Convert Chain to Hand
1 chain = 198 hand (hand). For example, 10 chain = 1,980 hand and 100 chain = 19,800 hand. Type any value below to convert chain to hand both ways — it runs entirely in your browser.
Quick answer: Chain to Hand
1 Chain = 198 Hand (ch → hand). To convert chain to hand, multiply by 198. To convert hand to chain, multiply by 0.005050505. The converter at the top does this instantly and both ways; the sections below give the formula, worked examples, a full conversion chart and answers to the most common chain-to-hand questions.
How to convert Chain to Hand
To convert chain to hand, multiply the number of chain by the conversion factor 198, because 1 ch = 198 hand. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 hand = 0.005050505 ch, so you divide by 198 (or multiply by 0.005050505) to turn hand back into chain.
hand = ch × 198 ·
ch = hand × 0.005050505
- Write down the value you want to convert, in chain.
- Multiply it by 198.
- The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in hand.
Chain to Hand — worked examples
Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 chain is 990 hand because 5 ch × 198 = 990 hand.
| Chain | Calculation | Hand |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ch | 1 ch × 198 = 198 hand | 198 hand |
| 2 ch | 2 ch × 198 = 396 hand | 396 hand |
| 3 ch | 3 ch × 198 = 594 hand | 594 hand |
| 5 ch | 5 ch × 198 = 990 hand | 990 hand |
| 7 ch | 7 ch × 198 = 1,386 hand | 1,386 hand |
| 10 ch | 10 ch × 198 = 1,980 hand | 1,980 hand |
| 12 ch | 12 ch × 198 = 2,376 hand | 2,376 hand |
| 15 ch | 15 ch × 198 = 2,970 hand | 2,970 hand |
| 20 ch | 20 ch × 198 = 3,960 hand | 3,960 hand |
| 25 ch | 25 ch × 198 = 4,950 hand | 4,950 hand |
| 50 ch | 50 ch × 198 = 9,900 hand | 9,900 hand |
| 100 ch | 100 ch × 198 = 19,800 hand | 19,800 hand |
Common Chain to Hand conversions
These are the chain-to-hand values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:
- 1 chain = 198 hand
- 2 chain = 396 hand
- 2.5 chain = 495 hand
- 3 chain = 594 hand
- 4 chain = 792 hand
- 5 chain = 990 hand
- 6 chain = 1,188 hand
- 7 chain = 1,386 hand
- 8 chain = 1,584 hand
- 9 chain = 1,782 hand
- 10 chain = 1,980 hand
- 12 chain = 2,376 hand
- 15 chain = 2,970 hand
- 20 chain = 3,960 hand
- 25 chain = 4,950 hand
- 30 chain = 5,940 hand
- 50 chain = 9,900 hand
- 75 chain = 14,850 hand
- 100 chain = 19,800 hand
- 200 chain = 39,600 hand
- 500 chain = 99,000 hand
- 1000 chain = 198,000 hand
Chain to Hand conversion chart (both directions)
The chart below converts chain to hand and hand to chain side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 chain = 198 hand, and 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain.
| Chain → Hand | Hand → Chain |
|---|---|
| 0.25 ch = 49.5 hand | 0.25 hand = 0.001262626 ch |
| 0.5 ch = 99 hand | 0.5 hand = 0.002525253 ch |
| 1 ch = 198 hand | 1 hand = 0.005050505 ch |
| 2 ch = 396 hand | 2 hand = 0.01010101 ch |
| 3 ch = 594 hand | 3 hand = 0.01515152 ch |
| 4 ch = 792 hand | 4 hand = 0.02020202 ch |
| 5 ch = 990 hand | 5 hand = 0.02525253 ch |
| 6 ch = 1,188 hand | 6 hand = 0.03030303 ch |
| 7 ch = 1,386 hand | 7 hand = 0.03535354 ch |
| 8 ch = 1,584 hand | 8 hand = 0.04040404 ch |
| 9 ch = 1,782 hand | 9 hand = 0.04545455 ch |
| 10 ch = 1,980 hand | 10 hand = 0.05050505 ch |
| 12 ch = 2,376 hand | 12 hand = 0.06060606 ch |
| 15 ch = 2,970 hand | 15 hand = 0.07575758 ch |
| 20 ch = 3,960 hand | 20 hand = 0.1010101 ch |
| 25 ch = 4,950 hand | 25 hand = 0.1262626 ch |
| 30 ch = 5,940 hand | 30 hand = 0.1515152 ch |
| 40 ch = 7,920 hand | 40 hand = 0.2020202 ch |
| 50 ch = 9,900 hand | 50 hand = 0.2525253 ch |
| 75 ch = 14,850 hand | 75 hand = 0.3787879 ch |
| 100 ch = 19,800 hand | 100 hand = 0.5050505 ch |
| 150 ch = 29,700 hand | 150 hand = 0.7575758 ch |
| 200 ch = 39,600 hand | 200 hand = 1.010101 ch |
| 250 ch = 49,500 hand | 250 hand = 1.262626 ch |
| 500 ch = 99,000 hand | 500 hand = 2.525253 ch |
| 1000 ch = 198,000 hand | 1000 hand = 5.050505 ch |
Chain vs Hand: which is bigger?
A chain is the larger unit: one chain equals 198 hands. Put another way, you need 198 hands to make a single chain.
What is a Chain? History, origin and usage
The chain was introduced in 1620 by the English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter, who built a 66-foot iron chain of 100 links to make land surveying accurate and decimal-friendly. It cleverly reconciled the old four-based English units with decimal arithmetic, since ten square chains make exactly one acre.
Gunter's chain became the basis of property surveys across England and the British Empire and shaped the rectangular land grids of the United States and Canada. Though largely obsolete, it still turns up in old deeds and, famously, as the length of a cricket pitch.
