How many hands is 1 decimeter?

One decimeter equals approximately 0.9843 hands. A decimeter (10 cm) is only 1.6 mm shorter than a hand (10.16 cm), making them nearly interchangeable in size.

How many decimeters are in 1 hand?

One hand equals approximately 1.016 decimeters. The two units are remarkably close: 1 hand = 10.16 cm vs 1 dm = 10.00 cm.

Is this near-equivalence useful?

Not really, because hands are used exclusively for horse height and decimeters are used for very little in practice. But the coincidence is notable: the width of a human hand happens to be almost exactly one decimeter.

Decimeters to Hands (dm to hh) Converter

1 dm = 0.9843 hh

1 Decimeter equals 0.9843 Hands (1 dm = 0.9843 hh). Convert Decimeters to Hands with formula, table, and examples.

One decimeter equals approximately 0.9843 hands, or almost exactly one hand. The hand (4 inches / 10.16 cm) and the decimeter (10 cm) are remarkably close in size, differing by only 1.6 mm. This near-equivalence is coincidental, as the two units come from entirely different traditions.

How to Convert Decimeters to Hands

hh = dm × 0.9842519685

Multiply the value in Decimeters by 0.9842519685

Take your value in Decimeters
Multiply by 0.9842519685
Read the result in Hands

Common Decimeters to Hands Conversions

Decimeters (dm)	Hands (hh)	Status
0.5 dm	0.4921 hh
1 dm	0.9843 hh
1.016 dm	1 hh
2 dm	1.9685 hh
3 dm	2.9528 hh
5 dm	4.9213 hh
10 dm	9.8425 hh
15 dm	14.7638 hh
20 dm	19.685 hh
50 dm	49.2126 hh
100 dm	98.4252 hh
200 dm	196.8504 hh
500 dm	492.126 hh
1,000 dm	984.252 hh

Good to Know About Decimeters to Hands Conversion

The hand was based on the width of a human palm, which turns out to be almost exactly 10 cm. If the metric system's inventors had known about the hand unit, they might have noticed this elegant near-match with their new decimeter.

Decimeters to Hands: What You Need to Know

A hand is 10.16 cm; a decimeter is 10.00 cm. The difference is only 0.16 cm (1.6 mm). A 16-hand horse (162.56 cm at the withers) is about 16.256 decimeters tall. This is one of the closest near-matches between an imperial and metric unit anywhere in the measurement systems.

What is a Decimeter? dm

One tenth of a meter, or 10 centimeters. Used in some European countries for everyday measurements and in education.

Metric European education everyday measurement

Learn more about Decimeter →

What is a Hand? hh

Exactly 4 inches (10.16 cm). The standard unit for measuring the height of horses, measured from the ground to the withers.

Imperial horse height measurement equestrian

Learn more about Hand →

Going the other way? Use our Hands to Decimeters converter.

Decimeters to Hands FAQ

One decimeter equals approximately 0.9843 hands. A decimeter (10 cm) is only 1.6 mm shorter than a hand (10.16 cm), making them nearly interchangeable in size.
One hand equals approximately 1.016 decimeters. The two units are remarkably close: 1 hand = 10.16 cm vs 1 dm = 10.00 cm.
Not really, because hands are used exclusively for horse height and decimeters are used for very little in practice. But the coincidence is notable: the width of a human hand happens to be almost exactly one decimeter.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Decimeters to Hands

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Remarkably yes. A hand is 10.16 cm (1.016 dm) and a decimeter is 10.00 cm (1.000 dm). They differ by only 1.6 mm. This is one of the closest accidental matches between imperial and metric units. Your palm width happens to be almost exactly one-tenth of a meter.
Sixteen decimeters (160 cm) is about 15.75 hands. A 16-hand horse stands at 162.56 cm (16.256 dm). So 16 dm gives you a slightly short horse. You need 16.256 dm for a proper 16-hand horse. The 0.256 dm difference is about one inch.
Metrication advocates have tried. Continental Europe measures horses in centimeters, which is essentially using decimeters with a decimal. But British and American horse people will pry hands from their cold, dead measuring sticks.