8 Common Things That are 40 Feet Long

A length of 40 feet is way too long to understand without employing some tricks. 

And the best trick to help you get a sense of how long 40 feet is is to compare it with items. This way, you can paint a picture in your mind for quick reference. 

The only drawback with this trick is finding things that are 40 feet long. They’re rare. 

But there’s a hack. 

In this post, we’ll explore 8 items, that, although they are not 40 feet long, you can play around with them to get that length. 

Let’s find out which objects they are and how you can do it.

8 Common Items That are 40 Feet Long

1. Half a Tennis Court

A tennis court is a rectangular venue for playing tennis. The sport is among the most popular in the world, with more than 87 players, including those in high school and other competitive matches. 

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) requires all tennis courts (excluding those individual players use for recreational purposes) to be 77.98 feet long. So, imagine cutting an official tennis court to get a sense of how long 40 feet is.

2. 4-storey Building

Storey buildings are becoming common nowadays, even in rural areas, thanks to our ever-increasing population while the planet doesn’t expand.

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4-storey apartments are mainly residential homes, although some host offices. Regardless, you must have seen them, and if you paid attention, they’re not the same size – although it’s hard to notice unless you’re doing it purposely. 

But according to the current UK and US standards, most residential 4-storey buildings are around 43 feet tall. Slightly off our mark, but you can get the idea. 

Alternatively, you can visualize four one-storey apartments stacked as they add up to about 40 feet.

3. Six SUV Cars

An SUV  is a typical car, but it has some features of off-road vehicles, such as being four-wheel drive, having rugged styling, and sitting high off the ground. 

Examples of commonly found SUVs include Honda CRV, BMW X5, and Toyota RAV4.

According to the manufacturers, the height of these cars ranges between 5.5 and 5.72 feet. While you can’t place them on top of each other, imagining six SUVs in such a scenario gives you about 39 feet, which is very close to our mark.

4. Five Smart Cars

Also known as intelligent cars or Smart Fortwo, smart cars are typical cars only that use Artificial Intelligence to ensure pleasant driving while freeing you from mundane driving tasks. Although most of these cars have space for only two, they’re very economical, and many people worldwide now own them. 

Fortwo cars are usually between 8.8 and 8 feet long, as they’re made to fit in every garage. Arranging five of them in a row gives you something close to what we’re trying to measure.

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5. Thirteen Hockey Sticks

A hockey stick is a long, thin stick with a curved end used to strike a ball in the game of hockey or ice hockey.

Played worldwide by more than one million registered players, hockey is one of the most popular international sports. You might have seen these sticks in high school, as the game is one of the most preferred due to its quickness and physical contact. 

The sizes of hockey sticks vary. But the most used, including in high school, are usually around 36.5 inches or 3 feet. So to get a sense of how long 40 feet is, you’ll need to imagine 13 hockey sticks placed end to end.

6. Four Basketball Hoops

Basketball is one of the most popular and entertaining sports in the world.

But the term basketball hoop might be new to you.

However, if you’ve been to a basketball game or have watched it live on TV, you must have noticed a circular metal ring with a hanging net through which a player must pass the ball to score a point. True? Well, it’s called a basketball hoop. But we’re only interested in the distance from the hoop to the ground. 

According to NBA regulations, basketball hoops for players aged 12 years and above must be 10 feet. That means all basketball hoops for professional practices, those you see in high schools and throughout parks, gyms, and driveways, are usually 10 feet from the court surface. So to get a sense of a 40-foot object, picture four lined up together.

7. Two Giraffes

Giraffes offer one of the most spectacular sights when you visit Serengeti and Maasai Mara National Parks in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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If you’re lucky to have seen the animals, you can turn them into reference objects, helping you visualize long distances as they’re the tallest of all terrestrial creatures.

According to PBS, although most giraffes are about 16.4 feet, you can find individuals as tall as 19.35 feet. Imagining two such giraffes, with one standing on top of its mate, is a bizarre scenario, but you’ll get a rough estimate.

8. Seven Average-sized Humans

Although humans come in different sizes, they are still familiar items to use for referencing lengths.

But here we work on the average-sized human, which, in fact, could be you! 

According to World Data, the height of the average-sized American ranges between 1.6-1.7 meters or 5.708 feet. You can’t get seven adults to stand on each other’s heads to understand how long 40 feet is, but you can picture the scenario. It doesn’t equal that distance, but it’s pretty much close.

About Kevin Jones

My name is Kevin Jones, and I'm the proud founder of this website. I'm a self-professed measurement enthusiast, and I've been passionate about measuring things for as long as I can remember. On this website, you'll find information on all aspects of dimensions, including measurements and weight of stuff.