One nanometer is exactly 4.970969538e-11 chains, so converting nanometers to chains is a single multiplication. Enter any figure and the result appears as you type — the arithmetic runs in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere.
Sixty-six feet — the length of a cricket pitch, and the unit the US Public Land Survey was laid out in. One billionth of a metre — the scale of light wavelengths and chip lithography.
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". Two tables follow: rounded steps for quick lookup, and a set of real reference quantities converted into chains, which is usually more useful than the bare number.
The formula
nanometers- The amount you are converting, in nanometers
4.97096953790e-11- The exact number of chains in one nanometer
chains- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the value in nanometers.
- It is multiplied by 4.97096953790e-11, the exact factor between the two units.
- The answer is shown in chains, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
- Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.
Worked examples
A round figure: 1 nm in chains
Take a round figure, roughly 1 nm. The conversion is a single multiplication — 1 × 4.97097e-11 — giving 4.97097e-11 ch. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 9.94194e-11 ch.
A larger figure: 100 nm in chains
Take a larger figure, roughly 100 nm. The conversion is a single multiplication — 100 × 4.97097e-11 — giving 4.97097e-09 ch. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 9.94194e-09 ch.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many chains are in one nanometer?
Exactly 4.97096953790e-11. 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 nanometers to chains?
chains = nanometers × 4.97096953790e-11. Reversed, nanometers = chains ÷ 4.97096953790e-11, which is the same as multiplying by 20,116,800,000.
Which is the bigger unit, the nanometer or the chain?
The chain. One nanometer is only 4.97097e-11 of a chain, so it takes 2.01168e+10 nanometers to make one chain.
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 nanometer?
One billionth of a metre — the scale of light wavelengths and chip lithography.
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.
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.
Nanometers to chains reference tables
| Nanometers | Chains |
|---|---|
| 0.5 nm | 2.48548e-11 ch |
| 1 nm | 4.97097e-11 ch |
| 2 nm | 9.94194e-11 ch |
| 3 nm | 1.49129e-10 ch |
| 5 nm | 2.48548e-10 ch |
| 10 nm | 4.97097e-10 ch |
| 20 nm | 9.94194e-10 ch |
| 25 nm | 1.24274e-09 ch |
| 50 nm | 2.48548e-09 ch |
| 75 nm | 3.72823e-09 ch |
| 100 nm | 4.97097e-09 ch |
| 250 nm | 1.24274e-08 ch |
| 500 nm | 2.48548e-08 ch |
| 1000 nm | 4.97097e-08 ch |
| 5000 nm | 2.48548e-07 ch |
Exact factor: 1 nanometer = 4.97096953790e-11 chains.
| Quantity | nm | ch |
|---|---|---|
| A credit card’s long edge | 8.56e+07 nm | 0.004255 ch |
| A door height | 2.032e+09 nm | 0.101 ch |
| An Olympic pool | 5e+10 nm | 2.485 ch |
| The Eiffel Tower | 3.3e+11 nm | 16.4 ch |
| A marathon | 4.22e+13 nm | 2098 ch |
| Earth’s diameter | 1.274e+16 nm | 6.334e+05 ch |
Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.