Convert yards to meters
1 yd = 0.9144 m · Formula and table below. Converting the other way? Meters to Yards →
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Other units
- Meter (m) 0.9144
- Kilometer (km) 0.0009144
- Decimeter (dm) 9.144
- Centimeter (cm) 91.44
- Millimeter (mm) 914.4
- Micrometer (µm) 914,400
- Nanometer (nm) 914,400,000
- Mile (mi) 0.000568182
- Yard (yd) 1
- Foot (ft) 3
- Inch (in) 36
- Nautical mile (nmi) 0.000493737
- Light year (ly) 9.665216×10⁻¹⁷
Reviewed on by the Skala Convert team
One yard is 0.9144 metres — about 8.5% shorter than a metre.
How many meters is a yard?
m = yd × 0.9144
The yard and the metre are close enough to be mistaken for each other and far enough apart that the error compounds. Over 100 units you lose more than eight metres.
Why can't swimming times in yards and meters be compared?
Competitive pools come in 25 m, 50 m and 25-yard configurations. A 100-yard freestyle is 91.44 m, so American short-course yard times are systematically faster than metric ones for the same swimmer. Governing bodies publish separate record lists rather than convert.
How long is an American football field in meters?
100 yards between goal lines, 10 yards for a first down (9.14 m), and the field including end zones running 120 yards or 109.7 m. Broadcasters outside the US convert the field but never the plays, because "nine point one four metres to go" does not work.
Is a yard of fabric the same as a meter?
Textiles are sold by the yard in the US and by the metre elsewhere. A pattern calling for 3 yards and a shop selling 3 metres leaves you with 26 cm of surplus. Reverse it and you are 26 cm short.
Anchor: a yard is a metre minus about 9 cm, roughly the length of a hand.
Who defines the yard?
The 1959 international agreement did: the US National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), in an announcement effective 1 July 1959 set the yard at exactly 0.9144 m, and the United Kingdom adopted the same value in its Weights and Measures Act 1963. NIST Special Publication 811, the US guide to the SI lists it as an exact conversion, which is why 0.9144 needs no further decimals.
Formula
Meters = Yards × 0.9144
10 yd = 9.144 m
Conversion table
| yd | m |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.9144 |
| 2 | 1.8288 |
| 5 | 4.572 |
| 10 | 9.144 |
| 20 | 18.288 |
| 25 | 22.86 |
| 50 | 45.72 |
| 100 | 91.44 |
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Frequently asked questions
How long is an American football field in meters?
91.44 m between the goal lines, or 109.73 m including both end zones.
Is a yard the same as a meter?
No. A yard is 0.9144 m, about 8.5% shorter.
Why are swimming records separate for yards and meters?
A 25-yard pool is shorter than a 25 m pool, so turn count and total distance differ. Times are not comparable.