What is a rod?
A rod is an old surveying length equal to 5.5 yards. Since 1 yard = 3 feet, we get:
1 rod = 5.5 × 3 ft = 16.5 ft
Rods are convenient because they divide nicely into chains and miles used in classic land surveying.
Formulas
Feet = Rods × 16.5
Example: 3 rods × 16.5 = 49.5 feet
Rods = Feet ÷ 16.5
Example: 99 feet ÷ 16.5 = 6 rods
FAQ
1. Are rods, poles, and perches the same?
Yes. In most English-speaking surveying traditions they all refer to 16.5 feet.
2. Why is there a “survey” option?
Some US datasets use a survey foot (slightly different from the international foot). We’ve added it to match tools like unitconverters.net and survey tables.
3. How does this relate to chains and miles?
4 rods = 1 chain (66 ft). 80 chains = 1 mile. This is why 16.5 ft was picked — it creates a neat hierarchy.
Formula (LaTeX) + variables + units
This section shows the formulas used by the calculator engine, plus variable definitions and units.
Formula (extracted LaTeX)
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Formula (extracted text)
1 rod = 5.5 × 3 ft = 16.5 ft
Formula (extracted text)
Feet = Rods × 16.5 Example: 3 rods × 16.5 = 49.5 feet
Formula (extracted text)
Rods = Feet ÷ 16.5 Example: 99 feet ÷ 16.5 = 6 rods
Variables and units
- No variables provided in audit spec.
Sources (authoritative):
- NIST — Weights and measures — nist.gov · Accessed 2026-01-19
https://www.nist.gov/pml/weights-and-measures - NIST — SI units — nist.gov · Accessed 2026-01-19
https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si/si-units
Changelog
Version: 0.1.0-draft
Last code update: 2026-01-19
Last code update: 2026-01-19
0.1.0-draft · 2026-01-19
- Initial audit spec draft generated from HTML extraction (review required).
- Verify formulas match the calculator engine and convert any text-only formulas to LaTeX.
- Confirm sources are authoritative and relevant to the calculator methodology.