# Chains to Nanometers (ch to nm) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/chains-to-nanometers/ **1 ch = 20116800000 nm** One chain equals exactly 2.01168 x 1010 nanometers, or about 20.1 billion nanometers. The chain (66 feet / 20.12 m) is enormous at the nanometer scale used for semiconductor features and DNA. These units are separated by 10 orders of magnitude with no practical overlap. ## Formula Convert Chains to Nanometers ## Conversion Table | Chains (ch) | Nanometers (nm) | |---|---| | 1.0E-10 ch | 2.01168 nm | | 1.0E-9 ch | 20.1168 nm | | 1.0E-8 ch | 201.168 nm | | 1.0E-7 ch | 2011.68 nm | | 1.0E-6 ch | 20116.8 nm | | 1.0E-5 ch | 201168 nm | | 0.0001 ch | 2011680 nm | | 0.001 ch | 20116800 nm | | 0.01 ch | 201168000 nm | | 0.1 ch | 2011680000 nm | | 1 ch | 20116800000 nm | ## 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. ### Nanometer (nm) One billionth of a meter. Used to measure wavelengths of light, semiconductor chip features, and molecular structures. ## Background A cricket pitch (1 chain) is about 20.1 billion nanometers. A 3-nm chip transistor is 1.49 x 10-10 chains wide. A DNA strand (2.5 nm) is 1.24 x 10-10 chains across. The gap between land surveying chains and nanotechnology is so vast that no application has ever bridged them. ## Good to Know Nanotechnology was unimaginable when Gunter invented his chain in the 1620s. Today, a single chip transistor is about 10 billion times smaller than the chain that once measured all of England's farmland. ## FAQ ### How many nanometers are in 1 chain? One chain contains exactly 2.01168 x 1010 nanometers (about 20.1 billion nm). Since 1 chain = 20.1168 m and 1 m = 109 nm, multiply. ### How do I convert chains to nanometers? Multiply the number of chains by 2.01168 x 1010. ### Is this conversion useful? No. Nanometers measure semiconductor features and molecular structures. Chains measure land parcels. These measurement domains have never overlapped. ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### How many transistors fit in a chain? A chain is about 2.012 x 1013 nanometers. A modern 3 nm transistor means about 6.7 trillion transistors could fit across one chain. Gunter's 100-link chain has nothing on a modern chip's transistor count. ### Is there a nano-chain? A molecular chain (polymer) measured in nanometers exists in chemistry. A surveying chain measured in nanometers gives you 20 trillion nm. Different chains, same word, vastly different scales. ### How many DNA strands fit across a chain? DNA is about 2.5 nm wide. A chain (2.012 x 1013 nm) is about 8 trillion DNA widths across. The genetic code for the medieval peasant who farmed a chain-measured field fits 8 trillion times across his own property boundary. ## Related Articles - [Why We Measure: The Deepest Urge in Human Civilisation](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/why-we-measure) - [The Map Is Not the Territory: Why Every Measurement Is Wrong](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-map-is-not-the-territory) - [Zero: The Most Dangerous Number in Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/zero-the-most-dangerous-number-in-measurement) - [The Body as a Ruler: Every Measurement Unit That Came From Us](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-body-as-a-ruler) - [The Speed of Everything: How We Measure From Glaciers to Light](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/the-speed-of-everything) - [15 Obscure Measurement Units You've Never Heard Of (But Still Need)](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/obscure-measurement-units-guide) - [When Measurements Go Wrong - Disasters, Blunders and Happy Accidents](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/when-measurements-go-wrong) - [The Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Units of Measurement](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/stories-behind-measurement-units) - [Metric vs. Imperial - The Complete Guide to the World's Two Measurement Systems](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/metric-vs-imperial-complete-guide) - [Length & Distance Conversion Guide - Meters, Feet, Miles & Kilometers](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/blog/length-and-distance-guide) ## See Also - [Nanometers to Chains](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/nanometers-to-chains/)