This page converts picas into yards using the factor 0.00462962963, and shows the reverse figure alongside it. Both units measure length, which is why one number does the whole job.
Three feet, exactly 0.9144 metres, best known from American football and fabric retail. Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
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". The tables underneath give both a plain step-by-step lookup and a list of real quantities expressed in yards, so you can sanity-check whether your answer is a plausible size.
The formula
picas- The amount you are converting, in picas
0.00462962962963- The exact number of yards in one pica
yards- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in picas.
- It is multiplied by 0.00462962962963, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in yards, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
The Eiffel Tower: 7.8e+04 pica in yards
At 7.8e+04 pica (the eiffel tower), the same quantity in yards is 7.8e+04 × 0.00462963 = 361.111 yd. One pica is 0.00462963 yards, so the numbers shrink as expected.
A door height: 480 pica in yards
A door height comes to about 480 pica. Multiplying by the factor: 480 × 0.00462963 = 2.22222 yd. Dividing the answer back by 0.00462963 returns the figure you started with, which is the quickest way to check you have the factor the right way up.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many yards are in one pica?
Exactly 0.00462962962963. 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 picas to yards?
yards = picas × 0.00462962962963. Reversed, picas = yards ÷ 0.00462962962963, which is the same as multiplying by 216.
Which is the bigger unit, the pica or the yard?
The yard. One pica is only 0.00462963 of a yard, so it takes 216 picas to make one yard.
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 pica?
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
What is a yard?
Three feet, exactly 0.9144 metres, best known from American football and fabric retail.
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 pica to yd in my head?
Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 220 instead of using the exact factor 0.00462962963. At 100 that shortcut gives 0.45454545 yards, off by 0.008418 yards or about 1.82%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
Picas to yards reference tables
| Picas | Yards |
|---|---|
| 0.5 pica | 0.00231481 yd |
| 1 pica | 0.00462963 yd |
| 2 pica | 0.00925926 yd |
| 3 pica | 0.0138889 yd |
| 5 pica | 0.0231481 yd |
| 10 pica | 0.0462963 yd |
| 20 pica | 0.0925926 yd |
| 25 pica | 0.115741 yd |
| 50 pica | 0.231481 yd |
| 75 pica | 0.347222 yd |
| 100 pica | 0.462963 yd |
| 250 pica | 1.15741 yd |
| 500 pica | 2.31481 yd |
| 1000 pica | 4.62963 yd |
| 5000 pica | 23.1481 yd |
Exact factor: 1 pica = 0.00462962962963 yards.
| Quantity | pica | yd |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 20.22 pica | 0.09361 yd |
| A door height | 480 pica | 2.222 yd |
| An Olympic pool | 1.181e+04 pica | 54.68 yd |
| The Eiffel Tower | 7.795e+04 pica | 360.9 yd |
| A marathon | 9.967e+06 pica | 4.615e+04 yd |
| Earth’s diameter | 3.01e+09 pica | 1.393e+07 yd |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.