Trackraz
Guide

Airline luggage limits in inches and centimetres

Baggage rules are published in centimetres by European carriers and in inches by American ones, and the two rarely describe the same bag. A case sold as 22 inches is 55.9 cm, which already exceeds a 55 cm cabin limit before you add wheels and handles. This guide sets out how the measurements work and where the traps are.

Open a converterSkip to questions

How airlines actually measure a bag

Two figures matter: linear dimensions and weight. Cabin limits are quoted as three numbers — length, width and depth — and every one of them must fit, which is why the sizing frame at the gate is the real test rather than the label on the case.

Critically, airlines measure the bag as it will travel. Wheels, feet, external pockets and the retracted handle all count. Manufacturers frequently quote only the body of the case, so a suitcase advertised at 55 cm can measure 58 cm once the wheels are included. Expandable zips make this worse: if the expansion is open, the depth grows by three to five centimetres.

Checked baggage adds a total-dimension rule, usually 158 cm or 62 inches for length plus width plus depth added together. Weight limits are commonly 23 kg (50 lb) in economy and 32 kg (70 lb) in premium cabins, the higher figure being a manual-handling limit rather than a commercial one.

Key facts

Every dimension counts

A bag must pass on all three measurements, not on an average.

Wheels are included

Airlines measure the bag as presented, so external parts count towards the limit.

The 158 cm rule

Checked bags are usually capped at 158 cm total, which is the same as 62 inches.

Two weight tiers

23 kg (50.7 lb) is the usual economy limit; 32 kg (70.5 lb) is the handling ceiling.

Conversion trap

A 22-inch case is 55.9 cm and therefore over a 55 cm cabin limit.

Personal items differ

The second free bag has its own, smaller dimensions and is measured separately.

How to get it right

1

Read the airline page

Note whether the limit is given in centimetres or inches and whether wheels are included.

2

Measure your bag packed

Include wheels, handles and any expansion you intend to use.

3

Convert with the exact factor

Multiply inches by 2.54, and never round down to make a bag fit.

4

Weigh it at home

Use luggage scales and leave one kilogram of headroom for airport variance.

Questions people ask

21.65 inches. A case advertised as 22 inches is 55.9 cm and technically exceeds a 55 cm limit.

Keep reading

TV & monitor screen sizes

What a screen size in inches actually measures, how wide each popular size really is, and how to check a TV fits before it arrives.

Height: feet, inches and cm

How to convert height between feet, inches and centimetres without the classic 5.10 mistake, plus a chart of common adult heights.

Weight: kg, pounds and stone

Convert body weight between kilograms, pounds and stone accurately — including why the 2.2 shortcut fails at higher weights.

Convert your luggage measurements

Check centimetre and inch pages side by side before you buy a case.

Open the converters