A cricket pitch is exactly one chain, or 22 yards, long. Eighty chains make a mile, and because ten square chains equal one acre the design simplified land calculations for centuries.
What is a Hand? History, origin and usage
The hand, based on the breadth of a human palm, is an ancient measure used in Egypt, including for trading horses. King Henry VIII standardised it at four inches in England in 1540, and the English Jockey Club later formalised it as the unit for horse height in 1793. As a body-based unit its earlier values naturally varied from person to person.
The hand is used almost exclusively today to state the height of horses and ponies, measured from the ground to the withers. It is exactly four inches.
Horse heights use a special notation in which the figure after the point means inches, not tenths, so '15.2 hands' is 62 inches rather than 15.2 multiplied by 4. The hand is one of the few traditional body units still in active formal use.
Convert 1 Chain to other units
It can help to see a chain next to the other units it is commonly compared with. One chain (ch) is equal to:
| 1 Chain equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 0.0201168 km | Kilometre |
| 20.1168 m | Metre |
| 201.168 dm | Decimetre |
| 2,011.68 cm | Centimetre |
| 20,116.8 mm | Millimetre |
| 20,116,800 µm | Micrometre |
| 0.0125 mi | Mile |
| 22 yd | Yard |
| 66 ft | Foot |
| 792 in | Inch |
| 0.0108622 nmi | Nautical Mile |
| 0.1 fur | Furlong |
| 100 li | Link |
| 4 rd | Rod |
| 4 pole | Pole |
| 11 ftm | Fathom |
| 198 hand | Hand |
| 88 span | Span |
| 176 finger | Finger |
| 44 cubit | Cubit |
| 3.3 rope | Rope |
| 11.06424 ken | Ken |
| 0.004166667 lea | League |
| 57,024 pt | Point |
| 1.3447e-10 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 2.1263e-15 ly | Light-year |
| 2.01168 dam | Decametre |
| 0.201168 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.003620734 nl | Nautical League |
Convert 1 Hand to other units
One hand (hand) is equal to:
| 1 Hand equals | Unit |
|---|---|
| 0.0001016 km | Kilometre |
| 0.1016 m | Metre |
| 1.016 dm | Decimetre |
| 10.16 cm | Centimetre |
| 101.6 mm | Millimetre |
| 101,600 µm | Micrometre |
| 0.00006313131 mi | Mile |
| 0.1111111 yd | Yard |
| 0.3333333 ft | Foot |
| 4 in | Inch |
| 0.00005485961 nmi | Nautical Mile |
| 0.0005050505 fur | Furlong |
| 0.005050505 ch | Chain |
| 0.5050505 li | Link |
| 0.02020202 rd | Rod |
| 0.02020202 pole | Pole |
| 0.05555556 ftm | Fathom |
| 0.4444444 span | Span |
| 0.8888889 finger | Finger |
| 0.2222222 cubit | Cubit |
| 0.01666667 rope | Rope |
| 0.05588 ken | Ken |
| 0.00002104377 lea | League |
| 288 pt | Point |
| 6.7915e-13 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 1.0739e-17 ly | Light-year |
| 0.01016 dam | Decametre |
| 0.001016 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.00001828654 nl | Nautical League |
Tips for converting Chain to Hand
- To go from chain to hand, multiply by 198; to go back, divide by 198 (or multiply by 0.005050505).
- For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 chain ≈ 198 hand, so 10 chain ≈ 1,980 hand.
- The converter above keeps full precision; the tables round for readability, so use the tool for exact figures.
- Both fields update live as you type — change either side to convert in that direction.
How to use this Chain to Hand converter
Type a number into the Chain field and the equivalent in Hand appears instantly — there is no “convert” button to press and nothing is sent to a server, so it works offline once the page has loaded and is safe for any data. You can also type into the Hand field to convert the other way (hand to chain). Use the swap control to flip the two units, and copy the result with a single click. Because the calculation runs in your browser with full floating-point precision, the converter is more exact than the rounded figures shown in the reference chart above — use the chart for quick look-ups and the tool for precise work.
Accuracy and method
Every figure on this page — the formula, the worked examples, the conversion chart and the “convert to other units” tables — is computed from a single verified conversion factor (1 ch = 198 hand), never copied from a hand-typed lookup table that could drift. That factor is derived from each unit’s definition in terms of a common base unit, and an automated check re-verifies all of the site’s factors on every update, so the numbers here stay correct over time. This matters for chain-to-hand conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.
The metric units (km, m, cm, mm, µm) are exact by definition, and the imperial units (mile, yard, foot, inch, nautical mile) use their exact international values. Traditional units (hand, span, finger, cubit, rod/pole, link, rope, ken, league) are given at their commonly accepted standard sizes — historical local values sometimes differed, so confirm against a primary source before relying on them for legal or historical work.
Frequently asked questions
- How many hand are in 1 chain?
- 1 chain = 198 hand (hand). To convert any number of chain to hand, multiply by 198.
- How do I convert chain to hand?
- Multiply the number of chain by 198. For example, 10 chain = 10 × 198 = 1,980 hand, and 25 chain = 4,950 hand.
- How many chain are in 1 hand?
- 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain. So to convert hand back to chain, multiply by 0.005050505.
- What is the formula to convert chain to hand?
- hand = chain × 198. The reverse formula is chain = hand × 0.005050505.
- How much is 100 chain in hand?
- 100 chain = 19,800 hand. (And 1000 chain = 198,000 hand.)
- Which is bigger, a chain or a hand?
- A chain is larger: 1 chain = 198 hand.
- Is this chain to hand converter accurate?
- Yes — every value is computed from the exact 198 hand per ch factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.
- Can I convert hand to chain too?
- Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain.