Land Area Converter
Land Area Converter
Convert land and plot area between square feet, square metres, square yards (gaj), acres, hectares, cents, gunthas, grounds, kanals and marlas, with every factor traced to its definition.
Land area converter
1 acre
Every unit through the foot
- acre
- 10 square chains of 66 ft = 43,560 sq ft = 4,046.86 sq m
- cent, guntha
- 1/100 acre (435.6 sq ft) and 1/40 acre (33 ft × 33 ft = 1,089 sq ft)
- marla, kanal (revenue)
- a square rod, 16.5 ft × 16.5 ft = 272.25 sq ft; 20 marla = 1 kanal = 5,445 sq ft
- ground
- 2,400 sq ft by Chennai convention
Worked example
1 acre
1 acre = 10 square chains = 10 × 66 ft × 66 ft = 43,560 sq ft
In square metres: 43,560 × 0.09290304 = 4,046.86 sq m, or 0.4047 hectare
In cents: 100; in guntha: 40; in square yards (gaj): 43,560 ÷ 9 = 4,840
In revenue kanal: 8, and in revenue marla: 160; in Chennai grounds: 43,560 ÷ 2,400 = 18.1500
One of each unit, in square feet and square metres
| Unit | Square feet | Square metres |
|---|---|---|
| Square metres | 10.76 | 1.0000 |
| Square yards / gaj | 9 | 0.8361 |
| Acres | 43,560 | 4,046.8564 |
| Hectares | 1,07,639.10 | 10,000.0000 |
| Are | 1,076.39 | 100.0000 |
| Cent / decimal | 435.6 | 40.4686 |
| Guntha / gunta | 1,089 | 101.1714 |
| Ground, Chennai (2,400 sq ft) | 2,400 | 222.9673 |
| Kanal, revenue (1/8 acre) | 5,445 | 505.8571 |
| Marla, revenue (272.25 sq ft) | 272.25 | 25.2929 |
| Kanal of 4,500 sq ft (20 × 225) | 4,500 | 418.0637 |
| Marla of 225 sq ft | 225 | 20.9032 |
Which units are fixed, and which are not
Land in South Asia is sold in a mix of metric, imperial and local units. Most of them trace back to the foot, which is defined as exactly 0.3048 metre, and to the old surveyor’s chain of 66 feet. An acre is ten square chains, 43,560 square feet. A cent (called a decimal in Bangladesh and West Bengal) is one hundredth of an acre, 435.6 sq ft. A guntha or gunta, used in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Gujarat, is one fortieth of an acre, a square 33 feet on a side: 1,089 sq ft or 121 sq yd. Official land records in several states now show hectare and are (100 sq m); a guntha is 101.17 sq m, close to but not the same as an are. For plots in north India a gaj means a square yard, 9 sq ft.
Marla and kanal have more than one size. In revenue records in Punjab and Haryana and in Pakistan, a marla is a square rod, 272.25 sq ft, with 20 marla to the kanal and 8 kanal to the acre. But many housing schemes in Pakistan use a 225 sq ft marla, and so a 4,500 sq ft kanal: the Punjab Private Housing Schemes and Land Sub-division Rules 2010 set 225 sq ft in Lahore district and 272 sq ft elsewhere, and DHA and cantonment by-laws use 225. A ’10 marla’ plot can therefore be 2,250 or 2,722 sq ft, a difference of about 21%. Both sizes are in the converter, labelled.
The ground, 2,400 sq ft, is a Chennai trade convention rather than a legal unit; Tamil Nadu land records use hectare and are. The bigha is not included. Its size differs from state to state and often from district to district within a state, so any single factor would be wrong for many readers; the same goes for the biswa and katha, which are fractions of the local bigha. Ask the local land record office or the sale deed for the area in square metres. For a flat’s carpet, built-up and super built-up area use the carpet area calculator. For gold weights use the gold unit converter. This is arithmetic on the figures you enter, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in an acre?
43,560 sq ft, which is 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres.
How many square feet is a cent and a guntha?
A cent is 1/100 acre, 435.6 sq ft. A guntha is 1/40 acre, 1,089 sq ft (121 square yards). So 1 guntha is 2.5 cents.
Is a marla 225 or 272.25 square feet?
Both are in use. Revenue records use 272.25 sq ft (1/160 acre). Many housing schemes in Pakistan, and Lahore district under the 2010 housing scheme rules, use 225 sq ft. Check which one your document uses.
Why is there no bigha option?
Because a bigha has no single size: it varies by state and often by district. Converting it with one factor would mislead. Use the area in square metres from the land record.
How big is a ground in Chennai?
2,400 sq ft by convention, about 222.97 sq m or 5.51 cents.
Related calculators
References
- International yard and pound agreement (1959): 1 yard = 0.9144 m, 1 foot = 0.3048 m exactly. NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (acre = 43,560 sq ft; square rod = 272.25 sq ft; chain = 66 ft).
- Punjab (Pakistan) Private Housing Schemes and Land Sub-division Rules, 2010: marla of 225 sq ft in Lahore district and 272 sq ft in other districts; DHA and Lahore/Walton Cantonment building by-laws: 225 sq ft.
- Revenue units of Punjab and Haryana: 1 acre = 8 kanal = 160 marla (square rod).
- Tamil Nadu land records (patta / chitta) show extent in hectare and are; the ground of 2,400 sq ft and the cent are trade conventions.