About the Square Feet to Square Yards
This square feet to square yards converter divides your area by nine to give square yards, and works the other way too. Because carpet, vinyl and some turf are still sold by the square yard in the US while rooms are measured in square feet, it adds the extras you need to place an order: a waste allowance, the length of a standard 12-foot-wide roll, square meters and an optional total cost.
Use it when you are pricing carpet for a bedroom, comparing a per-square-yard quote with a per-square-foot one, ordering artificial grass or landscaping fabric, or checking a contractor’s estimate. Enter the room area (length × width in feet) or a quoted yardage and pick the direction.
A waste allowance of about 10% is typical for simple rectangular rooms; allow 15–20% for rooms with closets, angles or patterned carpet that must be matched. The roll length assumes one continuous 12-ft-wide broadloom roll and ignores seam layout, so treat it as an estimate for your installer to confirm.
With the default inputs, the converted area is 50. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the square feet to square yards
- 1Measure the room length and width in feet and multiply them to get square feet.
- 2Pick the direction — square feet to square yards is the default.
- 3Enter the area and a waste allowance (10% for simple rooms).
- 4Optionally add the price per square yard to estimate the material cost.
- 5Read the square yards, the amount to order and the 12-ft roll length.
Formula and method
A yard is 3 feet, so a square yard is 3 ft × 3 ft = 9 square feet. Divide square feet by 9 to get square yards, or multiply square yards by 9 to get square feet. Square meters use the exact definition 1 sq ft = 0.09290304 m².
For ordering, the area is increased by the waste percentage to cover trimming, seams and pattern matching. The roll length divides that padded area in square feet by the 12-ft width of standard broadloom carpet. Cost is the padded square yardage times your price per square yard; divide a per-yard price by 9 to compare it with a per-square-foot quote.
- sq ft
- Area in square feet (length × width in feet)
- sq yd
- Area in square yards
- waste %
- Extra material for cuts, seams and pattern match
Worked examples
Carpet for a 450 sq ft living area
450 ÷ 9 = 50 sq yd. Adding 10% waste gives 55 sq yd, which is 495 sq ft — about 41.25 ft off a 12-ft roll.
Quote of 30 square yards to square feet
30 × 9 = 270 sq ft. With 10% waste you would order 33 sq yd; at $25 per sq yd that is $825 of material.
1,000 sq ft with no waste
1,000 ÷ 9 = 111.11 sq yd, or 92.90 m².
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in a square yard?+
There are exactly 9 square feet in a square yard, because a yard is 3 feet and 3 × 3 = 9. So 20 sq yd equals 180 sq ft.
How do I convert square feet to square yards?+
Divide the square footage by 9. A 12 ft × 15 ft room is 180 sq ft, and 180 ÷ 9 = 20 square yards.
How much extra carpet should I buy?+
Plan on about 10% extra for simple rectangular rooms, and 15–20% for irregular rooms, stairs or patterned carpet where the pattern must line up across seams.
How do I compare a per-square-yard price with a per-square-foot price?+
Divide the per-square-yard price by 9. Carpet at $36 per sq yd costs $4 per sq ft, so it matches a $4/sq ft quote.
How many square yards is a 12x12 room?+
A 12 × 12 ft room is 144 sq ft, which is 144 ÷ 9 = 16 square yards before any waste allowance.