Convert Hand to Chain
1 hand = 0.005050505 chain (ch). For example, 10 hand = 0.05050505 chain and 100 hand = 0.5050505 chain. Type any value below to convert hand to chain both ways — it runs entirely in your browser.
Quick answer: Hand to Chain
1 Hand = 0.005050505 Chain (hand → ch). To convert hand to chain, multiply by 0.005050505. To convert chain to hand, multiply by 198. 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 hand-to-chain questions.
How to convert Hand to Chain
To convert hand to chain, multiply the number of hand by the conversion factor 0.005050505, because 1 hand = 0.005050505 ch. The conversion is linear, so the same factor works for any value — whole numbers, decimals or fractions. For the reverse direction, 1 ch = 198 hand, so you divide by 0.005050505 (or multiply by 198) to turn chain back into hand.
ch = hand × 0.005050505 ·
hand = ch × 198
- Write down the value you want to convert, in hand.
- Multiply it by 0.005050505.
- The result is the same area/length/quantity expressed in chain.
Hand to Chain — worked examples
Each row shows the exact arithmetic so you can follow the conversion step by step. For example, 5 hand is 0.02525253 chain because 5 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.02525253 ch.
| Hand | Calculation | Chain |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hand | 1 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.005050505 ch | 0.005050505 ch |
| 2 hand | 2 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.01010101 ch | 0.01010101 ch |
| 3 hand | 3 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.01515152 ch | 0.01515152 ch |
| 5 hand | 5 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.02525253 ch | 0.02525253 ch |
| 7 hand | 7 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.03535354 ch | 0.03535354 ch |
| 10 hand | 10 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.05050505 ch | 0.05050505 ch |
| 12 hand | 12 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.06060606 ch | 0.06060606 ch |
| 15 hand | 15 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.07575758 ch | 0.07575758 ch |
| 20 hand | 20 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.1010101 ch | 0.1010101 ch |
| 25 hand | 25 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.1262626 ch | 0.1262626 ch |
| 50 hand | 50 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.2525253 ch | 0.2525253 ch |
| 100 hand | 100 hand × 0.005050505 = 0.5050505 ch | 0.5050505 ch |
Common Hand to Chain conversions
These are the hand-to-chain values people look up most often. Every figure is computed from the exact factor, so you can rely on them for quick reference:
- 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain
- 2 hand = 0.01010101 chain
- 2.5 hand = 0.01262626 chain
- 3 hand = 0.01515152 chain
- 4 hand = 0.02020202 chain
- 5 hand = 0.02525253 chain
- 6 hand = 0.03030303 chain
- 7 hand = 0.03535354 chain
- 8 hand = 0.04040404 chain
- 9 hand = 0.04545455 chain
- 10 hand = 0.05050505 chain
- 12 hand = 0.06060606 chain
- 15 hand = 0.07575758 chain
- 20 hand = 0.1010101 chain
- 25 hand = 0.1262626 chain
- 30 hand = 0.1515152 chain
- 50 hand = 0.2525253 chain
- 75 hand = 0.3787879 chain
- 100 hand = 0.5050505 chain
- 200 hand = 1.010101 chain
- 500 hand = 2.525253 chain
- 1000 hand = 5.050505 chain
Hand to Chain conversion chart (both directions)
The chart below converts hand to chain and chain to hand side by side, so it works whichever way you need. 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain, and 1 chain = 198 hand.
