Rope to Nautical Mile Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

The Rope is an historical English unit of length, primarily used in surveying and sometimes in building or architecture. Its length was typically defined as 20 feet.

This equates to:

• 6.096 meters (m)
• Approximately 6.67 yards (yd)

Unlike more standardized surveying units like the chain, the rope's length could sometimes vary by region or specific use, but 20 feet is the most commonly cited value.

The origin of the Rope unit likely stems directly from the use of actual ropes of a predetermined length for measuring land or distances in medieval England and potentially earlier. Before the widespread adoption of more durable and precise measuring tools like metal chains (such as Gunter's chain, introduced in the 17th century), knotted or marked ropes served as practical, albeit less accurate, instruments for surveyors.

The length of 20 feet provided a convenient measure for certain types of land division or construction layout. However, ropes were susceptible to stretching, shrinking (when wet), and wear, leading to inconsistencies. This lack of precision contributed to its gradual replacement by the rod (16.5 feet) and the chain (66 feet) for official surveying work. The Rope unit fell into obsolescence as measurement standards became more rigorous and legally defined.

The Rope is now an obsolete unit, but historically it was used for:

• Land Surveying: Measuring property boundaries, fields, and plots of land, particularly in older or less formal surveys.
• Building and Construction: Laying out foundations or measuring lengths in large-scale construction projects in historical contexts.
• Agriculture: Estimating field sizes or row lengths.
• Nautical Measurement (Less Common): Occasionally, "rope" might refer to specific lengths used on ships, but this is distinct from the land surveying unit and often context-dependent (similar to a "cable length").