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To convert from Kilometer (km) to US Survey Foot (ft-us), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Foot (ft) and Meter (m).
Let's convert 5 Kilometer (km) to US Survey Foot (ft-us).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Kilometer (km) is equal to US Survey Foot (ft-us).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Kilometer (km) to US Survey Foot (ft-us):
| Kilometers | US Survey Feet |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 km | ft-us |
| 0.001 km | ft-us |
| 0.1 km | ft-us |
| 1 km | ft-us |
| 2 km | ft-us |
| 3 km | ft-us |
| 4 km | ft-us |
| 5 km | ft-us |
| 6 km | ft-us |
| 7 km | ft-us |
| 8 km | ft-us |
| 9 km | ft-us |
| 10 km | ft-us |
| 20 km | ft-us |
| 30 km | ft-us |
| 40 km | ft-us |
| 50 km | ft-us |
| 100 km | ft-us |
| 1000 km | ft-us |
| 10000 km | ft-us |
For all Length converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A kilometer (km) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to 1,000 meters.
The plural form is kilometers.
The term "kilometer" is composed of two parts: the metric unit "meter" and the Greek prefix "kilo," which comes from the word "khilioi," meaning "thousand."
Thus, a kilometer translates to one thousand meters.
This concept is a fundamental aspect of the decimal-based metric system, established in France during the 1790s. The logical, prefix-based nature of the metric system simplifies conversions, which is a key reason for its widespread adoption.
The kilometer is the official unit of measurement for geographical distance in the vast majority of countries worldwide.
Only a few nations still primarily use the mile for road signage and navigation, most notably:
For international travel, science, and sporting events like marathons and the Olympics, the kilometer is the universally accepted standard.
To understand how far a kilometer is, consider these real-world examples:
This consistent unit of measurement makes it easy to compare everything from everyday travel to distances in space.
The US Survey Foot is a unit of length historically used for land surveying in the United States.
It is very close in length to the international foot, equaling approximately 1.000002 international feet (ft). The plural form is US Survey Feet.
The origin of the US Survey Foot dates back to the Mendenhall Order of 1893. This order defined the relationship between the meter and US customary units.
It established that 1 meter is precisely equal to 39.37 inches. From this relationship, the US Survey Foot was derived, defined as 1200/3937 meters.
This definition differs slightly from the international foot, which was established in 1959 and is defined as exactly 0.3048 meters.
To simplify measurements and prevent confusion, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) made a critical change.
They officially retired the U.S. Survey Foot on December 31, 2022.
Surveying and mapping applications in the United States will now use the international foot. This critical change helps unify the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) and prevents costly errors in large-scale projects.
While the difference between a US Survey Foot and an international foot is minuscule—only about two parts per million—it becomes significant over large distances.
For every mile, the discrepancy adds up to approximately 1/8 inch.
This minor error may not be significant for a backyard fence. However, for massive construction projects and infrastructure development, such as bridges that cross state lines, the accumulated error can lead to severe misalignments and costly mistakes.