A yard is an imperial and US customary unit of length equal to 3 feet or 36 inches. It is used in fabric, sports, fields, landscaping, and medium-scale customary measurement.
Quick facts
- Unit name
- yard
- Plural
- yards
- Symbol
- yd
- Quantity
- length
- System
- imperial and US customary
- Foot relation
- 1 yd = 3 ft
- Inch relation
- 1 yd = 36 in
- Meter relation
- 1 yd = 0.9144 m
Visual scale
A yard is slightly shorter than a meter and equals three feet.
Definition and exact value
The modern yard is exactly 3 feet or 36 inches. Since one foot is exactly 0.3048 meters, one yard is exactly 0.9144 meters.
Symbol and writing rules
The standard symbol is yd. Use yd for both singular and plural values: 1 yd and 12 yd.
How big is one yard?
A yard is useful for measurements larger than a foot but smaller than many room-scale meter values. It is especially familiar in fabric and sports contexts.
Fabric scale
Fabric is commonly sold by the yard in US retail contexts.
Sports scale
American football field distances are measured in yards.
Outdoor scale
Yards are useful for landscaping, spacing, and field measurements.
Yard vs meter
The yard is customary; the meter is metric and SI. One yard is exactly 0.9144 meters, so one meter is about 1.093613298 yards.
Common uses
- Fabric, textiles, sewing, and craft materials.
- American football, field distances, and sports measurements.
- Landscaping, gardens, outdoor spacing, and medium distances.
- Customary measurement between feet and miles.
How to measure in yards
Use a yardstick, tape measure, field marker, measuring wheel, or conversion from feet. Three feet make one yard, so a 12-foot distance equals 4 yards.
Conversion formulas
Yard conversion table
| Yards | Feet | Inches | Meters | Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yd | 3 ft | 36 in | 0.9144 m | 0.0005681818 mi |
| 10 yd | 30 ft | 360 in | 9.144 m | 0.0056818182 mi |
| 100 yd | 300 ft | 3,600 in | 91.44 m | 0.0568181818 mi |
Common mistakes
- Confusing yards and feet: 1 yard equals 3 feet.
- Treating a yard as exactly 1 meter; it is exactly 0.9144 m.
- Confusing linear yards with square yards or cubic yards.
- Pluralizing yd as yds in technical symbol use.
Related Xunits pages
Yard converters
Length references
FAQ
How many feet are in one yard?
One yard equals exactly 3 feet.
How many inches are in one yard?
One yard equals exactly 36 inches.
How many meters are in one yard?
One yard equals exactly 0.9144 meters.
What is the symbol for yard?
The standard symbol is yd.