How many chains is 1 centimeter?

One centimeter equals approximately 0.000497 chains (about 1/2,012 of a chain).

How many centimeters are in 1 chain?

One chain contains approximately 2,011.68 cm (66 feet x 30.48 cm/foot).

When would I convert cm to chains?

When reconciling metric survey data with historical English property records that describe boundaries in chains.

Centimeters to Chains (cm to ch) Converter

1 cm = 0.0005 ch

1 Centimeter equals 0.0005 Chains (1 cm = 0.0005 ch). Convert Centimeters to Chains with formula, table, and examples.

One centimeter equals approximately 0.000497 chains, or about 1/2,012 of a chain. A chain (66 feet / 2,011.68 cm) contains about 2,012 centimeters. This conversion connects the universal metric unit with the historical English land surveying unit.

How to Convert Centimeters to Chains

ch = cm × 0.000497097

Multiply the value in Centimeters by 0.000497097

Take your value in Centimeters
Multiply by 0.000497097
Read the result in Chains

Common Centimeters to Chains Conversions

Centimeters (cm)	Chains (ch)	Status
1 cm	0.0005 ch
5 cm	0.0025 ch
10 cm	0.005 ch
50 cm	0.0249 ch
100 cm	0.0497 ch
500 cm	0.2485 ch
1,000 cm	0.4971 ch
2,012 cm	1.0002 ch
5,000 cm	2.4855 ch
10,000 cm	4.971 ch
50,000 cm	24.8548 ch
100,000 cm	49.7097 ch

Good to Know About Centimeters to Chains Conversion

The centimeter conquered the world. The chain ruled England for 300 years but is now retired. When these two units meet in a GIS database, the centimeter always wins: chains get converted to metric, never the reverse.

Centimeters to Chains: What You Need to Know

A cricket pitch (1 chain) is 2,011.68 cm. A standard 30 cm ruler is about 0.0149 chains. When digitizing old English property records into metric databases, converting chain-based measurements to centimeters (or more commonly meters) is a routine task for GIS professionals.

What is a Centimeter? cm

A metric unit of length equal to one hundredth of a meter. Commonly used for body height, clothing sizes, and everyday measurements.

Metric body height clothing furniture

Learn more about Centimeter →

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 Centimeters converter.

Centimeters to Chains FAQ

One centimeter equals approximately 0.000497 chains (about 1/2,012 of a chain).
One chain contains approximately 2,011.68 cm (66 feet x 30.48 cm/foot).
When reconciling metric survey data with historical English property records that describe boundaries in chains.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Centimeters to Chains

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

A typical chainsaw bar is about 40-60 cm, or roughly 0.02-0.03 chains. The chainsaw is named for its cutting chain, not the surveying chain. Different chains, different purposes, same confusing English language.