Convert US Survey Foot to Nail
Convert us survey feet to nails instantly. 1 us survey foot = 5.333344 nail — use the live calculator, the exact formula, a conversion table and worked examples. Also check the Nail to US Survey Foot converter for the reverse conversion.
Units explained
US Survey Foot
The US Survey Foot is a legacy unit of length defined as exactly 1200/3937 meters (approximately 0.3048006 m). It differs from the modern international foot by about 2 parts per million.
Established in the United States by the Mendenhall Order of 1893, which defined the foot in terms of the meter as 1200/3937 m. The US continued using this value for surveying even after the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement standardized the international foot at exactly 0.3048 m.
Used in US land surveying, geodetic measurements, state plane coordinate systems, and legal land descriptions. The US Survey Foot was officially deprecated by NIST and NOAA effective December 31, 2022, with the international foot becoming the sole US standard. Legacy data and recorded land surveys still reference it.
Mendenhall Order of 1893 defined the foot as 1200/3937 m; persisted in US surveying after 1959; officially deprecated by NIST/NOAA as of December 31, 2022.
Nail
A nail is an Imperial unit of length equal to 2.25 inches (about 57.15 mm). It was historically used in the English cloth trade.
The nail derives from an English cloth-measure tradition dating to medieval times. Standardised at 2.25 inches (or 1/16 of a yard) through English customary practice and ratified by the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.
Nails were historically used to measure cloth, particularly small pieces and ribbons. Rare in modern commerce but appears in historical textile literature and reproduction crafts.
Medieval English cloth-trade origin; standardised at 1/16 yard; fixed exactly at 0.05715 m via the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement.
US Survey Foot to Nail conversion formula
Note: this conversion uses a generally accepted modern value. Historical and regional definitions of this unit varied across times and places.
The relationship between us survey feet and nails:
To convert us survey feet to nails, multiply the value in us survey feet by 5.333344. To reverse, multiply nails by 0.187499625.
How to use this converter
Type a value into the calculator. The result in nails updates as you type. Tap a quick value, copy the result with one click, or use the swap arrow to jump straight to the Nail to US Survey Foot converter for the reverse direction.
Step-by-step: convert us survey feet to nails
- Write down the value in us survey feet (sft).
- Multiply that value by the factor 5.333344.
- The product is the equivalent value in nails (nail).
- To reverse, multiply the nail value by 0.187499625.
Worked examples
Example 1 — Convert 1 sft to nail:
1 × 5.333344 = 5.333344 nail
Example 2 — Convert 100 sft to nail:
100 × 5.333344 = 533.3344000021 nail
Real-world example — Body height conversion (reverse direction)
You measure 1.75 us survey feet tall and need to fill in a gym membership form or medical record that asks for height in nails. This is the most-used everyday length conversion in metric-using countries.
1.75 sft × 5.333344 = 9.333352 nail
Real-world example — Pet and accessory dimensions
A 3-us survey foot dog leash equals a tidy round value in nails. Pet-supply shopping frequently mixes the two units across product specifications.
3 sft × 5.333344 = 16.0000320001 nail
Real-world example — Fabric and tailoring
One us survey foot of fabric converts to a value in nails commonly used for seam allowances. Garment patterns frequently switch between the two units on a single instruction sheet.
1 sft × 5.333344 = 5.333344 nail
US Survey Foot to Nail conversion table
Standard reference values for converting us survey feet to nails:
| US Survey Foot [sft] | Nail [nail] |
|---|---|
| 0.01 | 0.05333344 |
| 0.1 | 0.5333344 |
| 1 | 5.333344 |
| 2 | 10.666688 |
| 3 | 16.0000320001 |
| 4 | 21.3333760001 |
| 5 | 26.6667200001 |
| 10 | 53.3334400002 |
| 20 | 106.6668800004 |
| 30 | 160.0003200006 |
| 40 | 213.3337600009 |
| 50 | 266.6672000011 |
| 100 | 533.3344000021 |
| 500 | 2666.6720000107 |
| 1000 | 5333.3440000213 |
Frequently asked questions
How many nails is 1 us survey foot?
How do I convert us survey feet to nails?
How do I convert nails back to us survey feet?
How many nails is 100 us survey feet?
Popular length unit conversions
Convert US Survey Foot to other length units
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Metric / SI (7 units)
Imperial / US Customary (26 units)
Nautical (1 units)
Sources & references
Conversion factor (1 sft = 5.333344 nail) verified against the following authoritative sources:
- BIPM — The International System of Units (SI Brochure 9th ed.)
Official BIPM publication defining the seven SI base units (including the meter) and the rules for their use. The global authority on units of measurement.
- NIST — Guide to the SI
US National Institute of Standards and Technology reference covering the SI base and derived units with definitions and usage rules for US technical practice.
- NIST Special Publication 811 — Guide for the Use of the International System of Units
Detailed NIST guide covering exact conversion factors between SI and US customary units along with formatting and rounding conventions.
- NIST — Refinement of values for the yard and pound (Federal Register 1959)
The treaty (signed by US
- International Hydrographic Organization — Resolution on the Nautical Mile
International authority that standardised the nautical mile at exactly 1852 m in 1929 — the value adopted worldwide for sea and air navigation.