ll find that 170 cm for a male is very close to the national average, making you feel perfectly "sized" for the doorways and subway cars.
Health and 170 cm
From a medical standpoint, your height is just a denominator for your BMI (Body Mass Index). For someone who is 170 cm, the "healthy" weight range is typically between 54 kg and 72 kg (about 118 lbs to 159 lbs).
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But BMI is a blunt instrument. It doesn't care if you're a bodybuilder or a marathon runner. It just sees 170 cm and a weight. If you're 170 cm and you weigh 85 kg because you spend five days a week at the gym, the BMI chart will tell you that you're overweight. This is why doctors are starting to look more at waist-to-height ratios.
At 170 cm, your waist should ideally be less than 85 cm (half your height). This is a much better indicator of cardiovascular health than just looking at the foot-and-inch conversion.
How to Measure Yourself Accurately
Most people get their height wrong. They measure themselves on carpet, wearing socks, or using a floppy tape measure that isn't straight.
If you want to know if you are truly 170 cm:
Find a hard floor. No rugs.
Take your shoes off.
Stand against a flat wall. Your heels, buttocks, shoulders, and the back of your head should touch the wall.
Look straight ahead. Don't tilt your chin up; that actually makes you shorter because it compresses the back of your neck.
Have someone else place a flat object (like a hardback book) on your head, parallel to the floor, and mark the wall.
Measure from the floor to that mark with a metal tape measure.
You might be surprised. You might have been calling yourself 5'7" for years only to find out you're actually 168 cm, or maybe you're a lucky 172.
Actionable Steps for the 170 cm Crowd
Now that you know how tall is 170 cm in foot measurements and where you stand globally, here is what you should actually do with that information.
- Check your passport: Many countries require your height in centimeters. If you've been putting "5'7" on forms, start using "170 cm" for international documents to avoid confusion.
- Audit your wardrobe: If you’re a man at 170 cm, avoid "extra-long" fit shirts as they will make your legs look disproportionately short. Look for "Short" or "Regular" cuts in suits.
- Invest in footwear: If being 5'7" bothers you, a standard dress shoe with a slight heel or a modern sneaker like an Air Max can easily bump you up to 173 or 174 cm (about 5'8.5") without looking like you're trying too hard.
- Stop rounding up: In the age of Google, people can check conversions instantly. Being a confident 5'7" is much more attractive than being a "5'9" guy who is clearly the same height as the 5'7" girl in the room.
- Focus on posture: Since 170 cm is right on the edge of "average" and "slightly below average" for men, losing height to a slouch is a mistake. Strengthening your core and upper back muscles can "gain" you a half-inch of height that you already technically have but aren't using.
The jump from 170 cm to the imperial system is just a conversion of convenience. Whether you call it 1.7 meters, 1700 millimeters, or 5 feet 7 inches, the physical reality is the same. You are exactly where you are. Enjoy the view from there; it's actually pretty good.