A heavy steel measuring chain used in older land surveys before the adoption of steel tapes. Unlike Gunter's chain which measures 66 feet, the engineer's chain spans exactly 100 feet. It is composed of 100 wire links connected by small rings, making each link exactly one foot long. The physical bulk of the chain helped it pull straight through brush, but wear on the connecting rings could cause the total length to stretch over time.
We found the original corner monument, but the distance from the road was recorded using an engineer's chain, so we had to convert the old field notes.
Because each link is exactly one foot, measurements recorded in engineer's chains translate directly to decimal feet, avoiding the complex conversions required by Gunter's chains.
Related terms
Chain
A traditional measuring instrument made of wire links, or the unit of length equal to 66 feet.
link
A historic unit of length equal to 7.92 inches, representing one segment of a surveyor's chain.
Chainage
The cumulative distance measured along a baseline, such as the centerline of a road or railway.
Chainman
A survey crew member responsible for holding the measuring tape, prism, or leveling rod.