This page converts chains into picas using the factor 4752, and shows the reverse figure alongside it. Both units measure length, which is why one number does the whole job.
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout. Sixty-six feet — the length of a cricket pitch, and the unit the US Public Land Survey was laid out in.
The mil and the millimetre are not the same thing and are out by a factor of about forty. A mil is one thousandth of an inch — 0.0254 mm — and a spec sheet that quotes film thickness in mils means the small unit. British drawings write the same size as "thou". The tables underneath give both a plain step-by-step lookup and a list of real quantities expressed in picas, so you can sanity-check whether your answer is a plausible size.
The formula
chains- The amount you are converting, in chains
4752- The exact number of picas in one chain
picas- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in chains.
- It is multiplied by 4752, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in picas, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
An Olympic pool: 2.49 ch in picas
At 2.49 ch (an olympic pool), the same quantity in picas is 2.49 × 4752 = 11,832.5 pica. One chain is 4752 picas, so the numbers grow as expected.
Earth’s diameter: 6.33e+05 ch in picas
Take earth’s diameter, roughly 6.33e+05 ch. The conversion is a single multiplication — 6.33e+05 × 4752 — giving 3.00802e+09 pica. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 6.01603e+09 pica.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many picas are in one chain?
Exactly 4752. Every figure on this page is that one number multiplied by your input, so the only rounding is at the display step.
What is the formula to convert chains to picas?
picas = chains × 4752. Reversed, chains = picas ÷ 4752, which is the same as multiplying by 0.000210437710438.
Which is the bigger unit, the chain or the pica?
The chain. One chain equals 4752 picas.
What does this quantity actually measure?
Both units measure length. That is why a single factor is enough: there is no temperature offset and no material property involved, unlike conversions that cross between different quantities.
What is a chain?
Sixty-six feet — the length of a cricket pitch, and the unit the US Public Land Survey was laid out in.
What is a pica?
Twelve points, or 1/6 inch — the column-width unit of print layout.
Why does my answer differ from another converter?
Almost always because the other tool rounded the factor before multiplying. This page keeps full double precision through the calculation and rounds only for display, and it prints the factor it used so you can see where any difference came from.
Is there a quick way to do ch to pica in my head?
Plenty of people do this in their head: multiply by 4800 instead of using the exact factor 4752. At 100 that shortcut gives 480,000 picas, off by 4800 picas or about 1.01%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.
Chains to picas reference tables
| Chains | Picas |
|---|---|
| 0.5 ch | 2376 pica |
| 1 ch | 4752 pica |
| 2 ch | 9504 pica |
| 3 ch | 14,256 pica |
| 5 ch | 23,760 pica |
| 10 ch | 47,520 pica |
| 20 ch | 95,040 pica |
| 25 ch | 118,800 pica |
| 50 ch | 237,600 pica |
| 75 ch | 356,400 pica |
| 100 ch | 475,200 pica |
| 250 ch | 1.188e+06 pica |
| 500 ch | 2.376e+06 pica |
| 1000 ch | 4.752e+06 pica |
| 5000 ch | 2.376e+07 pica |
Exact factor: 1 chain = 4752 picas.
| Quantity | ch | pica |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 0.004255 ch | 20.22 pica |
| A door height | 0.101 ch | 480 pica |
| An Olympic pool | 2.485 ch | 1.181e+04 pica |
| The Eiffel Tower | 16.4 ch | 7.795e+04 pica |
| A marathon | 2098 ch | 9.967e+06 pica |
| Earth’s diameter | 6.334e+05 ch | 3.01e+09 pica |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.