Convert fathom (US survey) to chain Online | Free Length Converter

Fathom (US Survey)

The fathom (US survey) is a unit of length used in U.S. surveying and nautical contexts, defined as exactly 6 US survey feet. Since one US survey foot is approximately 0.3048006096 meters, the US survey fathom measures about 1.828804 meters.

Like the international fathom, it is primarily used to measure water depths and underwater distances in marine navigation and surveying.

Key details:

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  1 US survey fathom = 6 US survey feet

  
  
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  1 US survey fathom ≈ 1.828804 meters

  
  
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  1 fathom = 2 yards

  
  

Though the difference between the US survey fathom and the international fathom is very small, the US survey units are being phased out in favor of international standards, but they still appear in some legal and historical surveying documents.

Chain

A chain is a unit of length traditionally used in land surveying. The most common version is the Gunter’s chain, which equals 66 feet or 22 yards, approximately 20.1168 meters.

The chain was introduced by English clergyman Edmund Gunter in the 17th century to simplify land measurement. One chain consists of 100 links, each 0.66 feet long. It became a standard unit in British and American land surveying and was instrumental in defining land areas, especially in the U.S. Public Land Survey System.

Key Conversions:

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  1 chain = 66 feet

  
  
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  1 chain = 22 yards

  
  
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  1 chain ≈ 20.1168 meters

  
  
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  10 chains = 1 furlong

  
  
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  80 chains = 1 mile

  
  

Though now largely replaced by metric units and modern surveying tools, the chain still appears in older land deeds, maps, and rural property descriptions.