Unit Converter
Quickly convert between common and less-common units of length. Convert everyday measurements such as meters, feet, and miles, or explore specialized units such as nautical miles, fathoms, chains, rods, and mean Earth radius.
Length Converter
Result:
Supported Units
This converter supports a range of metric, imperial, nautical, surveying, historical, and large-scale units of length.
- Meters
- Kilometers
- Centimeters
- Millimeters
- Miles
- Yards
- Feet
- Inches
- Fathoms
- Nautical Miles
- Chains
- Rods
- Mean Earth Radius
How Length Conversion Works
The converter uses meters as its base unit. Each supported unit has a defined length in meters, allowing the tool to convert from one unit to another without needing a separate conversion formula for every possible pair.
For example, one mile equals 1,609.344 meters, while one nautical mile equals 1,852 meters. The converter uses these values to calculate the equivalent measurement in your selected unit.
Practical Examples
Everyday Distance
1 mile = 1,609.344 meters
Nautical Distance
1 nautical mile = 1.852 kilometers
Surveying
1 chain = 20.1168 meters
Water Depth
1 fathom = 1.8288 meters
Earth Scale
1 Earth radius (mean) = 6,371.008 kilometers
About the Less-Common Units
Fathom
A fathom is a unit of length traditionally used for measuring water depth. One fathom equals 1.8288 meters.
Nautical Mile
A nautical mile is commonly used in ocean navigation and aviation. One nautical mile equals exactly 1,852 meters.
Chain
A chain is a historical surveying unit. One chain equals 66 feet, or 20.1168 meters.
Rod
A rod is another historical unit associated with surveying and land measurement. A rod is a quarter of a chain. One rod equals 16.5 feet, or 5.0292 meters.
Earth Radius (Mean)
Earth is not a perfect sphere, so its radius varies depending on location and how it is measured. This converter uses an established mean Earth radius of 6,371.008 kilometers.