# Chains to Miles (ch to mi)

Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/chains-to-miles/

**1 ch = 0.0125 mi**

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.

## Formula

Convert Chains to Miles

## Conversion Table

| Chains (ch) | Miles (mi) |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1000 ch | 12.5 mi |
| 5000 ch | 62.5 mi |

## Units

### 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.

### 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.

## Background

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.

## Good to Know

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.

## FAQ

### 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.

## Non-Frequently Asked Questions

### How many chains does it take to walk to work?

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.

### Is 80 chains per mile a lot of chains?

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.

### Why not just use miles for everything?

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.

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## See Also

- [Miles to Chains](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/miles-to-chains/)