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

Hand

A hand is a traditional unit of length primarily used to measure the height of horses. It is equal to 4 inches or 10.16 centimeters.

The origin of the hand as a measurement comes from using the width of a human hand, and it has been standardized at 4 inches for consistency in horse measurement. Horse height is expressed in "hands," measured from the ground to the highest point of the withers (the ridge between the shoulder blades).

Key points:

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  1 hand = 4 inches

  
  
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  1 hand = 10.16 centimeters

  
  
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  Used mainly for measuring horse height

  
  
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  Horse height is often given in hands and inches, e.g., 15.2 hands means 15 hands plus 2 inches

  
  

The hand remains the standard unit for horse height in many English-speaking countries.

Chain (US Survey)

The US survey chain is a unit of length used historically in land surveying in the United States. It is defined as exactly 66 US survey feet, which is slightly longer than the international foot. Since one US survey foot equals about 0.3048006096 meters, the US survey chain is approximately 20.11684 meters long.

Like the standard chain, it is divided into 100 links, each measuring 0.66 US survey feet. The US survey chain was widely used in the Public Land Survey System to measure land parcels and boundaries.

Key facts:

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  1 US survey chain = 66 US survey feet

  
  
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  1 US survey chain ≈ 20.11684 meters

  
  
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  10 US survey chains = 1 furlong

  
  
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  80 US survey chains = 1 US survey mile

  
  

Though the US survey foot and chain are being phased out in favor of international units, the US survey chain still appears in historical land records and some legal contexts.