Convert span (cloth) to furlong (US survey) Online | Free Length Converter

Span (Cloth)

A span is an old unit of length based on the distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the little finger of a fully extended hand. Traditionally, it measures about 9 inches or 22.86 centimeters.

In the context of cloth and textiles, the span was used as a convenient, informal measure to estimate small lengths of fabric before standardized rulers became widespread. It was helpful for tailors and traders to quickly gauge lengths during measuring and cutting.

While the span is largely obsolete as a formal unit today, it reflects historical measurement practices tied closely to the human body, similar to the cubit or hand.

Summary:

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  1 span ≈ 9 inches (22.86 cm)

  
  
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  Based on the hand’s spread

  
  
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  Used historically in cloth measurement and tailoring

  
  
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  Now mostly of historical and cultural interest

Furlong (US Survey)

The furlong (US survey) is a traditional unit of distance used in U.S. land surveying, defined as 1/8 of a U.S. survey mile, or exactly 660 U.S. survey feet. Since one U.S. survey foot equals approximately 0.3048006096 meters, the US survey furlong is about 201.1684 meters long.

While the difference between the US survey furlong and the international (standard) furlong is extremely small (just a few micrometers), it was significant in precise land measurements, particularly in legal and cadastral surveying contexts.

Key Conversions:

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  1 US survey furlong = 660 US survey feet

  
  
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  1 US survey furlong ≈ 220 yards

  
  
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  1 US survey furlong ≈ 201.1684 meters

  
  
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  8 US survey furlongs = 1 US survey mile

  
  

As of 2023, the U.S. has officially deprecated the use of the survey foot (and by extension the survey furlong) in favor of the international foot, but it may still appear in historical and legal documents.