Convert Foot to Chain
Convert feet to chains instantly. 1 foot = 0.0151515152 chain — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a conversion table and worked examples. Also check the Chain to Foot converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
Foot
A foot is an Imperial and US customary unit of length equal to 12 inches or exactly 0.3048 meters. It is the most commonly used unit of length in everyday measurement in the United States.
The foot's origin is literally the length of a human foot, used as a measurement standard since antiquity. The English foot was standardized at various points in history; the modern international foot (0.3048 m exactly) was fixed by the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.
Feet are used in the US for body height, building dimensions, room sizes, road sign clearances, aviation altitude (feet above sea level), and most everyday distance estimation. The UK uses feet informally for height despite officially being metric.
Used since antiquity; standardized to 0.3048 m exactly by the International Yard and Pound Agreement of 1959. Aviation worldwide uses feet for altitude despite metric adoption elsewhere.
Chain
A chain is an Imperial unit of length equal to 66 feet (20.1168 m), or exactly 4 rods or 100 links. It is the central unit in the Gunter chain-based land-survey system.
Defined by Edmund Gunter in 1620 specifically to make land-area arithmetic easy: 10 square chains = 1 acre exactly. The 66-foot length and 100-link subdivision were chosen so chain measurements could be added decimally.
Chains are the fundamental unit of legacy US public land surveys (the entire US township-and-range system uses chains). Modern survey work generally uses meters or feet, but legacy deeds remain in chains.
Invented by Edmund Gunter in 1620; standardised throughout English and American land survey; became exact via the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.
Foot to Chain conversion formula
The relationship between feet and chains:
To convert feet to chains, multiply the value in feet by 0.0151515152. To reverse, multiply chains by 66.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in chains updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Chain to Foot converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert feet to chains
- Write down the value in feet (ft).
- Multiply that value by the factor 0.0151515152.
- The product is the equivalent value in chains (ch).
- To reverse, multiply the chain value by 66.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 ft to ch:
1 × 0.0151515152 = 0.0151515152 ch
Example 2 — Convert 100 ft to ch:
100 × 0.0151515152 = 1.5151515152 ch
Real-world example — Fabric purchase length
Two feet of fabric equals a value in chains essential for tailors and textile buyers sourcing material from international suppliers that quote in different units.
2 ft × 0.0151515152 = 0.0303030303 ch
Real-world example — Maritime depth conversion
A 10-foot sounding depth converts cleanly into chains. Recreational divers and sailors translate between the two units whenever they read legacy charts against modern depth-sounder displays.
10 ft × 0.0151515152 = 0.1515151515 ch
Real-world example — Reference scenario in case of fallback
Conversion between human-scale length units is the everyday workflow of architecture, athletics, and apparel design — three of the most common contexts that span metric and imperial systems.
1 ft × 0.0151515152 = 0.0151515152 ch
Foot to Chain conversion table
Standard reference values for converting feet to chains:
| Foot [ft] | Chain [ch] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 | 0.0001515152 |
| 0.1 | 0.0015151515 |
| 1 | 0.0151515152 |
| 2 | 0.0303030303 |
| 3 | 0.0454545455 |
| 4 | 0.0606060606 |
| 5 | 0.0757575758 |
| 10 | 0.1515151515 |
| 20 | 0.303030303 |
| 30 | 0.4545454545 |
| 40 | 0.6060606061 |
| 50 | 0.7575757576 |
| 100 | 1.5151515152 |
| 500 | 7.5757575758 |
| 1000 | 15.1515151515 |
Frequently asked questions
How many chains is 1 foot?
How do I convert feet to chains?
How do I convert chains back to feet?
How many chains is 100 feet?
Popular length unit conversions
Convert Foot to other length units
Show all Foot conversions
Metric / SI (18 units)
Imperial / US Customary (26 units)
Nautical (1 units)
Astronomical (9 units)
Atomic / Physics (6 units)
Typographic (3 units)
Sources & references
Conversion factor (1 ft = 0.0151515152 ch) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- NIST — Refinement of values for the yard and pound (Federal Register 1959)
The treaty (signed by US
- International Astronomical Union — System of Astronomical Constants
The IAU defines astronomical units including the AU (149597870700 m exactly) light-year and parsec used in astronomy and astrophysics.