mm to ft-us | Convert Millimeter to US Survey Foot

Millimeter to US Survey Foot Conversion Formula Example What is a Millimeter (mm)?How Many Millimeters are in an Inch?Where are Millimeters Used Every Day?What is a US Survey Foot (ft-us)?Where Did the US Survey Foot Come From?Why Was the US Survey Foot Replaced?Why Did This Small Difference Cause Big Problems?What is the metric system?What is the imperial system?Millimeter to US Survey Foot Conversion Table

Millimeter to US Survey Foot Conversion Formula

To convert from Millimeter (mm) to US Survey Foot (ft-us), use the following formula:

$\textbf{ US Survey Foot} \text{ (ft-us)}$

$= \frac{1}{1000} \times 3.28084 \times \frac{1}{1.000002}\times \textbf{ Millimeter} \text{ (mm)}$

$= 0.0032808334383331233338\times \textbf{ Millimeter} \text{ (mm)}$

With $3.28084$ is the ratio between the base units Foot (ft) and Meter (m).

Example

Let's convert 5 Millimeter (mm) to US Survey Foot (ft-us).

Using the formula:

$5 \times 0.0032808334383331233338 = 0.016404167191665616669$

Therefore, 5 Millimeter (mm) is equal to $0.016404167191665616669$ US Survey Foot (ft-us).

What is a Millimeter (mm)?

A millimeter (mm) is a small unit of length in the metric system, equal to one-thousandth of a meter (1/1000 m or 0.001 m).

The word itself comes from the Latin "mille," meaning "thousand."

This is why the prefix "milli" in the metric system always means one-thousandth of a base unit—just like a milligram is one-thousandth of a gram.

The plural form is millimeters.

How Many Millimeters are in an Inch?

Understanding the relationship between millimeters and inches is crucial, particularly for projects that utilize both metric and imperial systems.

The official mm-to-inch conversion is a precise measurement used worldwide in engineering and manufacturing.

Exact Conversion: 1 inch is equal to exactly 25.4 millimeters.
Quick Reference: For a simple real-world comparison, 1 millimeter is about the thickness of a credit card.

Where are Millimeters Used Every Day?

The millimeter is the standard unit for measuring small distances with precision.

You likely encounter millimeter measurements more often than you think in daily life, science, and technology.

Weather: Meteorologists measure daily rainfall in millimeters.
Stationery: The lead in a mechanical pencil is measured by its diameter in millimeters (e.g., 0.5 mm or 0.7 mm).
Electronics: Small components on circuit boards and common connectors, like the 3.5 mm headphone jack, are measured in millimeters.

What is a US Survey Foot (ft-us)?

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.

Where Did the US Survey Foot Come From?

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.

Why Was the US Survey Foot Replaced?

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.

Why Did This Small Difference Cause Big Problems?

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.

What is the metric system?

The metric system is a decimal-based system of measurement used by nearly every country in the world. Its key feature is the use of prefixes to denote multiples and submultiples of the base units by powers of ten.

What is the imperial system?

The imperial system is a system of measurement that was first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824. It's known for using units like inches, feet, pounds, and gallons. While most of the world now uses the metric system, the imperial system remains the official system of measurement in the United States and is still used in specific contexts in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada.

Millimeter to US Survey Foot Conversion Table

Here are some quick reference conversions from Millimeter (mm) to US Survey Foot (ft-us):

Millimeters	US Survey Feet
0.000001 mm	$3.2808334383331233338\times 10^{-9}$ ft-us
0.001 mm	$0.0000032808334383331233338$ ft-us
0.1 mm	$0.00032808334383331233338$ ft-us
1 mm	$0.0032808334383331233338$ ft-us
2 mm	$0.0065616668766662466676$ ft-us
3 mm	$0.0098425003149993700014$ ft-us
4 mm	$0.013123333753332493335$ ft-us
5 mm	$0.016404167191665616669$ ft-us
6 mm	$0.019685000629998740003$ ft-us
7 mm	$0.022965834068331863337$ ft-us
8 mm	$0.02624666750666498667$ ft-us
9 mm	$0.029527500944998110004$ ft-us
10 mm	$0.032808334383331233338$ ft-us
20 mm	$0.065616668766662466676$ ft-us
30 mm	$0.098425003149993700014$ ft-us
40 mm	$0.13123333753332493335$ ft-us
50 mm	$0.16404167191665616669$ ft-us
100 mm	$0.32808334383331233338$ ft-us
1000 mm	$3.2808334383331233338$ ft-us
10000 mm	$32.808334383331233338$ ft-us

Convert Length from Millimeter to Us Survey Foot (mm to ft-us)

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