How many chains is 1 decimeter?

One decimeter equals approximately 0.004971 chains (about 1/201 of a chain). Since 1 chain = 20.1168 m = 201.168 dm, divide 1 by 201.168.

How many decimeters are in 1 chain?

One chain contains exactly 201.168 decimeters. Since 1 chain = 20.1168 meters and 1 meter = 10 decimeters, multiply 20.1168 by 10.

Is this conversion practical?

Rarely. If you need to convert chains to metric, meters are the natural target unit, not decimeters. This conversion exists mainly for completeness.

Decimeters to Chains (dm to ch) Converter

1 dm = 0.005 ch

1 Decimeter equals 0.005 Chains (1 dm = 0.005 ch). Convert Decimeters to Chains with formula, table, and examples.

One decimeter equals approximately 0.004971 chains, or about 1/201 of a chain. Conversely, one chain (66 feet / 20.1168 m) contains about 201.168 decimeters. This conversion connects the metric sub-unit used for volume calculations with the historical English land surveying unit.

How to Convert Decimeters to Chains

ch = dm × 0.0049709695

Multiply the value in Decimeters by 0.0049709695

Take your value in Decimeters
Multiply by 0.0049709695
Read the result in Chains

Common Decimeters to Chains Conversions

Decimeters (dm)	Chains (ch)	Status
1 dm	0.005 ch
5 dm	0.0249 ch
10 dm	0.0497 ch
50 dm	0.2485 ch
100 dm	0.4971 ch
201 dm	0.9992 ch
500 dm	2.4855 ch
1,000 dm	4.971 ch
5,000 dm	24.8548 ch
10,000 dm	49.7097 ch
50,000 dm	248.5485 ch

Good to Know About Decimeters to Chains Conversion

The decimeter exists mainly to define the liter. The chain existed mainly to define the acre. Both are units whose primary value comes from their derived products rather than their direct linear measurement.

Decimeters to Chains: What You Need to Know

A cricket pitch (1 chain) is 201.168 decimeters long. A liter bottle at about 1 dm tall would need to be stacked about 201 times to span one chain. When digitizing old English property records into metric systems, converting chains through meters and decimeters is sometimes necessary for database compatibility.

What is a Decimeter? dm

One tenth of a meter, or 10 centimeters. Used in some European countries for everyday measurements and in education.

Metric European education everyday measurement

Learn more about Decimeter →

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 Decimeters converter.

Decimeters to Chains FAQ

One decimeter equals approximately 0.004971 chains (about 1/201 of a chain). Since 1 chain = 20.1168 m = 201.168 dm, divide 1 by 201.168.
One chain contains exactly 201.168 decimeters. Since 1 chain = 20.1168 meters and 1 meter = 10 decimeters, multiply 20.1168 by 10.
Rarely. If you need to convert chains to metric, meters are the natural target unit, not decimeters. This conversion exists mainly for completeness.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Decimeters to Chains

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

A chain is about 201 dm. A liter bottle is about 1 dm wide. So about 201 liter bottles fit side by side along a chain. That is 201 liters of water guarding one cricket pitch. Hydration for the entire team.
The French who designed the metric system in the 1790s knew of Gunter's chain but rejected it along with all English measurement. They replaced chains with meters. Ironically, 1 chain is almost exactly 20.12 meters, a nearly clean metric number that Gunter stumbled onto 170 years earlier.
Mostly yes. Surveyors never used decimeters. But the decimeter's cube (1 liter) is deeply useful. A chain-length irrigation ditch 1 dm deep and 1 dm wide holds about 201 liters. So decimeters and chains meet in agricultural water management, if nowhere else.