Follow these simple steps to convert a decimal foot value to a more usable foot, inch and fraction!

Example conversion;

12.7658 decimal feet

The digits before the decimal point, 12, is the whole feet value. Subtract 12 from the decimal 12.7658, and the leftover result is the decimal inch value.

12.7658 - 12 = 0.7658

0.7658 are the inches in decimal format

Multiply this decimal inch value by 12 to remove the whole inches ( 1 foot = 12 inches);

0.7658 * 12 = 9.1896

the 9 before the decimal point are the whole inches

Subtract 9 from 9.1896 to get the fraction of an inch amount;

9.1896 - 9 = 0.1896

0.1896 is the fraction of an inch in decimal format

multiply the decimal 0.1896 by a one plus the required amount of "0's" to remove the decimal point.

Note: It will always be a one plus a zero for each of the digits after the decimal point.

The amount you are multiplying with is the denominator of the fraction, and the result of the multiplication, the numerator.

0.1896 has four digits after the dot; the number to use for the multiplication is a 1 with four zeros = 10000

0.1896 * 10000 = 1896

the fraction is written as 1896/10000, which you can simplify to 237/1250

A fraction 237/1250 is not all that useful, and can you can convert it to a usable fraction.

Change it back to a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator;

237 ÷ 1250 = 0.1896

For a fraction to be usable, the denominator has to be 2, 4, 8, 16, or 64, representing the increments used on a standard tape measure. The higher denominator you use, the more accurate the conversion.

But in general, using 16 as the denominator will provide an acceptable result.

Multiply 0.1896 by 16, and round the result to the nearest whole number to get the numerator;

0.1896 * 16 = 3.0336 rounded to a 3

0.1896 = 3/16

12.7658 = 12 feet 9 3/16 inches

How to convert fractions to usable ones!