Hands to cm: Horse Height Converter and Chart

Quick answer: To convert hands to centimetres, change the height to inches first (hands × 4, plus the inches after the point), then multiply by 2.54. One hand is exactly 4 inches, or 10.16 cm, so a 15.2 hh horse stands 62 inches, which is 157.48 cm, and a 14.2 hh pony is 147.32 cm.

Horse and pony heights in Britain are still talked about in hands, while competition rules, passports from some European breeders and many online tack shops use centimetres. The converter and chart below translate between the two, and the wider guide to measuring dogs, cats and horses covers the other figures owners need, from rug sizes to weight.

Type the height the way it is written on an advert or passport, such as 14.2 or 16.3. The second tool rounds down to the nearest whole inch, which is how a height in hands is normally stated, and shows the exact figure in inches alongside.

How many centimetres is one hand?

One hand is exactly 10.16 centimetres. The hand is defined as 4 inches, and the inch has been fixed at exactly 2.54 cm since the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, so 4 × 2.54 gives 10.16 cm with no rounding involved. The unit began as the width of a human hand across the palm, but today it is simply a convenient block of four inches.

Put the other way, one centimetre is about 0.098 of a hand, and one metre is roughly 9.84 hands. Those decimals are why nobody quotes a horse as 9.84 hands: heights are always given as whole hands plus whole inches.

How do you convert hands to cm?

Multiply the whole hands by 4, add the inches after the point, then multiply the total by 2.54. Written as a formula:

cm = ((hands × 4) + extra inches) × 2.54

Take a 16.3 hh hunter as a worked example. Sixteen hands is 64 inches, the .3 adds 3 more to make 67 inches, and 67 × 2.54 = 170.18 cm. For a pony advertised as 13.1 hh, the sum is 13 × 4 = 52, plus 1 = 53 inches, and 53 × 2.54 = 134.62 cm.

What does the number after the point mean?

The digit after the point is a count of extra inches, from 0 to 3, not a decimal fraction of a hand. A horse of 15.2 hh is 15 hands and 2 inches, not fifteen and two-tenths of a hand. Because a fourth extra inch would make a whole hand, the sequence runs 15.1, 15.2, 15.3 and then 16.0. A height such as 15.5 hh does not exist.

This is the most common reason online calculators and spreadsheets give the wrong answer. If you type 15.2 into a calculator and multiply by 10.16 you get 154.43 cm, which is about 3 cm short of the true 157.48 cm.

Hands to cm chart (10 hh to 18 hh)

The chart covers every height from 10 hands (101.6 cm) to 18 hands (182.88 cm) in one-inch steps. Centimetres are given to two decimal places, as the conversion is exact; round to the nearest whole centimetre for everyday use.

Hands (hh)	Inches	Centimetres	Metres
10.0	40	101.60	1.02
10.1	41	104.14	1.04
10.2	42	106.68	1.07
10.3	43	109.22	1.09
11.0	44	111.76	1.12
11.1	45	114.30	1.14
11.2	46	116.84	1.17
11.3	47	119.38	1.19
12.0	48	121.92	1.22
12.1	49	124.46	1.24
12.2	50	127.00	1.27
12.3	51	129.54	1.30
13.0	52	132.08	1.32
13.1	53	134.62	1.35
13.2	54	137.16	1.37
13.3	55	139.70	1.40
14.0	56	142.24	1.42
14.1	57	144.78	1.45
14.2	58	147.32	1.47
14.3	59	149.86	1.50
15.0	60	152.40	1.52
15.1	61	154.94	1.55
15.2	62	157.48	1.57
15.3	63	160.02	1.60
16.0	64	162.56	1.63
16.1	65	165.10	1.65
16.2	66	167.64	1.68
16.3	67	170.18	1.70
17.0	68	172.72	1.73
17.1	69	175.26	1.75
17.2	70	177.80	1.78
17.3	71	180.34	1.80
18.0	72	182.88	1.83

How do you convert cm to hands?

Divide the centimetres by 2.54 to get inches, divide the inches by 4, and the remainder gives the figure after the point. For 165 cm: 165 ÷ 2.54 = 64.96 inches. Four goes into 64.96 sixteen times (64 inches) with 0.96 of an inch left over, so the horse is 16.0 hh and very nearly 16.1 hh. Heights in hands are normally rounded down to the inch below rather than up.

For other lengths in the same direction, the cm to inches converter does the first step for you, and the inches to cm converter handles the reverse.

Why is the 148 cm pony limit not exactly 14.2 hh?

Because 148 cm is 58.27 inches, a little more than the 58 inches of 14.2 hh. In everyday British use a pony is an animal of 14.2 hh or under, which is 147.32 cm. International competition under FEI rules sets the pony limit in centimetres instead: no more than 148 cm without shoes, or 149 cm with shoes, measured by FEI veterinarians.

The same thing happens at other common cut-off heights. Show pony and jumping classes are often divided at 128 cm, 138 cm and 148 cm, which sit just above 12.2 hh (127 cm), 13.2 hh (137.16 cm) and 14.2 hh (147.32 cm). The differences are under a centimetre, but in a class with a height limit, the centimetre figure in the rules is the one that counts.

Centimetre limit	Exact inches	Nearest height below	That height in cm
128 cm	50.39 in	12.2 hh	127.00 cm
138 cm	54.33 in	13.2 hh	137.16 cm
148 cm	58.27 in	14.2 hh	147.32 cm
149 cm	58.66 in	14.2 hh	147.32 cm

Where are hands still used in the UK?

Hands remain the everyday unit for horse height in sales adverts, riding schools, livery yards and conversation. Breed society descriptions and older passports often use them too. Centimetres have taken over where a height has to be certified: the Joint Measurement Board, set up in 1934 by British showing societies, runs the national scheme for measuring horses and ponies for show and competition classification, and FEI pony measuring is done in centimetres.

Whichever unit you use, the measurement is taken the same way: from level ground to the highest point of the withers, with the horse standing square and relaxed, using a measuring stick with a spirit level on the arm. Shoes and a soft surface both change the reading. If you are sizing tack as well as height, the saddle measuring guide explains which measurements a fitter will want.

Frequently asked questions

How many cm is 15 hands?

15 hands is 60 inches, which is 152.4 cm. A horse of 15.2 hh is 157.48 cm and one of 15.3 hh is 160.02 cm.

How many cm is 16.2 hands?

16.2 hh means 16 hands and 2 inches, which is 66 inches. Multiplying 66 by 2.54 gives 167.64 cm, or about 168 cm.

What does hh stand for?

hh stands for hands high. It is written after the height, as in 14.2 hh, and shows that the figure is in hands and inches rather than a decimal.

Is 14.2 hh a horse or a pony?

In everyday UK usage an animal of 14.2 hh (147.32 cm) or under is called a pony. For FEI competition the limit is 148 cm without shoes or 149 cm with shoes.

Can I multiply hands by 10.16 to get cm?

Only for whole hands. For a height such as 15.2 hh, convert the .2 as 2 inches (5.08 cm) and add it to 15 × 10.16 cm, giving 157.48 cm.

Sources

• FEI pony measuring, British Equestrian: pony height limits with and without shoes
• About the Joint Measurement Board: the UK scheme for measuring horses and ponies for showing
• Weights and Measures Act 1985, legislation.gov.uk: the yard, foot and inch in UK law

More Pets and Equine guides

• Hands to cm: Horse Height Converter and Chart