Yards to centimetres:
multiply by 91.44

How many cm are in a yard?

One yard is exactly 91.44 centimetres. The yard has been defined as 0.9144 metres since the international agreement of 1959, so the figure never changes and you can use it in any calculation.

Because a yard is three feet and a foot is 30.48 cm, the same number appears either way: 3 × 30.48 = 91.44. A yard is also 36 inches, and 36 × 2.54 gives 91.44 as well, which is a handy way to confirm the factor.

Yards to cm formula and worked example

1. 1Write the length in yards as a decimal, so 2 1/2 yards becomes 2.5.
2. 2Multiply by 91.44.
3. 3Round to the precision you need: whole centimetres are enough for fabric, one decimal for drawings.

Chart: yards to centimetres from 1 to 1,000

Use this table for quick look-ups. Every value is an exact multiple of 91.44.

Where you need yards to cm in real life

Fabric shops in the UK and US often sell cloth by the yard, while a pattern or a curtain rail is measured in centimetres. A customer who needs 228.6 cm of curtain material is asking for 2.5 yards. Ask for 2.5 yards and the shop will cut exactly that length.

Sport is the other big case. A cricket pitch is 22 yards long, and 22 × 91.44 = 2,011.68 cm, which is 20.1168 metres. An American football field is 100 yards between the goal lines, or 9,144 cm, which is 91.44 metres.

To convert the other way, take a 200 cm shelf: 200 ÷ 91.44 = 2.187 yards, or a little over 2 yards and 6 inches.

Common mistakes when converting yards to cm

• Using 100 as the factor because a yard feels like a metre. That overstates every length by about 9 percent.
• Dividing instead of multiplying. Centimetres are smaller than yards, so the cm number must be larger.
• Confusing the yard with the metre in fabric orders. A metre is 100 cm, a yard is 91.44 cm, so 10 yards is not 10 metres.
• Rounding the factor to 91 too early, which loses nearly half a centimetre on every yard.