How to use the height and weight string parser
- Paste the entries, one per line. Each needs a unit, for example 5'10", 5 ft 10 in, 5-10, 178 cm, 1.78 m, 11st 4lb, 160 lbs or 72.5 kg.
- Choose the unit for heights (centimeters, inches or feet and inches) and for weights (kilograms, pounds or stone and pounds).
- Read the table. Each row shows the entry, whether it is a height or a weight, the converted value and how it was read. Rows that cannot be read are marked with a reason.
- Download the CSV to use the cleaned values in a spreadsheet.
Formula
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters exactly; 1 foot = 12 inches
1 pound = 0.45359237 kilograms exactly; 1 stone = 14 pounds
height in cm = (feet x 12 + inches) x 2.54
weight in kg = (stone x 14 + pounds) x 0.45359237
Results are rounded to 0.1 for centimeters, inches and pounds and to 0.01 for kilograms. The conversions are exact, so converting back gives the original within the rounding.
Eleven entries, ten read
In the sample, 5'10", 5 ft 10 in and 5-10 all become 177.8 cm (70 inches x 2.54). 178 cm and 1.78 m become 178.0 cm. 70 in becomes 177.8 cm and 6 feet becomes 182.9 cm.
On the weight side, 11st 4lb is 158 pounds, which is 71.67 kg, 160 lbs is 72.57 kg and 72.5 kg stays 72.50 kg. The last entry, "about 6 foot 2", has a word the page does not understand, so it is marked Not read, and the headline says 10 of 11 entries were read.
How entries are matched
The page tries a short list of patterns, each with several spellings of the unit: feet may be written with a quote mark, ft, feet or foot; inches with a double quote, in or inches; pounds as lb, lbs, pounds or #. A pair like 5-10 is read as feet and inches only when the first number is a single digit and the second is under 12, so a range such as 5-12 is rejected rather than guessed.
A bare number has no unit and is not guessed, because 70 could be inches, kilograms or something else. Entries with extra words, or with decimals in feet or stone, are not read and are marked so you can fix them.
Cleaning data well
Look at the Note column for how each row was read. For a list that will drive decisions, scan the rows that were read by interpretation, such as 5-10, before relying on them. To pull the text out of a larger table first, use the CSV Regex Column Extractor. To convert single values between many units, use the Unit Converter, and to use a cleaned height and weight, the BMI Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Heights and weights are told apart by their units, and each entry must contain one unit group.
- Feet and stone must be whole numbers, and the inches after feet must be under 12 and the pounds after stone under 14.
- Conversions use exact definitions of the inch and the pound. Rounding is for display only.
- Up to 500 lines are accepted.
- The text stays in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my entry not read?
The most common reasons are a missing unit, a spelled-out phrase such as about 6 foot 2, or numbers out of range like 5-12. The note beside it says what the page expected.
Does 5-10 mean five to ten?
The page reads a single digit, a hyphen and a number under 12 as feet and inches. If your list uses 5-10 to mean a range, convert those entries by hand.
Can it handle meters and grams?
Yes. Meters are read as heights, and grams are read as weights and converted to kilograms.
Are the conversions exact?
The factors are exact by definition, so the only error is the rounding in what is shown. The CSV holds the same rounded values as the table.