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

Mile (Roman)

The Roman mile (mille passuum, meaning "a thousand paces") was a unit of distance used in ancient Rome. It measured approximately 1,000 double steps, or 5,000 Roman feet. One Roman foot (pes) was about 11.65 inches (29.6 cm), making the Roman mile roughly 4,850 feet or about 1,480 meters.

The Roman mile was used for measuring distances along roads across the Roman Empire, often marked by milestones (miliaria) placed at intervals of one mile. This system allowed for standardized road construction and efficient communication and transportation across vast territories.

Although shorter than the modern statute mile (1,609.344 meters), the Roman mile laid the foundation for the concept of mile-based distance measurement. The word "mile" itself originates from the Latin "mille," reflecting this Roman origin. Over time, the length of a mile evolved, eventually leading to the modern definitions used today.

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:

• 
  

  1 US survey chain = 66 US survey feet

  
  
• 
  

  1 US survey chain ≈ 20.11684 meters

  
  
• 
  

  10 US survey chains = 1 furlong

  
  
• 
  

  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.