You're looking at a property listing that says "5 bigha" and you have no idea how big that is. Or the floor plan says 1200 sq ft and you need it in square meters. Area unit conversions are essential for real estate, agriculture, and construction — but the numbers are never intuitive.
Here's how to convert between every common area unit.
The Essential Conversion Factors
| From | To | Multiply By | |------|----|------------| | 1 acre | square feet | 43,560 | | 1 acre | square meters | 4,046.86 | | 1 acre | hectares | 0.4047 | | 1 hectare | square meters | 10,000 | | 1 hectare | acres | 2.471 | | 1 hectare | square feet | 107,639 | | 1 sq ft | sq meters | 0.0929 | | 1 sq meter | sq ft | 10.764 | | 1 sq yard | sq ft | 9 | | 1 sq km | hectares | 100 | | 1 sq mile | acres | 640 |
Step-by-Step Conversion Examples
Example 1: 1200 sq ft to sq meters
1200 × 0.0929 = 111.48 sq m
A typical 2BHK apartment in India is 1000–1200 sq ft ≈ 93–111 sq m.
Example 2: 2 acres to sq ft
2 × 43,560 = 87,120 sq ft
Example 3: 5 hectares to acres
5 × 2.471 = 12.355 acres
Example 4: 10,000 sq ft to acres
10,000 ÷ 43,560 = 0.2296 acres (about 1/4 acre)
Indian Land Measurement Units
India uses traditional units alongside metric ones. These vary significantly by state:
| Unit | Approximate Size | Primary States | |------|-----------------|---------------| | 1 bigha | 1,338 sq m (0.33 acre) | UP, Bihar, Uttarakhand | | 1 bigha (Punjab) | 907 sq m (0.22 acre) | Punjab, Haryana | | 1 bigha (Rajasthan) | 1,618–2,529 sq m | Rajasthan | | 1 katha | 126.46 sq m | Bihar, UP | | 1 cent | 40.47 sq m | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka | | 1 guntha | 101.17 sq m | Maharashtra, Gujarat | | 1 ground | 266.67 sq m | Tamil Nadu |
The Trench Truth: "Bigha" is the most dangerous unit in Indian real estate because it means different things in different states. A 5-bigha plot in UP (≈6,690 sq m) is 40% larger than a 5-bigha plot in Punjab (≈4,535 sq m). Always ask: "Which state's bigha?" before signing anything.
Visual Area Comparisons
| Area | Comparison | |------|-----------| | 1 acre | ≈ 1 football field (without end zones) | | 1 hectare | ≈ 2.5 football fields | | 1000 sq ft | ≈ 2 tennis courts | | 1 cent | ≈ half a basketball court | | 1 bigha (UP) | ≈ 1.5 football fields |
Try our area converter for instant conversions between any area units, including Indian measurements.
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