# Yards to Chains (yd to ch) Source: https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/yards-to-chains/ **1 yd = 0.045454545454545 ch** One yard equals exactly 1/22 of a chain, or approximately 0.04545 chains. The chain, invented by English mathematician Edmund Gunter in 1620, measures exactly 22 yards (66 feet). Both units belong to the imperial system, but while the yard remains in everyday American use, the chain survives primarily in land surveying records and British cricket pitch measurements. ## Formula Convert Yards to Chains ## Conversion Table | Yards (yd) | Chains (ch) | |---|---| | 1 yd | 0.045454545454545 ch | | 2 yd | 0.090909090909091 ch | | 5 yd | 0.22727272727273 ch | | 10 yd | 0.45454545454545 ch | | 22 yd | 1 ch | | 50 yd | 2.2727272727273 ch | | 100 yd | 4.5454545454545 ch | | 220 yd | 10 ch | | 440 yd | 20 ch | | 500 yd | 22.727272727273 ch | | 1000 yd | 45.454545454545 ch | | 1760 yd | 80 ch | | 5000 yd | 227.27272727273 ch | | 10000 yd | 454.54545454545 ch | ## Units ### Yard (yd) An imperial unit of length equal to 3 feet or 0.9144 meters. Used in American football, golf, and fabric measurement. ### 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. ## Background A standard cricket pitch is exactly one chain (22 yards) long - a dimension that has not changed since the 1700s. In American land surveying, 80 chains make one mile, and 10 square chains equal one acre. Many modern property boundaries in the United States were originally recorded in chains and still appear that way in county deed offices, requiring conversion to yards or feet for practical fieldwork. ## Good to Know Edmund Gunter designed his chain specifically so that calculations for land area would come out cleanly: a strip of land 1 chain wide and 10 chains long equals exactly 1 acre. This made the chain the backbone of English and American land surveying for over 300 years. When Thomas Jefferson organized the US Public Land Survey System, chains were the standard tool, and their legacy persists in property descriptions across the nation. ## FAQ ### How many yards are in one chain? One chain contains exactly 22 yards. This was set by Edmund Gunter when he designed his surveying chain in 1620, making it practical for calculating acreage since 10 square chains equal one acre. ### Is the chain still used today? The chain is largely obsolete for new measurements, but it persists in older land records, cricket (the pitch is one chain long), and horse racing in some countries. Surveyors occasionally encounter chain measurements when researching historical property boundaries. ### What is the relationship between chains, furlongs, and miles? Ten chains make one furlong (220 yards), and 80 chains make one mile (1,760 yards). This decimal relationship within the imperial system is one of its rare clean ratios, designed deliberately by Gunter for surveying convenience. ## Non-Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Gunter's chain the most important chain in history? For land ownership, arguably yes. Gunter's 22-yard chain shaped property boundaries across the entire British Empire and the American frontier. Every 160-acre homestead claim, every county boundary, and every cricket pitch owes its dimensions to a 17th-century mathematician and his clever piece of linked metal. ### If a cricket pitch is one chain, is a cricket match a chain reaction? Technically, every ball bowled on the 22-yard pitch travels at least one chain, and every run scored adds two chains to the batter's tally. A century (100 runs) means the batters have collectively sprinted 200 chains - or 2.5 miles. Cricket really is a chain reaction, just a very slow one. ### Could I actually buy Gunter's chain at a hardware store? Not anymore. A Gunter chain was a specific surveying tool with 100 links, each 7.92 inches long, connected by rings. Hardware stores sell very different chains. You could build one yourself, but the 100 links need to total exactly 22 yards - a project better suited for a machinist than a weekend DIYer. ## 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 - [Chains to Yards](https://www.unitconvertercalculator.com/length/chains-to-yards/)