Understanding chains to furlongs Conversion
The chain is an imperial surveying unit equal to 66 feet (22 yards), historically measured with Gunter's 100-link chain and still embedded in land records and railway engineering. The furlong, literally a "furrow long," equals 660 feet or 10 chains and survives today chiefly in horse racing. Converting chains to furlongs is common when reading old deeds, tithe maps, and agricultural field records.
Conversion Formula
To convert chains to furlongs, multiply by this factor:
Step-by-Step Example
Convert 25 chains to furlongs.
How to Convert chains to furlongs
Converting chains to furlongs is a simple decimal scaling because ten chains make a furlong.
- Start with your chain value: Note the measurement in chains from your survey or deed.
- Apply the factor: Multiply the chain figure by 0.1 furlong per chain.
- Read the result: The product is your distance in furlongs.
- Worked result: 25 chains × 0.1 = 2.5 furlongs.
chains to furlongs conversion table
| chains (ch) | furlongs (fur) |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 1 | 0.1 |
| 2 | 0.2 |
| 3 | 0.3 |
| 4 | 0.4 |
| 5 | 0.5 |
| 6 | 0.6 |
| 7 | 0.7 |
| 8 | 0.8 |
| 9 | 0.9 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 15 | 1.5 |
| 20 | 2 |
| 25 | 2.5 |
| 30 | 3 |
| 40 | 4 |
| 50 | 5 |
| 60 | 6 |
| 70 | 7 |
| 80 | 8 |
| 90 | 9 |
| 100 | 10 |
| 150 | 15 |
| 200 | 20 |
| 250 | 25 |
| 300 | 30 |
| 400 | 40 |
| 500 | 50 |
| 600 | 60 |
| 700 | 70 |
| 800 | 80 |
| 900 | 90 |
| 1000 | 100 |
| 2000 | 200 |
| 3000 | 300 |
| 4000 | 400 |
| 5000 | 500 |
| 10000 | 1000 |
| 25000 | 2500 |
| 50000 | 5000 |
| 100000 | 10000 |
| 250000 | 25000 |
| 500000 | 50000 |
| 1000000 | 100000 |
What is the chain?
The chain (ch) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems, equal to 66 feet, traditionally used in surveying and land measurement.
Definition
One chain equals 66 feet, or 22 yards, or 4 rods.
There are 80 chains in a mile and 10 square chains in an acre. This value uses the international foot; the US survey chain is larger by a factor of 1200/1199, giving about 20.11684 m.
Origin and History
The chain is named for Gunter's chain, a physical measuring device introduced by the English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter around 1620. It consisted of 100 iron links totalling 66 feet, elegantly bridging the traditional (base-4/16.5) and decimal systems: distances could be recorded in decimal links yet still yield whole numbers of acres and miles. It became the standard tool of English and American surveyors for centuries.
Law and Notable Facts
The chain underpins the US Public Land Survey System, in which section lines and township grids were laid out in chains. A cricket pitch measures exactly one chain (22 yards) between the wickets—a lasting everyday trace of the unit. The chain is now largely obsolete outside historical land records and cricket.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- A cricket pitch is 1 chain = 22 yards = 66 ft long.
- 1 chain = 100 links = 4 rods = 20.1168 m.
- 80 chains = 1 statute mile.
- An acre is 1 chain by 10 chains (10 square chains).
What is the furlong?
The furlong (fur) is a unit of length in the imperial and US customary systems, equal to one-eighth of a mile, most commonly used today in horse racing.
Definition
One furlong equals 660 feet, or 220 yards, or 40 rods, or 10 chains.
Eight furlongs make one statute mile. This value uses the international foot; the US survey furlong is larger by a factor of 1200/1199.
Origin and History
The name comes from Old English "furh" (furrow) and "lang" (long), meaning the length of a furrow in a ploughed open field. In the medieval English system, a furlong was the distance a team of oxen could plough before resting, standardized as the long side of a one-acre strip (one furlong by one chain). It became a fundamental unit of the English land-measurement system.
Law and Notable Facts
The furlong survives chiefly in horse racing, where race distances are quoted in furlongs (for example, a "six-furlong sprint"). It is also preserved in the definition of the acre and the mile. The whimsical furlong–firkin–fortnight (FFF) system uses it as an example of an intentionally impractical unit of length.
Real-World Examples and Conversions
- 1 furlong = 220 yd = 660 ft = 201.168 m.
- 8 furlongs = 1 statute mile.
- 1 furlong = 10 chains = 40 rods.
- The Kentucky Derby is run over 10 furlongs (1.25 miles).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many furlongs are in one chain?
One chain equals exactly 0.1 furlong, because a furlong is defined as 10 chains (660 feet).
How do I convert chains to furlongs?
Multiply the number of chains by 0.1. For example, 40 chains equal 4 furlongs.
How many chains make up a furlong?
Exactly 10 chains make one furlong, so the conversion in the reverse direction multiplies furlongs by 10.
Where are chains and furlongs still used together?
Both appear in historical British and American land surveys, cadastral maps, and railway distance records, where a furlong-and-chain notation was standard.
What is 25 chains in furlongs?
25 chains equal 2.5 furlongs (25 × 0.1).
People also convert
Complete chains conversion table
| Unit | Result |
|---|---|
| Nanometers (nm) | 20116800000 nm |
| Micrometers (μm) | 20116800 μm |
| Millimeters (mm) | 20116.8 mm |
| Centimeters (cm) | 2011.68 cm |
| Decimeters (dm) | 201.168 dm |
| Meters (m) | 20.1168 m |
| Kilometers (km) | 0.0201168 km |
| light-years (ly) | 2.126347e-15 ly |
| astronomical units (au) | 1.344725e-10 au |
| parsecs (pc) | 6.519411e-16 pc |
| ångströms (angstrom) | 201168000000 angstrom |
| Mils (mil) | 792000 mil |
| Inches (in) | 792 in |
| Yards (yd) | 22 yd |
| US Survey Feet (ft-us) | 65.99987 ft-us |
| Feet (ft) | 66 ft |
| Fathoms (fathom) | 11 fathom |
| Miles (mi) | 0.0125 mi |
| Nautical Miles (nMi) | 0.0108622 nMi |
| rods (rd) | 4 rd |
| furlongs (fur) | 0.1 fur |
| hands (hh) | 198 hh |