Convert Furlong (US Survey) (fur (US)) to Rod (rd) instantly.
About these units
Furlong (US Survey) (fur (US))
The US Survey Furlong is defined as 660 US Survey Feet (~201.168 meters), exactly 10 US survey chains. It was historically used in land measurement, agriculture, and railroads. Furlongs remain relevant for interpreting historical property layouts and land grants, particularly in rural and agricultural contexts. The unit's convenience derives from its direct relationship with the acre and chain, facilitating rapid calculation of large land areas. While the furlong is largely obsolete in modern measurement, it persists in legal and historical survey references, bridging imperial traditions and contemporary land-use documentation.
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.