Yards explained

Yards are a unit of length in the Imperial system of measurement, commonly used in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is often used for measuring shorter distances, such as in sports, building construction, and everyday applications.

Symbol

The symbol for yards is yd.

Units of Length conversion table

Below is a conversion table for units of length in the Imperial system, with yards as one of the units.

Unit Symbol Description
Chain ch Used in surveying, equal to 66 feet or 22 yards.
Rod rd Also known as a pole, equal to 16.5 feet or 5.5 yards.
Yard yd A common unit for measuring shorter distances, such as in sports.
Foot ft A base unit in the Imperial system for length, with 3 feet equaling 1 yard.
Inch in The smallest unit in the Imperial system for length, with 12 inches equaling 1 foot.

Origin

The yard originated from the length of a human arm or the distance from the tip of the nose to the end of the outstretched arm, which was standardized in England in the 13th century. It was officially defined as three feet in 1324 by King Edward II.

Interesting Facts

Yards are widely used in sports, such as American football and cricket, where distances are often measured in yards. In construction and real estate, yards are used to describe the size of properties or building lots.

Yards vs. Other Units

While yards are part of the Imperial system, they are not as commonly used for long distances as miles or leagues. However, they are more practical than feet or inches for measuring moderate lengths, such as room sizes or athletic fields.

Convert yards to other length units

In this section, you find an overview of all conversions from yards to other length units available on this website.