A linear yard is an English unit of length used in the British imperial and U.S. customary measurement systems. In 1959, an international agreement standardized one yard as as exactly 0.9144 meters. If you have the length of an object in inches or meters or a distance in miles, you can convert to yards by carrying out a simple calculation.
Convert Inches to Yards
Determine Length in Inches
Apply the Equation
Divide by 36
Measure the length in inches. (If you have a length in feet, multiply by 12 to convert to inches.)
There are 36 inches in a yard. If you have a 48-inch piece of wood, find its length in yards by dividing by 36.
For this example, work out 48 ÷ 36 = 1.333. The piece of wood is 1.333 yards.
Convert Meters to Yards
Determine Length in Meters
Apply the Equation
Multiply by 1.0936
Measure the length in meters. (If you have a length in centimeters, divide by 100 to convert to meters.)
One meter is equal to 1.0936 yards. If you have a building that is 60 meters long, find its length in yards by multiplying by 1.0936.
Work out 60 × 1.0936 = 65.616. The building is 65.616 yards long.
Convert Miles to Yards
Determine Distance in Miles
Apply the Equation
Multiply by 1,760
Measure the distance in miles.
One mile is equal to 1,760 yards. If the distance between two towns is 4.6 miles, find the distance in yards by multiplying by 1,760.
Work out 4.6 × 1760 = 8096. The distance between the two towns is 8,096 yards.