How many miles is 1 chain?

One chain equals exactly 0.0125 miles (1/80 of a mile). There are exactly 80 chains in one statute mile.

How do I convert chains to miles?

Divide the number of chains by 80. For example, 200 chains = 200/80 = 2.5 miles.

Why are there 80 chains in a mile?

One mile = 8 furlongs, and 1 furlong = 10 chains. So 8 x 10 = 80 chains per mile. This structure was formalized when Parliament fixed the statute mile at 5,280 feet in 1593.

Chains to Miles (ch to mi) Converter

1 ch = 0.0125 mi

1 Chain equals 0.0125 Miles (1 ch = 0.0125 mi). Convert Chains to Miles with formula, table, and examples.

One chain equals exactly 0.0125 miles, or 1/80 of a mile. Conversely, one mile contains exactly 80 chains. This is a defining relationship in the English measurement system: the mile was standardized at 8 furlongs (80 chains / 5,280 feet) by Elizabeth I's Parliament in 1593.

How to Convert Chains to Miles

mi = ch ÷ 80

Divide the value in Chains by 80

Take your value in Chains
Divide by 80
Read the result in Miles

Common Chains to Miles Conversions

Chains (ch)	Miles (mi)	Status
1 ch	0.0125 mi
2 ch	0.025 mi
5 ch	0.0625 mi
10 ch	0.125 mi
20 ch	0.25 mi
40 ch	0.5 mi
80 ch	1 mi
100 ch	1.25 mi
200 ch	2.5 mi
500 ch	6.25 mi
800 ch	10 mi
1,000 ch	12.5 mi
5,000 ch	62.5 mi

Good to Know About Chains to Miles Conversion

The 80-chain mile is the backbone of the US Public Land Survey System. Western US states were divided into 1-mile-square sections (640 acres), each 80 chains on a side. This structure still defines property boundaries across millions of acres.

Chains to Miles: What You Need to Know

Eighty chains make one mile. Ten chains make one furlong. The mile was built upward from the chain and furlong. Old road surveys often give distances in chains rather than miles; dividing by 80 gives the mile equivalent. This conversion is common when reading pre-metric British and American survey records.

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

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What is a Mile? mi

An imperial unit of length equal to 5,280 feet or approximately 1.609 kilometers. The standard unit for road distances in the US and UK.

Imperial Us-customary road distances (US/UK) running aviation

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Going the other way? Use our Miles to Chains converter.

Chains to Miles FAQ

One chain equals exactly 0.0125 miles (1/80 of a mile). There are exactly 80 chains in one statute mile.
Divide the number of chains by 80. For example, 200 chains = 200/80 = 2.5 miles.
One mile = 8 furlongs, and 1 furlong = 10 chains. So 8 x 10 = 80 chains per mile. This structure was formalized when Parliament fixed the statute mile at 5,280 feet in 1593.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Chains to Miles

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

The average American commute is about 16 miles or 1,280 chains. If you walked it measuring chain by chain, your commute would take about 5 hours. That is why Gunter invented the chain for fields, not commutes.
It sounds like a lot, but each chain is only 66 feet. Eighty chains laid end-to-end make exactly one mile. It takes about 15 minutes to walk 80 chains, which is also 15 minutes to walk 1 mile, because they are the same thing.
Because a mile is too large for surveying individual fields. A typical English field was 1-10 acres, which is 10-100 chains per side. Measuring a 3-acre field as '0.0227 miles long' is absurd. Chains gave field-sized numbers.