Wildfire Engineering Tool · SI ↔ US customary
Convert the units.
Preserve the meaning.
Translate quantities used in wildfire behaviour, incident records and engineering without mixing different physical concepts. Every result is calculated from one disclosed base unit.
One number can describe different things.
Fire area, perimeter length, forward spread rate, fireline intensity and heat flux have different dimensions. Converting a unit does not convert one physical quantity into another.
Precision is not evidence quality.
Extra decimal places do not improve an uncertain perimeter, estimated spread rate or assumed thermal exposure. Preserve the source, time, spatial scope and measurement method.
Chains remain operationally relevant.
Wildland fire reporting commonly uses chains for distance and chains per hour for forward rate of spread. One international chain equals exactly 66 international feet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert acres directly to hectares?
Yes. Both are area units. One international acre equals 0.40468564224 hectares.
Is kW/m the same as kW/m²?
No. kW/m describes fireline intensity per unit length of front. kW/m² describes heat flux received or released per unit area.
Does unit conversion improve the accuracy of source data?
No. Conversion preserves a value mathematically; it cannot remove uncertainty in the original measurement or estimate.