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

Perch

A perch is an old unit of length that is synonymous with the rod or pole, commonly used in land measurement and surveying. It measures 16.5 feet, 5.5 yards, or approximately 5.0292 meters.

The perch was widely used in England and later in the United States for measuring plots of land, especially before the widespread adoption of the metric system. It was also used to describe area when squared (square perch).

Key points:

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  1 perch = 16.5 feet

  
  
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  1 perch = 5.5 yards

  
  
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  1 perch ≈ 5.0292 meters

  
  
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  4 perches = 1 chain

  
  
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  40 perches = 1 furlong

  
  

While largely obsolete today, the term perch still appears in historical land deeds, legal documents, and some traditional surveying contexts.

Mile (US Survey)

The US survey mile is a unit of length used in land surveying in the United States. It is defined as exactly 5,280 survey feet, with one survey foot equal to 1200/3937 meters (approximately 0.3048006096 meters). This makes the US survey mile equal to about 1,609.3472 meters, slightly longer than the international (statute) mile, which is exactly 1,609.344 meters.

The US survey mile was established to maintain consistency with older land measurement systems based on the Mendenhall Order of 1893. It was commonly used in mapping, legal land descriptions, and public land surveys.

Although the difference between the survey and statute mile is very small (about 3.2 millimeters), it can be significant over large distances. As of 2023, the U.S. has officially retired the survey foot (and survey mile) for most applications, favoring the international foot and mile to standardize measurements.