How Long Is 1 centimetre? Distance Comparisons

How long is 1 centimetre?

1 centimetre is easier to picture beside familiar, measured objects, venues, vehicles, and landmarks.

1-Centimetre Distance Comparisons

For scale, 1 centimetre is about 51% of the diameter of a 10-cent euro coin.
The comparison uses the published dimension, converted into the same unit before the proportion is calculated.
Source: European Commission
For scale, 1 centimetre is about 13% of the short side of a €50 note.
Its published measurement is 7.7 centimetres; the ratio is calculated from that figure.
Source: European Central Bank
Measured against the long edge of an ISO ID-1 payment card, 1 centimetre spans about 12% of that reference.
Its published measurement is 8.56 centimetres; the ratio is calculated from that figure.
Source: International Organization for Standardization
For scale, 1 centimetre is about 62% of the diameter of a 1-cent euro coin.
Its published measurement is 1.63 centimetres; the ratio is calculated from that figure.
Source: European Commission
Measured against the diameter of a 2-cent euro coin, 1 centimetre spans about 53% of that reference.
Using the source measurement of 1.88 centimetres, this comparison puts the target at 53% of it.
Source: European Commission
Measured against the diameter of a 5-cent euro coin, 1 centimetre spans about 47% of that reference.
Using the source measurement of 2.13 centimetres, this comparison puts the target at 47% of it.
Source: European Commission
For scale, 1 centimetre is about 45% of the diameter of a 20-cent euro coin.
The comparison uses the published dimension, converted into the same unit before the proportion is calculated.
Source: European Commission
1 centimetre is approximately 0.4 inches.
Using the exact conversion that 1 centimetre equals exactly 0.3937007874 inches, the unrounded result is 0.394 inches.

Reference measurements are rounded where appropriate, and naturally variable objects are described as approximate, typical, or maximum sizes.