Convert yards to metres
Yards to metres for fabric, turf and sports fields — exact 0.9144 conversion with feet, inches and centimetres shown alongside.
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Fabric lengths, sports fields, garden turf — yards in, metres out.
metres = yards × 0.9144 = 100 × 0.9144 = 91.4400 m 1 yd = 0.9144 m
| yards | metres |
|---|---|
| 1 yd | 0.9144 m |
| 2 yd | 1.8288 m |
| 3 yd | 2.7432 m |
| 5 yd | 4.5720 m |
| 10 yd | 9.1440 m |
| 18 yd | 16.4592 m |
| 25 yd | 22.8600 m |
| 40 yd | 36.5760 m |
| 50 yd | 45.7200 m |
| 60 yd | 54.8640 m |
| 75 yd | 68.5800 m |
| 100 yd | 91.4400 m |
| 110 yd | 100.5840 m |
| 120 yd | 109.7280 m |
| 200 yd | 182.8800 m |
| 440 yd | 402.3360 m |
| 880 yd | 804.6720 m |
| 1,760 yd | 1,609.3440 m |
Nearly the same, and that is the problem
A yard is 0.9144 m. A metre is 1.0936 yd. They are close enough that people treat them as interchangeable and far enough apart that doing so costs money: a metre is about 3.37 inches longer than a yard, or roughly 9% over ten units.
That 9% shows up most sharply in fabric. Order "five yards" of a cloth that is sold and priced per metre and you will be charged for five metres — 4.57 m of which you wanted, and 43 cm of which you did not.
Exact relationships
- 1 yard = 3 feet = 36 inches = 0.9144 m exactly
- 1 metre = 1.0936133 yd = 39.3700787 in
- 10 yd = 9.144 m · 100 yd = 91.44 m · 1,760 yd = 1 mile = 1,609.344 m
As with the foot, the yard has been defined in terms of the metre since 1959, so none of these figures is an approximation.
Sport, where the gap is visible
| Distance | Metric equivalent | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 yd sprint | 91.44 m | Replaced by the 100 m in international athletics in 1977 |
| American football field | 91.44 m between goal lines | 109.73 m including both end zones |
| 440 yd | 402.34 m | The old quarter mile, now the 400 m |
| 25 yd pool | 22.86 m | Short-course yards times are not comparable to short-course metres |
| Golf: 150 yd marker | 137.16 m | Metric courses mark 137 m or round to 140 m |
Fabric, turf and topsoil
Dressmaking fabric is usually 45 in (114 cm) or 60 in (152 cm) wide, and the length is what is sold by the yard or metre. When a pattern gives yardage for a 45 in fabric and your shop stocks 150 cm, you need less length, not more — convert the yardage first, then adjust for width.
Rolled turf is typically sold per square metre in Europe and per square yard or per roll in the US; a square yard is 0.836 m², so a "50 square yard" order is 41.8 m². And a cubic yard of topsoil or concrete is 0.7646 m³ — the cube of the ratio, not the ratio.
A quick mental rule
Yards to metres: subtract about 9%. 100 yd is 91 m, 50 yd is 46 m, 20 yd is 18 m. Going the other way, add about a tenth. Both are within half a percent of the exact answer, which is plenty for judging a distance and nowhere near enough for buying material.
Questions
How many metres in a yard?
Exactly 0.9144 m. That is a definition, not a measurement — the yard was redefined in terms of the metre in 1959.
Is a yard nearly a metre?
Close but not close enough for fabric. A metre is about 3.4 inches longer than a yard, so ordering 5 "yards" of a fabric sold by the metre gets you an extra 43 cm.
How long is a 100 yard football field in metres?
91.44 m between the goal lines, plus two 10-yard (9.144 m) end zones, giving 109.73 m overall.
What about cubic yards for concrete?
A cubic yard is 0.764555 m³ — the ratio cubed. This page converts length only.