The Chain (Gunter's chain) was fundamental in surveying the American frontier. Measuring 66 feet (4 rods), it's the length of a cricket pitch. Ten square chains make an acre. Modern surveyors still reference chains in legal descriptions, and the unit remains visible in rural road layouts across the US. The decameter (dam) is used to measure medium-scale distances like the length of a tennis court (~2.3 dam) or a cricket pitch (~2.0 dam). It’s also practical for land surveying and agricultural plots (e.g., a small field might be 10 dam × 20 dam).
To convert between Chain (ch) and Decameter (dam), use the following formulas:
1 Chain (ch) = 2.01168 Decameter (dam)
1 Decameter (dam) = 0.4970969537898671 Chain (ch)
1 ch = 1 * 2.01168 dam = 2.01168 dam
5 ch = 5 * 2.01168 dam = 10.0584 dam
10 ch = 10 * 2.01168 dam = 20.1168 dam
20 ch = 20 * 2.01168 dam = 40.2336 dam
50 ch = 50 * 2.01168 dam = 100.584 dam
100 ch = 100 * 2.01168 dam = 201.168 dam
| Chain (ch) | Decameter (dam) |
|---|---|
| 1 ch | 2.01168 dam |
| 5 ch | 10.0584 dam |
| 10 ch | 20.1168 dam |
| 20 ch | 40.2336 dam |
| 50 ch | 100.584 dam |
| 100 ch | 201.168 dam |