Yard (yd)
Definition
The yard (symbol yd) is an imperial and US customary unit of length equal to exactly 0.9144 meters. One yard equals three feet or 36 inches and serves as the base unit from which the foot and inch derive in the international system.
History
The yard originated in early medieval England, with one tradition tying it to the length from a king's nose to his outstretched thumb. The yardstick was kept as a physical prototype at the Tower of London and later at the Standards Office.
The 1824 Weights and Measures Act fixed the imperial yard against a prototype bronze bar, but several disasters and the inconvenience of physical artifacts pushed both Britain and the United States toward a metric-anchored definition. The 1959 international yard and pound agreement set the yard at exactly 0.9144 meters and consequently fixed the foot, inch, and mile.
Standard reference
Defined under the 1959 international yard and pound agreement as 0.9144 m exactly. This is the base imperial length from which the foot and inch are derived in modern U.S. and U.K. usage.
Common conversions
| 1 yd | = 0.9144 m |
|---|---|
| = 91.44 cm | |
| = 3 ft | |
| = 36 in |