The exact factor: 1760 yards to the mile
A mile is 1760 yards exactly, so to go from yards to miles you divide by 1760, and from miles to yards you multiply by it. The number comes from the mile being 5280 feet and a yard being 3 feet: 5280 divided by 3 is 1760.
miles = yards ÷ 1760, yards = miles × 1760
Common conversions
| Yards | Miles | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 100 yd | 0.0568 mi | Football field (goal to goal) |
| 220 yd | 0.125 mi | One furlong (⅛ mile) |
| 440 yd | 0.25 mi | Quarter mile |
| 880 yd | 0.5 mi | Half mile |
| 1760 yd | 1 mi | Exactly one mile |
| 3520 yd | 2 mi | |
| 8800 yd | 5 mi |
Where people go wrong
- It is not 1000. A mile is 1760 yards, not 1000. The round number belongs to the kilometre (1000 metres), and mixing the two systems is the usual slip.
- A yard is not a metre. One yard is 0.9144 metres, about 9% short, so 100 yards is roughly 91 metres, not 100.
- Statute, not nautical. This mile is the everyday (statute) mile of 5280 feet. A nautical mile used at sea is longer, 1852 metres, and does not equal 1760 yards.
Common questions
How many yards are in a mile?
Exactly 1760 yards. This has been exact, not approximate, since 1959, when the yard was internationally fixed at 0.9144 metres.
How do I convert yards to miles?
Divide the yards by 1760. For example, 880 yards divided by 1760 is 0.5 miles. To go the other way, multiply miles by 1760.
How many miles is 100 yards?
About 0.0568 miles, a little under one seventeenth of a mile. One hundred yards is the length of an American football field between the goal lines.
