How many chains are in 1 AU?

One AU contains approximately 7.432 × 109 chains (about 7.4 billion chains). Each chain is 66 feet (20.12 meters).

How do I convert AU to chains?

Multiply AU by 7.432 × 109. Since 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 m and 1 chain = 20.1168 m, divide the former by the latter.

Is this conversion useful?

No. The astronomical unit measures planetary orbits; the chain measures farm fields. These are about 9 orders of magnitude apart and belong to entirely different domains.

Astronomical Units to Chains (au to ch) Converter

1 au = 7,436,464,581.842 ch

1 Astronomical Unit equals 7,436,464,581.842 Chains (1 au = 7,436,464,581.842 ch). Convert Astronomical Units to Chains with formula, table, and examples.

One astronomical unit equals approximately 7.432 × 10⁹ chains - about 7.4 billion surveyor's chains. This conversion pairs the solar system distance unit with the 17th-century land surveying unit (66 feet / 20.12 m). No surveyor has ever needed to measure planetary distances, making this conversion purely theoretical.

How to Convert Astronomical Units to Chains

ch = au × 7,436,464,581.8420419693

Multiply the value in Astronomical Units by 7,436,464,581.8420419693

Take your value in Astronomical Units
Multiply by 7,436,464,581.8420419693
Read the result in Chains

Common Astronomical Units to Chains Conversions

Astronomical Units (au)	Chains (ch)	Status
1 × 10⁻¹⁰ au	0.7436 ch
1 × 10⁻⁹ au	7.4365 ch
1 × 10⁻⁸ au	74.3646 ch
1 × 10⁻⁷ au	743.6465 ch
0.000001 au	7,436.4646 ch
0.00001 au	74,364.6458 ch
0.0001 au	743,646.4582 ch
0.001 au	7,436,464.5818 ch
0.01 au	74,364,645.8184 ch
0.1 au	743,646,458.1842 ch
1 au	7,436,464,581.842 ch

Good to Know About Astronomical Units to Chains Conversion

Gunter's chain was designed to simplify land area calculation (10 sq chains = 1 acre). The astronomical unit was designed to simplify orbital mechanics. Neither was ever intended to work with the other.

Astronomical Units to Chains: What You Need to Know

Gunter's chain at 20.12 meters fits about 7.4 billion times into one AU. The entire US Public Land Survey System, measured in chains, covers a tiny fraction of the Earth's surface - itself only about 0.0000085 AU across. These scales exist in completely different measurement worlds.

What is a Astronomical Unit? au

Exactly 149,597,870,700 meters by IAU 2012 definition. Roughly the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. Used for distances within our solar system.

Astronomical solar system distances astronomy planetary science

Learn more about Astronomical Unit →

What is a Chain? ch

Exactly 66 feet or 4 rods (20.1168 m). Invented by Edmund Gunter for land surveying. 80 chains make one mile. Still used in US public land surveys.

Imperial land surveying US public land

Learn more about Chain →

Going the other way? Use our Chains to Astronomical Units converter.

Astronomical Units to Chains FAQ

One AU contains approximately 7.432 × 10⁹ chains (about 7.4 billion chains). Each chain is 66 feet (20.12 meters).
Multiply AU by 7.432 × 10⁹. Since 1 AU = 149,597,870,700 m and 1 chain = 20.1168 m, divide the former by the latter.
No. The astronomical unit measures planetary orbits; the chain measures farm fields. These are about 9 orders of magnitude apart and belong to entirely different domains.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Astronomical Units to Chains

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Gunter's chain is 20.12 m. The Earth-Sun distance is about 7.43 billion chains. At one chain per minute to measure, surveying 1 AU would take about 14,130 years. Gunter would need a very long tea break.
A cricket pitch is 1 chain (22 yards). One AU is about 7.43 billion chains, so 7.43 billion cricket pitches end-to-end. The ICC has not sanctioned a match of this length.
If you lined up 7.43 billion property surveys of 1 chain each, you would reach the Sun. That is roughly one property per person on Earth, each contributing one chain to the cosmic journey. Land ownership really does connect us to the stars.