Convert length and distance units — meters, feet, inches, kilometers, miles, light years and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 chain | 1.08622e-05 nmi | |
| 0.01 chain | 0.000108622 nmi | |
| 0.1 chain | 0.00108622 nmi | |
| 1 chain | 0.0108622 nmi | |
| 5 chain | 0.054311 nmi | |
| 10 chain | 0.108622 nmi | |
| 50 chain | 0.54311 nmi | |
| 100 chain | 1.08622 nmi | |
| 1000 chain | 10.8622 nmi |
Multiply the number of Chains by 0.0108622 to get Nautical Miles. Formula: nmi = chain × 0.0108622. Example: 10 chain × 0.0108622 = 0.108622 nmi. To reverse, divide Nautical Miles by 0.0108622 to get Chains.
| Chain (chain) | Nautical Mile (nmi) |
|---|---|
| 0.001 chain | 1.08622e-05 nmi |
| 0.01 chain | 0.000108622 nmi |
| 0.1 chain | 0.00108622 nmi |
| 0.5 chain | 0.0054311 nmi |
| 1 chain | 0.0108622 nmi |
| 2 chain | 0.0217244 nmi |
| 5 chain | 0.054311 nmi |
| 10 chain | 0.108622 nmi |
| 20 chain | 0.217244 nmi |
| 50 chain | 0.54311 nmi |
| 100 chain | 1.08622 nmi |
| 250 chain | 2.71555 nmi |
| 500 chain | 5.4311 nmi |
| 1000 chain | 10.8622 nmi |
| 10000 chain | 108.622 nmi |
To convert Chain to Nautical Mile, multiply by 0.0108622. Example: 10 chain = 0.108622 nmi
To convert Nautical Mile back to Chain, divide by 0.0108622 (multiply by 92.0624). Use the swap button above.
Start with 100 Chains = 1.08622 nmi as your reference point. Scale up or down from there.
Coastal boundary surveys involve both land measurement (chains) and maritime measurement (nautical miles). Surveyors and maritime lawyers convert between the two when establishing the boundary between territorial land and sea.
Victorian harbour and dock projects used chains for land layout and nautical miles for sea channel dimensions. Engineers restoring these structures convert between the units using original survey records.
Historic fishing rights were sometimes defined in chains from the shoreline for the inshore zone, and nautical miles for the offshore zone. Fisheries lawyers convert between the two units when interpreting old maritime treaties.
Long-distance coastal footpaths in the UK (e.g. the 630-mile South West Coast Path) were originally surveyed in chains. Converting to nautical miles is useful for sailors and coastal navigators using the path for orientation.
Admiralty charts show coastal features with nautical mile distances, while Ordnance Survey maps show the same coastline in chain-based National Grid coordinates. Cross-referencing requires chain-to-nautical-mile conversion.
Underwater archaeologists correlating wreck positions (in nautical miles from known landmarks) with onshore features described in chains in historic land survey records require cross-scale unit conversion.
The Chain is a unit of Length measurement (symbol: chain). 1 chain = 0.0108622 nmi. Used in scientific and practical Length measurement applications.
The Nautical Mile is a unit of Length measurement (symbol: nmi). It is part of an internationally recognised measurement system used alongside the Chain.
Edmund Gunter invented the surveyor's chain in 1620. His design — 100 links totalling exactly 66 feet — was brilliantly chosen: 10 chains × 10 chains = 1 acre, making area calculation trivially simple in the field. 80 chains = 1 mile, 10 chains = 1 furlong. The chain became standard across the British Empire and is written into American law — the US Public Land Survey System still divides land using chains and links.
The nautical mile was defined by its relationship to Earth's geography — one minute of arc of latitude along a meridian, approximately 1,852 metres. This made it ideal for navigation: on a nautical chart, one nautical mile equals one arcminute, allowing direct distance measurement with dividers. The International Hydrographic Conference standardised it at exactly 1,852 metres in 1929. Today it is universally used in maritime and aviation navigation — the only two domains that never adopted kilometres for operational distances.
Common use: Chain to Nautical Mile conversion is needed when working with international standards, scientific publications, or reference materials that use different unit systems for Length measurement.