Square Yards to Square Feet Calculator
Convert square yards to square feet: 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft, exactly, because a yard is 3 feet. Type either box — it runs both ways.
Last updated:Conversion Formula
Conversion factors follow NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9.1 (area). Links are in Sources below.
square feet = square yards × 9
square yards = square feet ÷ 9 (1 sq ft = 1/9 sq yd = 0.111111… sq yd — the 1 repeats forever)
This direction is the arithmetically comfortable one: multiplying by 9 always terminates, while dividing by 9 does not. Other units one square yard equals exactly: 9 sq ft, 1,296 sq in, 0.83612736 m², 1/4,840 acre, 1/3,097,600 sq mi.
Worked Example
A carpet is quoted at 26.5 sq yd and you want to know whether it covers a 12 ft × 20 ft room, and how the price compares to a laminate sold per square foot.
- Convert the quote: 26.5 × 9 = 238.5 sq ft.
- Room area: 12 × 20 = 240 sq ft.
- Compare: 238.5 sq ft is 1.5 sq ft short of the room — about 0.6%, but short is short, so order 27 sq yd (243 sq ft) or accept a seam.
- Check in sq yd instead: 240 ÷ 9 = 26.6667 sq yd, which rounds up to 27. ✓ Same answer.
Now the price. At $29.99 per sq yd, 27 sq yd is $809.73. Per square foot that quote is $29.99 ÷ 9 = $3.3322 per sq ft, so 240 sq ft × $3.3322 = $799.73 — the $10 difference is the extra 3 sq ft of carpet you are buying, not a pricing error. A laminate at $2.79 per sq ft is $2.79 × 9 = $25.11 per sq yd.
Quick Reference
| Square Yards | Square Feet |
|---|---|
| 1/9 sq yd | 1 sq ft |
| 1/3 sq yd | 3 sq ft |
| 1/2 sq yd | 4.5 sq ft |
| 1 sq yd | 9 sq ft |
| 2 sq yd | 18 sq ft |
| 5 sq yd | 45 sq ft |
| 10 sq yd | 90 sq ft |
| 16 sq yd | 144 sq ft |
| 20 sq yd | 180 sq ft |
| 25 sq yd | 225 sq ft |
| 26.5 sq yd | 238.5 sq ft |
| 50 sq yd | 450 sq ft |
| 100 sq yd | 900 sq ft |
| 150 sq yd | 1,350 sq ft |
| 200 sq yd | 1,800 sq ft |
| 400 sq yd | 3,600 sq ft |
| 4,840 sq yd (1 acre) | 43,560 sq ft |
| 3,097,600 sq yd (1 sq mi) | 27,878,400 sq ft |
Per-yard and per-foot prices side by side
The prices below are worked examples of the arithmetic, not quotations. The conversion is what matters: divide a per-yard price by 9, multiply a per-foot price by 9.
| Quoted price | Per sq yd | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| Budget broadloom | $17.99 | $2.0 |
| Mid carpet | $29.99 | $3.3322 |
| Premium carpet | $45.00 | $5.0 |
| Laminate, quoted per sq ft | $25.11 | $2.79 |
| Engineered hardwood, per sq ft | $58.41 | $6.49 |
Two cautions. First, unit price is not total price: carpet is sold off a roll in whole linear feet, so you buy in increments, and a per-sq-ft quote for a seamed room may include waste the per-sq-yd quote does not. Second, scope differs — padding, tack strip, installation and old-floor removal may be bundled into one quote and itemised in the other. Use the carpet calculator to compare totals rather than unit prices.
What is a square yard?
A square yard is the area of a square one yard on each side. The yard is exact by international agreement: 1 yd = 3 ft = 36 in = 0.9144 m, the metric figure following from 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, a definition the 1959 international agreement fixed and the Federal Register notice retiring the US survey foot restates.
So a square yard is 3 ft × 3 ft = 9 sq ft, or 36 in × 36 in = 1,296 sq in, or 0.9144 m × 0.9144 m = 0.83612736 m². NIST SP 811 prints that last factor as 8.361 274 E−01 m², which is 0.83612736 rounded to seven significant figures rather than a different measurement — square 0.9144 yourself if you need the eighth digit.
The yard also anchors the acre: 1 acre = 22 yd × 220 yd = 4,840 sq yd = 43,560 sq ft. Both routes give the same answer, which is a useful cross-check on any land figure.
What is a square foot?
A square foot is the area of a square one foot on each side: 12 in × 12 in = 144 sq in, or 0.09290304 m² exactly (NIST prints 9.290 304 E−02 m²). Nine of them tile one square yard, and it is the unit US room measurements, floor plans and flooring orders are written in — which is why a quote expressed in yards has to be converted before it can be compared to a measured room.
The two metric anchors agree: 9 × 0.09290304 = 0.83612736 m², the same value as 0.9144². That agreement is the check on this whole page.
