Convert Chain (US Survey) (ch (US)) to Rod (rd) instantly.
About these units
Chain (US Survey) (ch (US))
The US Survey Chain is defined as 66 US Survey Feet (~20.1168 meters), aligning with the historic Gunter's chain but adapted to the US survey foot. It is used primarily in cadastral surveys, property delineation, and historical land records. Surveyors employ the chain for practical measurements of fields, lots, and infrastructure layouts. The unit's subdivision into 100 links simplifies area calculation, as 10 square chains equal one acre, maintaining continuity with older surveying systems. Even today, engineers and surveyors working with legacy data encounter the US survey chain in historical deeds, maps, and legal descriptions. Its precision ensures consistency when reconciling pre-modern measurements with modern coordinates.
Rod (rd)
A rod, equal to 16½ feet (or 5.0292 meters), is a historic English unit that dates back to agricultural practices and land surveying in medieval Europe. Originally based on the length of a stiff pole used by farmers to control oxen, the rod became standardized and deeply embedded in systems of land division. Surveyors valued rods because they integrate neatly with other land-measurement units: 4 rods make a chain, and 160 square rods make an acre. These relationships simplified calculations when establishing property boundaries or mapping rural land parcels. Although no longer widely used for modern surveying—supplanted by meters or feet—the rod lives on in historical land deeds, mining claims, and older legal documents. Understanding rods can be essential for interpreting pre-modern land descriptions that still influence property law today.