How do I convert chains to thou?

Multiply the number of chains by 792,000. For example, 0.5 chains = 396,000 thou.

Is this conversion practical?

No. Chains measure land parcels. Thou measures thin coatings and PCB traces. They belong to entirely separate measurement domains.

Chains to Thou (ch to thou) Converter

1 ch = 792,000 thou

1 Chain equals 792,000 Thou (1 ch = 792,000 thou). Convert Chains to Thou with formula, table, and examples.

One chain equals exactly 792,000 thou (mils). Since 1 chain = 792 inches and 1 inch = 1,000 thou, the math is 792 x 1,000 = 792,000. This conversion connects the land surveying chain with the precision engineering unit used for thin coatings, wire gauges, and PCB specifications.

How to Convert Chains to Thou

thou = ch × 792,000

Multiply the value in Chains by 792,000

Take your value in Chains
Multiply by 792,000
Read the result in Thou

Common Chains to Thou Conversions

Chains (ch)	Thou (thou)	Status
0.000001 ch	0.792 thou
0.00001 ch	7.92 thou
0.0001 ch	79.2 thou
0.001 ch	792 thou
0.01 ch	7,920 thou
0.1 ch	79,200 thou
0.5 ch	396,000 thou
1 ch	792,000 thou
5 ch	3,960,000 thou
10 ch	7,920,000 thou
50 ch	39,600,000 thou
100 ch	79,200,000 thou

Good to Know About Chains to Thou Conversion

The thou (0.001 inch) was born from the Industrial Revolution's need for precision. The chain (66 feet) was born from the Agricultural Revolution's need for land measurement. Two revolutions, two units, no overlap.

Chains to Thou: What You Need to Know

A cricket pitch (1 chain) is 792,000 thou. A PCB copper trace at 6 thou is 7.58 x 10^-6 chains. These units never meet in practice: chains measure fields, thou measures circuit board features. The conversion exists for mathematical completeness only.

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 →

What is a Thou? thou

One thousandth of an inch (0.0254 mm). Also called a mil in the US. Used in engineering, manufacturing, and for measuring thin materials like plastic film.

Imperial engineering plastic film thickness wire gauges

Learn more about Thou →

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

Chains to Thou FAQ

One chain contains exactly 792,000 thou (mils). Since 1 chain = 792 inches and 1 inch = 1,000 thou, multiply 792 by 1,000.
Multiply the number of chains by 792,000. For example, 0.5 chains = 396,000 thou.
No. Chains measure land parcels. Thou measures thin coatings and PCB traces. They belong to entirely separate measurement domains.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Chains to Thou

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

Yes. One thou is 1/1000 of an inch. A chain is 792 inches or 792,000 thou. One thou of chain is 0.0254 mm - the width of a fine scratch on one of Gunter's chain links. Even measurement tools have measurement tolerances.
No. PCB designers use thou (mils) for trace widths and chains measure farm fields. The closest these professions get is when a PCB factory is built on a chain-surveyed plot of land. The building is measured in chains; its products are measured in thou.
A chain is 792,000 thou. A standard PCB trace is about 6 thou wide. So about 132,000 traces fit across one chain. That is more traces than any circuit board has ever needed, but it puts the chain's length in electronics perspective.