Bicycle Mechanics - Chainstay length

What's the definition of chainstay length?
Is it the distance between the centre of the cranks to the centre of the rear axle?

And what would be a short, average and long chainstay, respectively?

Chainstay length is normally measured from the center of the BB shell to the front of the axle slot.

The length depends on the wheel size and type of bike. I'd say 16 inches (41 cm) is typical.

So my bike's 16.7 inches is not short? Good.

no, I would say short is 40cm (15.75"), or (slightly) less

Chainstay length is normally measured from the center of the BB shell to the front of the axle slot.

The length depends on the wheel size and type of bike. I'd say 16 inches (41 cm) is typical.

Are you sure about this?

I always thought the measurement was center of bottom bracket to centerline of rear axle. Standard convention is to measure along the stay dispite the fact that an imaginary line to the centerlines would be shorter.

My axle slot is only a few mm from the centre of my axle, so the difference in practice is tiny.

My axle slot is only a few mm from the centre of my axle, so the difference in practice is tiny.

The distance is not short when using old style horizontal dropouts. :p
I think it best to measure to the center line if the axle. :D

Ah, I see now!
"Front" can mean different things here.
I took it to mean the "bottom" of the slot, which is towards the front of a bike, but it could also mean the "lips" of the slot.