How Is Carpet Sold In Yards Or Feet?

Carpet used to be sold in yards, but since the introduction of the metric system it is sold in square feet (sq ft). Some sellers do also mark prices in square yards (sq yds) though. This is for people who don't like the metric system and for people who were around with the imperial system and are used to that. It is often said that stores like to sell carpet in square feet as it sounds cheaper than square yards.

Carpet can be bought in small segments, in the event of replacing a damaged patch, but more commonly it is sold in a roll; usually around 20ft in length to carpet an entire room.

• What is carpet?

Carpet is a flooring material. It's a two-layer material that has a top 'shag' of tufted wool or polypropylene and a base material for fitting. It doesn't have to be tufted though. Quite commonly it is woven or needlefelt in its production, giving a tighter bunching.

• How long is a yard?

A yard is 3 feet, 36 inches, 0.9144m or 914.4mm. It is commonly used in measuring sports fields, due to the traditional measurements from when the games were introduced.

• How long is a foot?

A foot is 0.33333 recurring of a yard, or a third. It is also 12 inches, or 0.3048m - defined as the International Foot.

• How much does carpet cost?

In yard terms, it's usually $12-20 dollars for a square yard of carpet, and around $3-5 dollars for installation per yard. There are three feet in a yard, which means it's around $4-6.50 dollars per square foot of carpet. This is going on mid-level quality carpet. Lower grade carpet will be cheaper, and the top grade carpet will be more like $8 dollars per square foot, which is $24 dollars per square yard.