This page converts yards into picas using the factor 216, and shows the reverse figure alongside it. Both units measure length, which is why one number does the whole job.
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout. Three feet, exactly 0.9144 metres, best known from American football and fabric retail.
The mil and the millimetre are not the same thing and are out by a factor of about forty. A mil is one thousandth of an inch — 0.0254 mm — and a spec sheet that quotes film thickness in mils means the small unit. British drawings write the same size as "thou". Below the calculator there is a step table for the values people look up most, and a second table putting real length figures into picas so the number you get has something to be compared against.
The formula
yards- The amount you are converting, in yards
216- The exact number of picas in one yard
picas- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in yards.
- It is multiplied by 216, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in picas, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
A door height: 2.22 yd in picas
A door height comes to about 2.22 yd. Multiplying by the factor: 2.22 × 216 = 479.52 pica. Dividing the answer back by 216 returns the figure you started with, which is the quickest way to check you have the factor the right way up.
A credit card’s long edge: 0.0936 yd in picas
Take a credit card’s long edge, roughly 0.0936 yd. The conversion is a single multiplication — 0.0936 × 216 — giving 20.2176 pica. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 40.4352 pica.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many picas are in one yard?
Exactly 216. Every figure on this page is that one number multiplied by your input, so the only rounding is at the display step.
What is the formula to convert yards to picas?
picas = yards × 216. Reversed, yards = picas ÷ 216, which is the same as multiplying by 0.00462962962963.
Which is the bigger unit, the yard or the pica?
The yard. One yard equals 216 picas.
What does this quantity actually measure?
Both units measure length. That is why a single factor is enough: there is no temperature offset and no material property involved, unlike conversions that cross between different quantities.
What is a yard?
Three feet, exactly 0.9144 metres, best known from American football and fabric retail.
What is a pica?
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
Why does my answer differ from another converter?
Almost always because the other tool rounded the factor before multiplying. This page keeps full double precision through the calculation and rounds only for display, and it prints the factor it used so you can see where any difference came from.
Is there a quick way to do yd to pica in my head?
Plenty of people do this in their head: multiply by 220 instead of using the exact factor 216. At 100 that shortcut gives 22,000 picas, off by 400 picas or about 1.85%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
Yards to picas reference tables
| Yards | Picas |
|---|---|
| 0.5 yd | 108 pica |
| 1 yd | 216 pica |
| 2 yd | 432 pica |
| 3 yd | 648 pica |
| 5 yd | 1080 pica |
| 10 yd | 2160 pica |
| 20 yd | 4320 pica |
| 25 yd | 5400 pica |
| 50 yd | 10,800 pica |
| 75 yd | 16,200 pica |
| 100 yd | 21,600 pica |
| 250 yd | 54,000 pica |
| 500 yd | 108,000 pica |
| 1000 yd | 216,000 pica |
| 5000 yd | 1.08e+06 pica |
Exact factor: 1 yard = 216 picas.
| Quantity | yd | pica |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 0.09361 yd | 20.22 pica |
| A door height | 2.222 yd | 480 pica |
| An Olympic pool | 54.68 yd | 1.181e+04 pica |
| The Eiffel Tower | 360.9 yd | 7.795e+04 pica |
| A marathon | 4.615e+04 yd | 9.967e+06 pica |
| Earth’s diameter | 1.393e+07 yd | 3.01e+09 pica |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.