Rods (perches) to Metres Converter

How it is calculated

A rod (also called a perch or pole) is converted with two fixed factors: metres = rods × 5.0292 and feet = rods × 16.5. One rod is exactly 5.5 yards, which is 16.5 feet, and since one international foot is exactly 0.3048 m, 16.5 × 0.3048 = 5.0292 m. Metres are shown with four decimals and feet with two. The tool accepts any number, so fractions of a rod work (12.5 rods = 62.8650 m). It converts length only: an area in square rods or square perches needs the square of the factor (about 25.29 m² per square rod), so it cannot be read from this result.

Common mistakes

• Applying the length factor to an area. A "rod" and a "square rod" or "perch" of land are different units; a square rod is about 25.29 m², not 5.03 m².
• Confusing the rod with the surveyor's chain. A chain is 4 rods (66 feet), so a deed distance in chains needs a different factor.
• Rounding 5.0292 to 5 on long boundaries. Over 160 rods, using 5 instead of 5.0292 loses about 4.7 m.
• Assuming a "pole" or "perch" in an old text always equals 5.5 yards. This tool uses the standard 5.5 yard value, but some regional customs in historical documents differ.
• Entering feet or yards in the rods field. The value must already be counted in rods.