How many leagues is 1 rod?

One rod equals approximately 0.005234 leagues (about 1/191).

How many rods are in 1 league?

One league contains exactly 960 rods (3 miles x 320 rods/mile).

Are both units obsolete?

Yes. The rod was replaced by meters in surveying. The league was replaced by miles and km in travel. Both survive only in historical documents and fantasy literature.

Rods to Leagues (rd to lea) Converter

1 rd = 0.001 lea

1 Rod equals 0.001 Leagues (1 rd = 0.001 lea). Convert Rods to Leagues with formula, table, and examples.

One rod equals approximately 0.005234 leagues, or about 1/191 of a league. A league (3 miles = 960 rods) contains 960 rods. The rod measures farmland; the league measures walking journeys. Both are obsolete English units.

How to Convert Rods to Leagues

lea = rd ÷ 960

Divide the value in Rods by 960

Take your value in Rods
Divide by 960
Read the result in Leagues

Common Rods to Leagues Conversions

Rods (rd)	Leagues (lea)	Status
1 rd	0.001 lea
5 rd	0.0052 lea
10 rd	0.0104 lea
40 rd	0.0417 lea
100 rd	0.1042 lea
320 rd	0.3333 lea
500 rd	0.5208 lea
960 rd	1 lea
1,000 rd	1.0417 lea
5,000 rd	5.2083 lea
10,000 rd	10.4167 lea

Good to Know About Rods to Leagues Conversion

The rod measured the field. The league measured the walk to market. Together they defined a medieval farmer's world: work measured in rods, travel measured in leagues. Both units are extinct, but the landscape they shaped persists in field boundaries and road networks across England.

Rods to Leagues: What You Need to Know

A league is 960 rods. A 10-rod field boundary is about 0.0104 leagues. Tolkien's 280 leagues = 268,800 rods. In medieval England, the rod measured the field you worked and the league measured how far you walked to market.

What is a Rod? rd

Exactly 16.5 feet or 5.5 yards (5.0292 m). Also called a perch or pole. Historically used in land surveying.

Imperial land surveying historical

Learn more about Rod →

What is a League? lea

Exactly 3 statute miles (4828.032 m). A historical unit of distance, often associated with the distance a person could walk in one hour.

Imperial historical literature

Learn more about League →

Going the other way? Use our Leagues to Rods converter.

Rods to Leagues FAQ

One rod equals approximately 0.005234 leagues (about 1/191).
One league contains exactly 960 rods (3 miles x 320 rods/mile).
Yes. The rod was replaced by meters in surveying. The league was replaced by miles and km in travel. Both survive only in historical documents and fantasy literature.

Non-Frequently Asked Questions About Rods to Leagues

Questions nobody should ask - but someone did.

A strip field is about 40 rods long. Mordor is 280 leagues = 268,800 rods = 6,720 strip fields. If each field takes 1 hour to plow, Frodo's quest is 6,720 plowing-hours = about 2.5 years of continuous plowing. The quest was a lot of field-lengths.
A pilgrim walked about 3 leagues (960 rods x 3 = 2,880 rods) per day. That is about 14.5 km. At 5 m per rod, the pilgrim counted rods unconsciously with every step. Walking speed is about 1 rod per 3.5 seconds.
For translating historical documents. A 13th-century estate record might describe 'a field 10 rods wide, 2 leagues from the church.' Converting to modern units: 50 m wide, 9.66 km from the church. Historical research requires dead-unit fluency.