Yards Conversion
The yard is a unit used to measure length. Use one of the conversion calculators below to convert to another unit of measure, or read on to learn more about yards.
Yard Conversion Calculators
Choose a unit of length to convert to.
Yard Definition and Usage
The yard is a unit of length measurement equal to 3 feet or 36 inches. The international yard is legally defined to be equal to exactly 0.9144 meters.[1]
The yard is a US customary and imperial unit of length. Yards can be abbreviated as yd; for example, 1 yard can be written as 1 yd.
Background and Origin
A yard was originally the length of a man's belt or girdle, as it was called. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England fixed the yard as the distance from his nose to the thumb of his out-stretched arm. In 1959 the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa agreed to define the yard as exactly 0.9144 meters.
Historically the yard has always been equal to 3 feet or 36 inches, but the actual length has varied through time as the actual lengths of the inch have been defined differently. Its usage dating back to the Romans, although the true origin is not agreed upon.
Uses
In the US and UK, fabrics and carpeting is often sold by the square yard, which is equal to a 1 yd by 1 yd area. The yard is also used as a standard length measure in several sports, including American football, cricket, rugby, and golf.
Yards Measurement Conversion Table
If you're here then there's a good chance you might be wondering just how much is a yard? The chart below shows how much a yard is in other measures of length.
| yards | miles | feet | inches | kilometers | meters | centimeters | millimeters | micrometers | nanometers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yd | 0.000568 mi | 3' | 36" | 0.000914 km | 0.9144 m | 91.44 cm | 914.4 mm | 914,400 µm | 914,400,000 nm |
| 2 yd | 0.001136 mi | 6' | 72" | 0.001829 km | 1.8288 m | 182.88 cm | 1,829 mm | 1,828,800 µm | 1,828,800,000 nm |
| 3 yd | 0.001705 mi | 9' | 108" | 0.002743 km | 2.7432 m | 274.32 cm | 2,743 mm | 2,743,200 µm | 2,743,200,000 nm |
| 4 yd | 0.002273 mi | 12' | 144" | 0.003658 km | 3.6576 m | 365.76 cm | 3,658 mm | 3,657,600 µm | 3,657,600,000 nm |
| 5 yd | 0.002841 mi | 15' | 180" | 0.004572 km | 4.572 m | 457.2 cm | 4,572 mm | 4,572,000 µm | 4,572,000,000 nm |
| 6 yd | 0.003409 mi | 18' | 216" | 0.005486 km | 5.4864 m | 548.64 cm | 5,486 mm | 5,486,400 µm | 5,486,400,000 nm |
| 7 yd | 0.003977 mi | 21' | 252" | 0.006401 km | 6.4008 m | 640.08 cm | 6,401 mm | 6,400,800 µm | 6,400,800,000 nm |
| 8 yd | 0.004545 mi | 24' | 288" | 0.007315 km | 7.3152 m | 731.52 cm | 7,315 mm | 7,315,200 µm | 7,315,200,000 nm |
| 9 yd | 0.005114 mi | 27' | 324" | 0.00823 km | 8.2296 m | 822.96 cm | 8,230 mm | 8,229,600 µm | 8,229,600,000 nm |
| 10 yd | 0.005682 mi | 30' | 360" | 0.009144 km | 9.144 m | 914.4 cm | 9,144 mm | 9,144,000 µm | 9,144,000,000 nm |
| 11 yd | 0.00625 mi | 33' | 396" | 0.010058 km | 10.0584 m | 1,006 cm | 10,058 mm | 10,058,400 µm | 10,058,400,000 nm |
| 12 yd | 0.006818 mi | 36' | 432" | 0.010973 km | 10.9728 m | 1,097 cm | 10,973 mm | 10,972,800 µm | 10,972,800,000 nm |
| 13 yd | 0.007386 mi | 39' | 468" | 0.011887 km | 11.8872 m | 1,189 cm | 11,887 mm | 11,887,200 µm | 11,887,200,000 nm |
| 14 yd | 0.007955 mi | 42' | 504" | 0.012802 km | 12.8016 m | 1,280 cm | 12,802 mm | 12,801,600 µm | 12,801,600,000 nm |
| 15 yd | 0.008523 mi | 45' | 540" | 0.013716 km | 13.716 m | 1,372 cm | 13,716 mm | 13,716,000 µm | 13,716,000,000 nm |
| 16 yd | 0.009091 mi | 48' | 576" | 0.01463 km | 14.6304 m | 1,463 cm | 14,630 mm | 14,630,400 µm | 14,630,400,000 nm |
| 17 yd | 0.009659 mi | 51' | 612" | 0.015545 km | 15.5448 m | 1,554 cm | 15,545 mm | 15,544,800 µm | 15,544,800,000 nm |
| 18 yd | 0.010227 mi | 54' | 648" | 0.016459 km | 16.4592 m | 1,646 cm | 16,459 mm | 16,459,200 µm | 16,459,200,000 nm |
| 19 yd | 0.010795 mi | 57' | 684" | 0.017374 km | 17.3736 m | 1,737 cm | 17,374 mm | 17,373,600 µm | 17,373,600,000 nm |
| 20 yd | 0.011364 mi | 60' | 720" | 0.018288 km | 18.288 m | 1,829 cm | 18,288 mm | 18,288,000 µm | 18,288,000,000 nm |
Try our other measurement calculators.
References
- National Bureau of Standards, Refinement of Values for the Yard and the Pound, https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/FedRegister/FRdoc59-5442.pdf
