Quick answer: how to convert inches to yards
Exact yardage equals inches divided by 36, because 1 yard equals 36 inches. Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest 1/8 yard. Reverse direction: inches equal yards times 36. Exact yardage is what the math gives, yardage to buy is what you ask the shop to cut, and buy yardage must never be below exact yardage.
Example: 250 inches. Exact yardage is 6.94 yards, which is 6 yards and 34 inches. Yardage to buy is 7.00 yards, which is 7 yards and 0 inches. Same length in feet is 20.83 feet.
Two warnings, stated plainly. First, this calculator adds no extra for mistakes, shrinkage, or cutting waste, unlike the Yardage Calculator, which adds an extra percent of your choice. If you need extra, add it to the inch length first, or use the Yardage Calculator. Second, width and length must stay separate. A yard of 44 inch wide fabric is still 36 inches long, never 44 inches long, and a fraction of the width must never be presented as a length conversion.
If you only need a number, use the Inches to Yards Calculator. If you want to understand why buy yardage jumps in eighth steps, read on.
What inches to yards means
Inches to yards means converting a length in inches into yardage, for buying fabric. In the United States, fabric is usually sold by the yard, cut from a roll, but quilt patterns, piece sizes and backing sizes are usually given in inches. Inches to yards bridges those two, so you can buy what you measured in inches.
One yard equals 36 inches, exactly. That is the whole conversion, but buying is not just dividing by 36, because fabric shops cut in eighth yard steps, and rounding matters.
Why one yard equals 36 inches
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 yard | 36 inches, 3 feet, 91.44 centimetres, 0.9144 metres |
| 1 foot | 12 inches, 0.33 yards |
| 1/8 yard, one cutting step | 4.5 inches |
| 1/4 yard | 9 inches |
| 1/2 yard | 18 inches |
Fabric shops usually cut in eighth yard steps, which is 4.5 inches at a time. That is why yardage to buy is rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, not to the nearest whole yard, and not to exact yardage with no rounding.
Step by step: how to calculate inches to yards
Step 1: Work out exact yardage
Exact yardage equals length in inches divided by 36, because one yard equals 36 inches. Exact yardage is the mathematical answer, with no rounding, and it is not the amount to buy, because shops do not cut exact fractions of a yard.
Step 2: Work out yardage to buy
Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest eighth yard. Rounding up means you buy enough, even if the last eighth yard is only partly needed. Rounding down would give you less fabric than you need, and you could come up short on the last piece.
Step 3: Work out yards and inches breakdown
Yards and inches breakdown means whole yards, plus the leftover fraction times 36 inches. For exact yardage, whole yards are exact yardage rounded down, and leftover inches are leftover fraction times 36. For yardage to buy, whole yards are yardage to buy rounded down, and leftover inches are leftover fraction times 36.
Step 4: Check feet, centimetres and metres, for comparison
Same length in feet equals length in inches divided by 12. Same length in centimetres equals length in inches times 2.54. Same length in metres equals length in inches times 0.0254. These are for comparison only, when you are shopping in feet, centimetres or metres, or when your pattern uses those units.
Try it with the calculator: Use the Inches to Yards Calculator with your own length in inches. It uses the same steps as this guide, and it shows exact yardage, yardage to buy, yards and inches breakdown, and the same length in feet, centimetres and metres, together.
Worked example: 250 inches
Take a length 250 inches.
Exact yardage: 250 divided by 36 equals 6.94 yards, rounded at two decimal places.
Yardage to buy, rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, equals 7.00 yards, because 6.875 is less than 6.94, and the next eighth yard step is 7.00.
Exact yardage as yards and inches: whole yards are 6, leftover fraction is 0.94, and leftover inches are 0.94 times 36, equals 34 inches, rounded to the nearest inch. So exact yardage is 6 yards and 34 inches.
Yardage to buy as yards and inches: whole yards are 7, leftover fraction is 0, and leftover inches are 0 inches. So yardage to buy is 7 yards and 0 inches.
Same length in feet: 250 divided by 12 equals 20.83 feet. Same length in centimetres: 250 times 2.54 equals 635 centimetres. Same length in metres: 250 times 0.0254 equals 6.35 metres.
In this example, rounding up adds 0.06 yards to buy, compared with exact yardage, because exact yardage 6.94 is close to the next whole yard. In other examples, rounding up may add up to 0.125 yards, which is one eighth yard, the largest rounding step.
Conversion table, our own computed table
This table is computed from the same rule as the calculator, exact yardage equal inches divided by 36, buy yardage rounded up to the nearest 1/8 yard, and it is not copied from another site. Notice that 100 inches does not buy as 2.78 yards, because 2.78 is not a purchasable eighth step, it buys as 2.88 yards, which is 2 and 7/8 yards.
| Inches | Exact yardage | Yardage to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5 in | 0.13 yards | 1/8 yard |
| 9 in | 0.25 yards | 1/4 yard |
| 18 in | 0.50 yards | 1/2 yard |
| 100 in | 2.78 yards | 2 and 7/8 yards |
| 180 in | 5.00 yards | 5 yards |
| 250 in | 6.94 yards | 7 yards |
How to make sure your result is correct
- Factor check. 1 yard must equal 36 inches, not 44 inches, and not any fabric width. Width and length must stay separate.
- Exact check. Exact yardage must equal inches divided by 36, and exact breakdown must equal whole yards plus leftover inches that add back to the original inches.
- Buy versus exact check. Buy yardage must never be below exact yardage, and buy yardage must be a multiple of 1/8 yard.
- Extra check. This calculator adds no extra. If you need extra for mistakes or shrinkage, add it to the inch length first, or use the Yardage Calculator, which adds an extra percent.
- Reverse check. Inches must equal yards times 36. If you convert back and do not get the original inches, within rounding, the first conversion is wrong.
Common mistakes with inches to yards
- Dividing by 12 instead of 36. Dividing inches by 12 gives feet, not yards. Dividing inches by 36 gives yards. Mixing these up gives yardage three times too large.
- Rounding yardage down. Rounding down gives less fabric than needed. Always round yardage to buy up, to the nearest eighth yard.
- Forgetting eighth yard steps. Fabric shops cut in eighth yard steps, which is 4.5 inches at a time. Exact yardage with no rounding is not a buying amount, because shops do not cut exact fractions of a yard.
- Adding extra twice. This calculator does not add extra for mistakes. If you want extra, add it to inches before converting, or use the Yardage Calculator, which has an extra percent field. Do not add extra in both places, or you will buy more than you need.
Calculate your own inches to yards now
Use your length in inches in the calculator, and check the result against the steps in this guide.
Open the Inches to Yards CalculatorFrequently asked questions
Divide inches by 36 to get exact yardage, then round up to the nearest eighth yard to get yardage to buy. For example, 250 inches divided by 36 equals 6.94 yards exact, and 7.00 yards to buy.
One yard equals 36 inches, 3 feet, 91.44 centimetres, and 0.9144 metres.
Exact yardage is inches divided by 36, with no rounding. Yardage to buy is exact yardage rounded up to the nearest eighth yard, because fabric shops cut in eighth yard increments, and rounding down would give you less fabric than you need.
This calculator converts inches to yards only. To convert yards to inches, multiply yards by 36. For other units and fabric widths, use the Fabric Conversion Calculator.
No. This calculator does not add extra for mistakes. If you want extra, add it to inches before converting, or use the Yardage Calculator, which has an extra percent field.
Related guides and calculators
Next, read How to Calculate Quilt Yardage for yardage with extra added, and How to Calculate Fabric Conversion for changes of unit and width together. For a simple conversion, use the Inches to Yards Calculator.