link [li] Unit Converter

Definition of link [li] unit

A link is a traditional unit of length equal to 0.66 feet, or 7.92 inches (0.201168 meters). In surveying, one chain contains 100 links, making a Gunter’s chain 66 feet long.

History of link [li] unit

The link originated in seventeenth-century English land surveying as a subdivision of the chain, an instrument associated with Edmund Gunter. Gunter’s chain, standardized at 66 feet and divided into 100 links, provided a practical way to measure boundaries and calculate areas. Each link consisted of iron rods, commonly 7.92 inches long. The system spread through British surveying practice and became common in North American public-land surveys. Although metric units and electronic instruments largely replaced it, the link remains part of surveying history and appears in older deeds and legal descriptions.

Applications of link [li] unit

Today, the link is chiefly encountered in historical or specialized land surveying, especially when interpreting deeds, plats, and government survey records. Surveyors may use links to describe distances in older cadastral systems, though modern work normally converts them to meters or feet. For example, five chains can be expressed as 500 links, or 330 feet.

Complete list of link [li] unit conversion