rod (US survey) [rd] Unit Converter

Definition of rod (US survey) [rd] unit

A rod (US survey) is a traditional unit of length equal to 16.5 US survey feet, or exactly 5.0292100584 meters. It is also called a pole or perch and is commonly used in surveying and land measurement.

History of rod (US survey) [rd] unit

The rod developed in medieval England as a practical measure for land division, building, and agriculture. Its traditional length of 16.5 feet may have reflected a plow furrow or a convenient surveying chain: one chain contained 66 feet, or four rods. English colonists carried these conventions to North America, where the unit remained important in property descriptions and cadastral surveys. The US survey version preserves its relationship with the survey foot and equals exactly 5.0292100584 meters. Though obsolete in daily commerce, it survives in specialized surveying references.

Applications of rod (US survey) [rd] unit

Today, the US survey rod appears mainly in boundary surveying, historical land records, and descriptions of rural parcels. Surveyors may encounter rods when interpreting deeds, plats, or older township plans, although meters and US customary feet dominate modern practice. In popular usage, the rod also remains familiar through agricultural expressions such as acres measured in square rods.

Complete list of rod (US survey) [rd] unit conversion