A yard is a length unit of measurement that is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches.
It can be difficult to visualize a yard without measuring it to be precise.
If you are looking to get a sense of how long 40 yards is, it can be helpful to reference the length of other known items as a comparison.
Knowing that 1 yard is equal to 3 feet, 40 yards is equal to 120 feet.
Here are 9 examples of things that equal 40 yards in length.
How Long Is 40 Yards?
40 Yards is equal to 120 feet or 1440 inches in length. 40 yards is also equal to 36.57 meters or 0.022 miles.
Football field yard lines
If you are a football fan, you will be familiar with the yard lines that are marked on the field. The distance in between each of these lines is equal to 1 yard.
The distance in between the long lines that extend the full width of the field measures 10 yards.
If you count 40 of the single-yard lines or 4 of the longer 10-yard line-markings, each will show you exactly how long 40 yards really is.
2 Bowling lanes
A bowling lane is a great reference for the length of 40 yards as each one is 20 yards or 60 feet each. Therefore if you can picture 2 of them placed together, they would measure 40 yards or 120 feet long.
The 60-foot length of a bowling lane is measured from the foul line to the headpin.
Width of 40 doors
Depending on your location, the size of a standard door in your home can be different. But if you are in the USA, the standard door width is equal to 3 feet or 36 inches. This is also equal to 1 yard and is the most common door size.
For example, the bathroom or bedroom door in your apartment or home is most likely to be 3 feet wide. If you were to place 40 of these doors together side by side, they would equal 40 yards or 120 feet wide.
1 Door = 1 yard wide
40 doors = 40 yards wide
3 Driveways
Not all driveways are the same size and there are many factors that go into planning your driveway size. The length and width of the driveway need to be suitable for your yard space and for the number and type of vehicles you own.
Most people will plan to have a driveway that is 20 feet long for a single vehicle and 12 feet wide. A double driveway can be over 20 feet wide so two vehicles can be placed side by side. In this case, a 20-foot long driveway is suitable.
But driveways can vary in size and although 20 feet long is common for a small driveway, several driveways are 40 feet long or more.
If you look at 3 driveways that are 40-foot long each, they would equal 120 feet long which is exactly 40 yards.
8 Balance beams
A balance beam is commonly used in gymnastics events and normally measure around 15 feet or 5 yards long.
Balance beams are normally placed 4 feet off the ground and are made out of wood. They are often called rails and are mounted to 2 vertical upright posts.
If you watch the Olympics, you are most likely familiar with what a balance beam looks like.
Placing 8 of these beams together in a row would equal 120 feet or 40 yards in length.
20 Adult males
Like many other things, it’s common for humans to vary in size. But on average, an adult male stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. This is equal to 69 inches or 1.9 yards.
Therefore if an average adult male is 2 yards tall, picturing 20 men together is an example of 40 yards.
40 German Shepherds
The German Shepherd is one of the most popular dogs in the world. They are originally from Germany and are considered to be medium to large breed working dogs.
German Shepherds are very smart and loyal dogs that are a great choice for families.
In terms of size, a German Shepherd will grow to be around 3 to 3.5 feet long.
Knowing that 3 feet is equal to 1 yard, placing 40 German Shepherd together in a row is an example of 40 yards long.
24 Hockey sticks
Hockey sticks vary in size as an adult stick will be larger than a stick used by a child.
Most hockey sticks used by players in the National Hockey League (NHL) will be around 5 feet long which is equal to 1.66 yards.
If you are a hockey fan, you will be familiar with the length of a hockey stick. If you placed 24 hockey sticks together in a row, they would equal 120 feet long which is 40 yards.
7 Parking spaces
Depending on your location, the average parking space measures between 16-18 feet long.
There are several sizes of parking spaces available for different types of vehicles including small cars, large trucks, busses, and others.
If you are parking in a standard parking lot at a mall or airport, those spaces are suitable for a car that is under 18 feet long.
Each parking space is equal to 6 yards long.
Picturing the length of 7 parking spaces will give you an idea of something that is around 40 yards long.
How long does it take to run 40 yards?
It’s true that not all people can run at the same speed. A sprinter or professional athlete can run much faster than the average person.
A running back in football can run 40 yards in about 4.5 seconds. They can run about 20 miles per hour while an average person can run about 8 miles per hour.
It can take 8-10 seconds for an average person to run 40 yards.
How far is 40 yards in steps?
The average person will cover 2.5 – 3 feet with each step they take. This is equal to 0.833 – 1 yards. If you want to cover 40 yards while walking, you would need around 40-45 steps to cover that distance.