What shape is a square yard?
| Shape | Dimensions | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Square in feet (the definition) | 3 ft × 3 ft | 3 × 3 = 9 sq ft |
| Square in inches | 36 in × 36 in | 36 × 36 = 1,296 sq in |
| Square in metres | 0.9144 m × 0.9144 m | 0.9144² = 0.83612736 m² |
| Rectangle | 1.5 ft × 6 ft | 1.5 × 6 = 9 |
| Rectangle | 2 ft × 4.5 ft | 2 × 4.5 = 9 |
| Narrow strip | 1 ft × 9 ft | 1 × 9 = 9 |
| Circle of the same area | diameter 3.3851 ft (40.62 in) | √(9 × 4 ÷ π) = 3.38514 |
| 100 sq yd as a square | 30 ft × 30 ft | √900 = 30, perimeter 120 ft |
| 100 sq yd as a circle | diameter 33.85 ft | √(900 × 4 ÷ π) = 33.8514 |
900 sq ft is a useful anchor because it is whole in both units. As a square it is 30 ft on a side; as a 20 ft × 45 ft rectangle it needs 130 ft of perimeter against 120 ft for the square — same area, 8% more edge.
Where square yards still show up
- Carpet and broadloom flooring — quoted per sq yd in the US even though rooms are measured in sq ft. Multiply the quoted yards by 9 to compare against a measured room.
- Fabric, tarps and roll goods — sold by the linear yard off a fixed-width roll; the area depends on the width, so always confirm it.
- Concrete, topsoil and mulch — sold by the cubic yard, and 1 cu yd is 1 sq yd three feet deep. See sq ft to cubic feet.
- Older US plats and UK land records — square yards appear in older deeds; the 22 yd × 220 yd acre is why they come out whole.
FAQ
How many square feet are in one square yard?
Exactly 9. A square yard is 3 ft × 3 ft, and area scales by the square of the linear factor, so 3 × 3 = 9. The same rule makes 1 sq ft = 144 sq in (12 × 12) and 1 sq mi = 27,878,400 sq ft (5,280 × 5,280).
How many square feet is 100 square yards?
900 sq ft, which is a square 30 ft on each side, or 83.612736 m², or 0.0206611570 acres. As a rectangle it could be 20 ft × 45 ft or 25 ft × 36 ft. Because 900 is a whole number of square feet, 100 sq yd is the easiest quantity to reason about when checking a carpet quote.
Why does this direction never produce repeating decimals?
Multiplying by 9 always terminates in base 10, whereas the reverse, dividing by 9, gives 1/9 = 0.111111… So sq yd to sq ft is the safer direction for hand arithmetic: 26.5 sq yd × 9 = 238.5 sq ft exactly, while 238.5 sq ft ÷ 9 = 26.5 sq yd only comes back cleanly if you divide rather than multiply by 0.1111111111111111.
How do I compare a per-square-yard price with a per-square-foot price?
Divide the per-sq-yd price by 9, or multiply the per-sq-ft price by 9. A quote of $29.99 per sq yd is $3.3322 per sq ft; laminate at $2.79 per sq ft is $25.11 per sq yd. Unit price alone is not the whole comparison, because carpet quotes may or may not include padding, installation and waste.
How many square yards are in an acre?
4,840. One acre is 43,560 sq ft, and 43,560 ÷ 9 = 4,840. That is also the historical definition, since the acre is 22 yd × 220 yd, and 22 × 220 = 4,840. A square mile is 3,097,600 sq yd.
How many square metres are in a square yard?
0.83612736 m² exactly, because 1 yd = 0.9144 m exactly and 0.9144 squared = 0.83612736. NIST SP 811 prints 8.361 274 E−01 m², which is that value rounded to seven significant figures. Multiply sq yd by 0.83612736 for metric, or convert through sq ft: 9 × 0.09290304 = 0.83612736. See square metres to square feet.
Sources and How to Check This Page
- Area factors — square yard 8.361 274 E−01 m², square foot 9.290 304 E−02 m², square inch 6.4516 E−04 m², acre (based on U.S. survey foot) 4.046 873 E+03 m², square mile 2.589 988 E+06 m² — are transcribed from NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9.1.
- 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, from which 1 yd = 0.9144 m and 1 in = 0.0254 m follow, is stated in 85 FR 62698, FR Doc. 2020-21902, which attributes the definition to the 1959 notice at 24 FR 5348.
- The acre as 22 yd × 220 yd, 4,840 sq yd, 43,560 sq ft, and 66 ft = 1 chain comes from the BLM Land Description Diagram.
- Every other number here is arithmetic on those factors and can be re-derived: 26.5 × 9 = 238.5; 12 × 20 = 240 and 240 ÷ 9 = 26.6667; 29.99 ÷ 9 = 3.3322; 2.79 × 9 = 25.11; 6.49 × 9 = 58.41; 17.99 ÷ 9 = 1.999; 45 ÷ 9 = 5; √900 = 30; √(900 × 4 ÷ π) = 33.8514; √(9 × 4 ÷ π) = 3.38514; 9 × 0.09290304 = 0.83612736 = 0.9144²; 900 ÷ 43,560 = 0.0206611570.
- What this page does not claim: any price, roll width, padding thickness or waste percentage as a market norm. The price table is arithmetic on assumed inputs and is labelled as such. Room-size and floor-area benchmarks are on the house square footage and property size pages, which carry their own sources.