What is a US survey chain?

A US survey chain is a traditional length unit equal to 66 US survey feet, historically used in land surveying and subdivided into 100 links.

How is a US survey mile defined?

A US survey mile equals exactly 5,280 US survey feet and is used in cadastral and geodetic surveys to maintain consistency with historical data.

Why convert from chain to mile in land surveying?

Converting from chain to mile helps interpret and relate smaller historical survey measurements to larger distances for mapping and legal documents.

How to Convert from Chain (US survey) [ch] to Mile (US survey) [mi]

Learn how to convert length measurements from the US survey chain to the US survey mile, two units used in land surveying and cadastral applications within the United States.

Chain (US survey) [ch]

Mile (US survey) [mi]

Please check your input. It must be a valid numeric value.

Chain (US survey) [ch] to Mile (US survey) [mi] Conversion Table

Chain (US survey) [ch]	Mile (US survey) [mi]

Custom Unit Conversion Table Generator – Instant Printable Conversion Tables

Start Value

Enter the starting number (positive decimal or integer ≥ 0). Example: 0.1, 1, 5.

End Value

Enter the ending number (positive decimal or integer > Start Value). Example: 10, 50, 100.

Interval

Enter the step size (positive decimal > 0 and < End Value – Start Value). Example: 1.0, 2.5.

Chain (US survey) [ch] to Mile (US survey) [mi] Conversion Table
Chain (US survey) [ch]	Mile (US survey) [mi]

Explore More Length Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This converter helps you transform measurements from the US survey chain, a historic unit of length used in US land surveying, into the US survey mile, a standardized unit for larger distances used in cadastral and geodetic mapping.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the length value in chain (US survey) you wish to convert
Select chain (US survey) as the input unit and mile (US survey) as the output unit
Click the convert button to see the equivalent distance in miles
Use the results for mapping, property description, or geodetic purposes

Key Features

Supports conversion between US survey chain and US survey mile units
Based on historically defined survey measurements used in US land and cadastral surveying
Facilitates interpretation of legacy survey data and property records
Simple browser-based tool for quick length conversions

Examples

10 chain (US survey) converts to 0.125 mile (US survey)
50 chain (US survey) converts to 0.625 mile (US survey)

Common Use Cases

Translating historical land measurements into miles for property deed interpretation
Converting legacy survey distances for GIS and mapping applications
Relating linear measurements in cadastral and rural boundary surveys
Supporting legal land documents and geodetic control referencing

Tips & Best Practices

Ensure the units used are consistently US survey units to avoid conversion mistakes
Check historical context when interpreting legacy records with varying survey foot definitions
Verify measurements align with cadastral and geodetic datasets based on US survey systems

Limitations

This conversion applies only to US survey chains and miles, which differ from international units
Rounding and legacy unit definitions can impact the precision of conversions
Users must be aware of historical variations in survey foot definitions for accurate interpretation

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a US survey chain?: A US survey chain is a traditional length unit equal to 66 US survey feet, historically used in land surveying and subdivided into 100 links.
How is a US survey mile defined?: A US survey mile equals exactly 5,280 US survey feet and is used in cadastral and geodetic surveys to maintain consistency with historical data.
Why convert from chain to mile in land surveying?: Converting from chain to mile helps interpret and relate smaller historical survey measurements to larger distances for mapping and legal documents.

Key Terminology

Chain (US survey): A traditional unit of length equal to 66 US survey feet, historically used in US land surveying and subdivided into 100 links.
Mile (US survey): A unit of length equal to exactly 5,280 US survey feet, used in cadastral and geodetic applications to maintain historical data consistency.
US survey foot: A unit of length defined as 1200/3937 metres, forming the basis for US survey chain and mile units.

Quick Knowledge Check

What is the length of one US survey chain?

66 international feet

66 US survey feet

5280 US survey feet

How many US survey feet are in one US survey mile?

1000 feet

5280 feet

100 feet

Why must consistent unit systems be used when converting chains to miles?

To avoid errors due to different definitions

To speed up conversions

To use metric units

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