What exactly is a pica?

A pica is a typographic length unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 of an inch, often used in desktop publishing and digital typesetting.

What is a rod (US survey)?

A rod (US survey) is a surveying unit equal to 16.5 US survey feet, traditionally used for land measurement and legal property descriptions.

Why would I convert between picas and rods?

Conversions between picas and rods help reconcile layout measurements with traditional land surveying units, especially in historical property descriptions or maps combining both.

How to Convert from Pica to Rod (US survey) [rd]

Convert length measurements from picas, a typographic unit, to rods (US survey), a traditional land surveying unit, using this easy-to-use online converter.

Pica

Rod (US survey) [rd]

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

Pica to Rod (US survey) [rd] Conversion Table

Pica	Rod (US survey) [rd]

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.

Pica to Rod (US survey) [rd] Conversion Table
Pica	Rod (US survey) [rd]

Explore More Length Units Converter

What Is This Tool?

This converter transforms length values from picas, commonly used in typography and digital layouts, into rods (US survey), which are traditional units used mainly in land surveying and property descriptions.

How to Use This Tool?

Enter the value in picas you want to convert.
Select the target unit as rod (US survey) [rd].
The tool calculates and displays the equivalent length in rods immediately.

Key Features

Converts picas to rods (US survey) using an established conversion rate.
Browser-based tool requiring no installation.
Helpful for users working with typography, historical maps, and land surveying.

Examples

10 Picas equals 0.008417492 Rods (US survey).
100 Picas equals 0.08417492 Rods (US survey).

Common Use Cases

Converting typographic or digital layout measures into land surveying units.
Interpreting distances in historical US cadastral and deed records.
Analyzing old maps or survey plats requiring unit translation.

Tips & Best Practices

Understand that picas are small units for print and screen layouts, while rods are large surveying units.
Use this tool to convert carefully when working with both historical surveying data and modern digital layouts.
Consider the small resulting values when converting from picas to rods due to the large size difference.

Limitations

Conversions produce very small fractional values because picas and rods differ greatly in scale.
This tool is not designed for high-precision scientific applications due to rounding.
Direct conversions between these units are rarely practical outside specific use cases like historical surveying.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a pica?: A pica is a typographic length unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 of an inch, often used in desktop publishing and digital typesetting.
What is a rod (US survey)?: A rod (US survey) is a surveying unit equal to 16.5 US survey feet, traditionally used for land measurement and legal property descriptions.
Why would I convert between picas and rods?: Conversions between picas and rods help reconcile layout measurements with traditional land surveying units, especially in historical property descriptions or maps combining both.

Key Terminology

Pica: A typographic unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 inch, used for measuring layout dimensions in print and digital media.
Rod (US survey): A traditional surveying unit measuring exactly 16.5 US survey feet, used in land measurement and legal descriptions.
Conversion Rate: The multiplier used to translate a quantity from one unit (pica) to another (rod), in this case 1 Pica = 0.0008417492 Rod (US survey).

Quick Knowledge Check

What is a pica primarily used for?

Land surveying

Typography and digital page layout

Measuring distance in miles

How many US survey feet are in one rod (US survey)?

12 feet

16.5 feet

20 feet

Why might someone convert picas to rods (US survey)?

To measure type size

To interpret historical property distances

To convert metric land units

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