Convert length and distance units — meters, feet, inches, kilometers, miles, light years and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 mi | 0.08 chain | |
| 0.01 mi | 0.8 chain | |
| 0.1 mi | 8 chain | |
| 1 mi | 80 chain | |
| 5 mi | 400 chain | |
| 10 mi | 800 chain | |
| 50 mi | 4000 chain | |
| 100 mi | 8000 chain | |
| 1000 mi | 80000 chain |
Multiply the number of Miles by 80 to get Chains. Formula: chain = mi × 80. Example: 10 mi × 80 = 800 chain. To reverse, divide Chains by 80 to get Miles.
| Mile (mi) | Chain (chain) |
|---|---|
| 0.001 mi | 0.08 chain |
| 0.01 mi | 0.8 chain |
| 0.1 mi | 8 chain |
| 0.5 mi | 40 chain |
| 1 mi | 80 chain |
| 2 mi | 160 chain |
| 5 mi | 400 chain |
| 10 mi | 800 chain |
| 20 mi | 1600 chain |
| 50 mi | 4000 chain |
| 100 mi | 8000 chain |
| 250 mi | 20000 chain |
| 500 mi | 40000 chain |
| 1000 mi | 80000 chain |
| 10000 mi | 800000 chain |
To convert Mile to Chain, multiply by 80. Example: 10 mi = 800 chain
To convert Chain back to Mile, divide by 80 (multiply by 0.0125). Use the swap button above.
Start with 100 Miles = 8000 chain as your reference point. Scale up or down from there.
1 mile = 80 chains exactly — this is the foundational ratio of the US township-and-range survey system. Every section line in the Western US grid is 80 chains = 1 mile, making mi-to-chain conversion fundamental to US land surveying.
British roads and railways express distances in miles and chains (e.g., "3 miles 42 chains"). Engineers and planners convert between decimal miles and chains for digital mapping systems and GPS routing databases.
Rural US properties described in miles in county plats are subdivided in chains for boundary surveys. Surveyors convert between mile-based tract descriptions and chain-based boundary measurements in every rural survey.
Turnpike and canal surveys in the US and UK recorded distances in miles and chains. Heritage researchers convert between the two when transcribing historic survey data into modern GIS databases.
US farms described in miles of road frontage are subdivided in chains for field layout. The clean 80:1 ratio makes mental calculation straightforward — every surveyor in the US and UK uses this ratio daily.
British railway track distance references use miles and chains — a distance like "47 miles 32 chains" is standard. Engineers converting to decimal miles or kilometres use the mi-to-chain conversion as the first step.
The Mile is a unit of Length measurement (symbol: mi). 1 mi = 80 chain. Used in scientific and practical Length measurement applications.
The Chain is a unit of Length measurement (symbol: chain). It is part of an internationally recognised measurement system used alongside the Mile.
The mile traces back to the Roman 'mille passuum' — a thousand paces of a marching legionary, standardised at 5,000 Roman feet. When the Romans left Britain, the English statute mile evolved independently. Parliament fixed it at 5,280 feet (8 furlongs) in 1593 — deliberately chosen to align with the furlong system used in land measurement. The US adopted the statute mile from the British and never metricated road distances. Today only three countries — the US, Liberia, and Myanmar — still officially use miles for road distances.
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. 80 chains = 1 mile exactly, 10 chains = 1 furlong. The chain became the standard survey unit across the British Empire and is written into American law — the US Public Land Survey System still divides land using chains and links.
Common use: Mile to Chain conversion is needed when working with international standards, scientific publications, or reference materials that use different unit systems for Length measurement.