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

Rod (US Survey)

The US survey rod is a unit of length used in U.S. land surveying. It is defined as exactly 16.5 US survey feet, which is slightly longer than the international foot. Since one US survey foot equals approximately 0.3048006096 meters, the US survey rod measures about 5.0292 meters.

The survey rod, also called a pole or perch, is historically significant in the U.S. Public Land Survey System and is used to measure land boundaries and distances.

Key facts:

• 
  

  1 US survey rod = 16.5 US survey feet

  
  
• 
  

  1 US survey rod ≈ 5.0292 meters

  
  
• 
  

  4 US survey rods = 1 US survey chain

  
  
• 
  

  40 US survey rods = 1 US survey furlong

  
  

Though the US survey foot and related units are being phased out in favor of international units, the US survey rod still appears in legal land descriptions and older 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:

• 
  

  1 chain = 66 feet

  
  
• 
  

  1 chain = 22 yards

  
  
• 
  

  1 chain ≈ 20.1168 meters

  
  
• 
  

  10 chains = 1 furlong

  
  
• 
  

  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.