Convert Chain (ch) to Hand (hand) instantly.
About these units
Chain (ch)
A chain is equal to 66 feet or 4 rods, and it was standardized by surveyor Edmund Gunter in the 17th century. "Gunter's chain," consisting of 100 metal links, became the backbone of land surveying in the English-speaking world for centuries. Its convenience stems from simple arithmetic: 10 square chains make an acre, making land area calculations straightforward. Railroads, farmland, and city parcels across the United States and the Commonwealth nations were once laid out using chains, so the unit appears in countless historical records. Even today, some legal property descriptions still reference chain-based measurements, making the unit relevant for modern surveyors who interpret old maps. Although high-precision digital equipment has replaced physical chains, the unit's structural role in land division ensures its lasting importance.
Hand (hand)
The hand is a traditional unit of length equal to 4 inches, historically used to measure the height of horses. Its origins go back thousands of years, when people commonly relied on body-based measurements. While early hands varied from culture to culture, the modern standardized hand—set at exactly 4 inches—was adopted to bring uniformity to equine measurement worldwide. When measuring a horse, the height is taken at the withers, the ridge between the shoulder blades, because this location provides a stable and consistent point unaffected by head movement. Horse heights are often written in a mixed-unit style: for example, "15.3 hands" means 15 hands plus 3 inches, not 15.3 × 4 inches. Though rarely used outside the world of horsemanship, the hand has become deeply embedded in equestrian culture. It provides a system that is intuitive, easy to visualize, and respectful of longstanding tradition. In modern times, even highly scientific equine breeding and veterinary studies continue to quote measurements in hands.