acalculator

How big is the height difference?

Type two heights in feet and inches or centimetres. The calculator shows the height difference, who is taller, and the difference as a percent of each height, with both drawn side by side.

Your numbers

Units
Height difference
6 in

The height difference between 5 ft 10 in and 5 ft 4 in is 6 in (15.2 cm); Person A is taller.

Difference in centimetres
15.2 cm
Who is taller
Person A is taller
Taller one is taller by
9.38%
Shorter one is shorter by
8.57%
A ÷ B
1.09375

Height difference: 6 in. The height difference between 5 ft 10 in and 5 ft 4 in is 6 in (15.2 cm); Person A is taller.

How do the two heights compare?

How to calculate

Compares two heights in feet and inches or centimetres: the height difference, who is taller, and how many percent taller or shorter, drawn side by side.

Example with the default inputs (Height of person A 5 ft 10 in, Height of person B 5 ft 4 in): The height difference between 5 ft 10 in and 5 ft 4 in is 6 in (15.2 cm); Person A is taller.

Method: Difference = taller − shorter. Percent taller = difference ÷ shorter × 100. Percent shorter = difference ÷ taller × 100. Ratio = A ÷ B.

  • Each height is from 1 cm to 3 m (about 0.39 in to 9 ft 10.1 in), typed in feet and inches, inches, centimetres or metres.
  • Units convert exactly: 1 in = 2.54 cm, 1 ft = 12 in.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Height of person A 5 ft 10 in, Height of person B 5 ft 4 in gives Height difference 6 in, Who is taller Person A is taller, Taller one is taller by 9.375%, Shorter one is shorter by 8.571429%, A ÷ B 1.09375.Source: NIST SP 811 (2008), Appendix B: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly, https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
  2. Height of person A 5 ft 3 in, Height of person B 6 ft 0.8 in gives Height difference 9.84 in, Who is taller Person B is taller, Taller one is taller by 15.625%, Shorter one is shorter by 13.513514%, A ÷ B 0.864865.Source: NIST SP 811 (2008), Appendix B: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly, https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
  3. Height of person A 6 ft 0 in, Height of person B 6 ft 0 in gives Height difference 0 in, Who is taller Both are the same height, Taller one is taller by 0%, A ÷ B 1.Source: NIST SP 811 (2008), Appendix B: 1 in = 2.54 cm exactly, https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811

How it works

Type height A and height B. Each can be in feet and inches, inches, centimetres or metres; the calculator turns both into metres first (1 in = 0.0254 m exactly, 1 ft = 12 in). With T the taller height and S the shorter one:

  • Height difference = T − S. The headline shows it in inches (2 decimal places) in US units, or in centimetres in Metric; "Difference in centimetres" always shows centimetres (1 decimal place).
  • Taller one is taller by = (T − S) ÷ S × 100, in percent.
  • Shorter one is shorter by = (T − S) ÷ T × 100, in percent.
  • A ÷ B = height A ÷ height B, to 6 significant figures.
  • Who is taller: "Person A is taller" when A > B, "Person B is taller" when B > A, and "Both are the same height" when they are equal.

The percents show to 2 decimal places. The maths runs in floating point and rounds for display only.

The chart draws the two heights as two columns, in centimetres, to scale: person A on the left, person B on the right.

Rules

  • Each height is from 1 cm to 3 m (about 0.39 in to 9 ft 10.1 in). A height outside that range shows a message on its field.

Worked examples by hand

5 ft 10 in and 5 ft 4 in. A = 70 in, B = 64 in. Difference = 6 in = 6 × 2.54 = 15.24 cm. A is taller. Taller by 6 ÷ 64 × 100 = 9.375%. Shorter by 6 ÷ 70 × 100 = 8.571%. A ÷ B = 70 ÷ 64 = 1.09375.

160 cm and 185 cm. Difference = 25 cm. B is taller. Taller by 25 ÷ 160 × 100 = 15.625%. Shorter by 25 ÷ 185 × 100 = 13.51%. A ÷ B = 160 ÷ 185 = 0.864865.

6 ft and 182.88 cm. 6 ft = 72 in = 72 × 2.54 = 182.88 cm, so the difference is 0, both are the same height, and A ÷ B = 1.

Other questions people ask

How do I work out the height difference between two people?

Put both heights in the same unit and subtract the shorter from the taller. 5 ft 10 in is 70 in and 5 ft 4 in is 64 in, so the difference is 70 − 64 = 6 in (15.24 cm).

How many percent taller is one person than another?

Divide the difference by the shorter height and multiply by 100. 70 in against 64 in: 6 ÷ 64 × 100 = 9.375%, so the taller person is about 9.4% taller.

Why are "percent taller" and "percent shorter" different numbers?

Each one divides the same difference by a different height. "Taller by" divides by the shorter height, "shorter by" divides by the taller one. For 70 in and 64 in that is 9.375% and 8.571%.

How do I compare a height in feet with one in centimetres?

Type each height in its own unit; the calculator converts both. One inch is exactly 2.54 cm, so 6 ft (72 in) is 182.88 cm, and 6 ft against 182.88 cm is no difference at all.

Is a 6 inch height difference a lot?

It depends on the heights. 6 in is 15.24 cm, about 9% of a 5 ft 4 in person. The chart draws both heights to scale, so you can see the gap.

Should I measure with shoes on?

Measure both people the same way. Shoes can add 1 in (2.5 cm) or more, so for a fair comparison measure both without shoes, standing straight against a wall.