Convert Hand (hand) to Russian Archin (archin) instantly.
About these units
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.
Russian Archin (archin)
The archin was a Russian unit of length equal to approximately 71.1 cm. Like many traditional European units, it was based on body proportions and was widely used in textile trade, tailoring, land measurement, and carpentry. Before Russia adopted the metric system in the early 20th century, the archin formed part of a larger system of customary units such as the sazhen and vershok. Merchants relied heavily on the archin when measuring cloth and other traded goods, making it central to the economic life of Imperial Russia. Today, the archin appears in historical documents, literature, and museum records. Understanding the archin is essential for historians studying Russian industrialization, daily commerce, and rural life before modernization efforts transformed the measurement landscape.