Skip to main content

Chains to Meters Length Converter
↔ Convert m to chain instead

Common Conversions

chain m
0.1 2.012
0.5 10.058
1 20.117
2 40.234
5 100.584
10 201.168
25 502.92
50 1005.84
80 1609.344
100 2011.68

Why this conversion matters in chemistry

Phase I environmental site assessments routinely runs into this conversion routinely. A 19th-century US deed describes a contaminated parcel boundary in chains; the modern report needs metric coordinates a GPS handles. 10 chains is 201.17 m, exactly one furlong. The multiplier of 20.1168 m per chain comes from Gunter's 1620 definition of the chain as 66 feet, with the foot fixed at 0.3048 m by international agreement. The setting is straightforward — when an old cadastral record (where contamination plumes are referenced to corner posts in chains) meets a modern site-survey in meters.

Formula

m = chain × 20.1168

Worked Examples

1 chain = 20.117 m

One Gunter's chain — 66 feet, the original 1620 definition.

10 chain = 201.168 m

One furlong — the bridge anchor between chains and the imperial-mile system.

80 chain = 1609.344 m

80 chains — exactly one statute mile, by the chain's geometric definition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert chains to meters?
Multiply by 20.1168. One chain = 66 feet = 22 yards = 4 rods = 20.1168 m exactly. The factor is exact through the international foot definition.
Why would a chemist encounter chains?
Environmental site assessments in the US sometimes reference property boundaries from old land surveys, and a contamination plume documented relative to a corner post measured in chains has to be reconciled into a modern metric site map.
What is the history of the chain?
Edmund Gunter introduced the chain in 1620 as a 100-link surveying tool, each link 7.92 inches, totalling 66 feet. The geometry was built so that 10 square chains = 1 acre and 80 chains = 1 mile — clean integer identities that simplified pre-calculator land-area work.