| Hand → Chain | Chain → Hand |
|---|---|
| 0.25 hand = 0.001262626 ch | 0.25 ch = 49.5 hand |
| 0.5 hand = 0.002525253 ch | 0.5 ch = 99 hand |
| 1 hand = 0.005050505 ch | 1 ch = 198 hand |
| 2 hand = 0.01010101 ch | 2 ch = 396 hand |
| 3 hand = 0.01515152 ch | 3 ch = 594 hand |
| 4 hand = 0.02020202 ch | 4 ch = 792 hand |
| 5 hand = 0.02525253 ch | 5 ch = 990 hand |
| 6 hand = 0.03030303 ch | 6 ch = 1,188 hand |
| 7 hand = 0.03535354 ch | 7 ch = 1,386 hand |
| 8 hand = 0.04040404 ch | 8 ch = 1,584 hand |
| 9 hand = 0.04545455 ch | 9 ch = 1,782 hand |
| 10 hand = 0.05050505 ch | 10 ch = 1,980 hand |
| 12 hand = 0.06060606 ch | 12 ch = 2,376 hand |
| 15 hand = 0.07575758 ch | 15 ch = 2,970 hand |
| 20 hand = 0.1010101 ch | 20 ch = 3,960 hand |
| 25 hand = 0.1262626 ch | 25 ch = 4,950 hand |
| 30 hand = 0.1515152 ch | 30 ch = 5,940 hand |
| 40 hand = 0.2020202 ch | 40 ch = 7,920 hand |
| 50 hand = 0.2525253 ch | 50 ch = 9,900 hand |
| 75 hand = 0.3787879 ch | 75 ch = 14,850 hand |
| 100 hand = 0.5050505 ch | 100 ch = 19,800 hand |
| 150 hand = 0.7575758 ch | 150 ch = 29,700 hand |
| 200 hand = 1.010101 ch | 200 ch = 39,600 hand |
| 250 hand = 1.262626 ch | 250 ch = 49,500 hand |
| 500 hand = 2.525253 ch | 500 ch = 99,000 hand |
| 1000 hand = 5.050505 ch | 1000 ch = 198,000 hand |
Hand vs Chain: 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 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.
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.
Convert 1 Hand to other units
It can help to see a hand next to the other units it is commonly compared with. 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 |
| 0.0000000000006791541 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 0.00000000000000001073913 ly | Light-year |
| 0.01016 dam | Decametre |
| 0.001016 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.00001828654 nl | Nautical League |
Convert 1 Chain to other units
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 |
| 0.0000000001344725 AU | Astronomical Unit |
| 0.000000000000002126347 ly | Light-year |
| 2.01168 dam | Decametre |
| 0.201168 hm | Hectometre |
| 0.003620734 nl | Nautical League |
Tips for converting Hand to Chain
- To go from hand to chain, multiply by 0.005050505; to go back, divide by 0.005050505 (or multiply by 198).
- For a quick mental estimate, remember that 1 hand ≈ 0.005050505 chain, so 10 hand ≈ 0.05050505 chain.
- 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 Hand to Chain converter
Type a number into the Hand field and the equivalent in Chain 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 Chain field to convert the other way (chain to hand). 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 hand = 0.005050505 ch), 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 hand-to-chain conversions because a small rounding error in a published table compounds quickly at larger quantities; computing from the exact factor avoids that.
Sources
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the SI — publishes the exact metric equivalents of the customary units. The inch, foot, yard and mile are defined exactly in metres by the 1959 international yard-and-pound agreement, so every imperial figure on this page is exact, not rounded.
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure) — the defining document for the SI, published by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. It fixes the base unit that this conversion resolves to, which is why the factor here can be exact rather than approximate.
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 chain are in 1 hand?
- 1 hand = 0.005050505 chain (ch). To convert any number of hand to chain, multiply by 0.005050505.
- How do I convert hand to chain?
- Multiply the number of hand by 0.005050505. For example, 10 hand = 10 × 0.005050505 = 0.05050505 chain, and 25 hand = 0.1262626 chain.
- How many hand are in 1 chain?
- 1 chain = 198 hand. So to convert chain back to hand, multiply by 198.
- What is the formula to convert hand to chain?
- chain = hand × 0.005050505. The reverse formula is hand = chain × 198.
- How much is 100 hand in chain?
- 100 hand = 0.5050505 chain. (And 1000 hand = 5.050505 chain.)
- Which is bigger, a hand or a chain?
- A chain is larger: 1 chain = 198 hand.
- Is this hand to chain converter accurate?
- Yes — every value is computed from the exact 0.005050505 ch per hand factor (not rounded look-up tables), and the factors are re-verified automatically on every update.
- Can I convert chain to hand too?
- Yes. The converter works both ways — enter a value in either field. 1 chain = 198 hand.