Indian Land Unit Converter Guide 2026: Square Meter, Square Feet, Bigha, Hectare, Acre Explained

Indian property transactions involve more land-measurement units than almost any other country in the world. An agricultural plot in Haryana is priced per acre. A Delhi residential property is measured in square yards. Rajasthan rural land is in bigha. Kerala uses cent. West Bengal uses katha. The same plot can be legitimately described in four or five different units depending on who you are talking to — and the confusion costs buyers real money.

This guide gives you every conversion you need, state-wise variations, and the context to know which unit to use in which conversation.

The Core Conversions: International Units

These three relationships are the foundation of everything else:

From	To	Factor
1 square meter	square feet	10.764
1 square foot	square meter	0.0929
1 hectare	square meter	10,000
1 hectare	square feet	107,639
1 hectare	acre	2.4711
1 acre	hectare	0.4047
1 acre	square meter	4,047
1 acre	square feet	43,560

Square Meter to Square Feet — The Most-Searched Conversion

For reference, the most common values:

Square Meter	Square Feet
50 sqm	538 sqft
75 sqm	807 sqft
100 sqm	1,076 sqft
125 sqm	1,345 sqft
150 sqm	1,615 sqft
200 sqm	2,153 sqft
250 sqm	2,691 sqft
300 sqm	3,229 sqft
500 sqm	5,382 sqft
1,000 sqm	10,764 sqft

RERA mandates that carpet area on flat sale agreements must be stated in square meters. When the developer’s brochure shows 1,200 sqft super-built-up, that is the marketing number — not the RERA-filed carpet area. The conversion to square meters is where the two align, and where you verify.

The Indian Specialty Units

Here is where India gets interesting. These units are defined by state, by region, sometimes by district — and they vary significantly.

Bigha

The most common rural / semi-urban unit in North India — but its size varies by state:

State / Region	1 Bigha = sq m	1 Bigha = sq ft	1 Bigha = hectare
Uttar Pradesh (Pucca)	2,529	27,225	0.2529
Uttar Pradesh (Kachcha)	1,012	10,890	0.1012
Haryana & Punjab	2,529	27,225	0.2529
Rajasthan (Pucca)	2,529	27,225	0.2529
Rajasthan (Kachcha)	1,012	10,890	0.1012
Bihar	2,529	27,225	0.2529
Madhya Pradesh	2,800	30,139	0.28
Gujarat	1,618	17,427	0.1618
Uttarakhand (Pahadi)	908	9,774	0.0908
West Bengal (Katha-based)	1,338	14,400	0.1338
Himachal Pradesh	1,012	10,890	0.1012

The Pucca vs Kachcha distinction is critical. In UP and Rajasthan, the same word “bigha” can mean 27,225 sqft (Pucca, the larger version, used in official revenue records) or 10,890 sqft (Kachcha, the smaller traditional version, still used in some rural transactions). A 10-bigha plot could legally be 2.7 hectares or 1 hectare depending on which version applies. Always confirm.

Biswa

A sub-unit of bigha, predominantly in UP, Haryana, and parts of Punjab. Standard convention:

Unit	Relation
1 Bigha = 20 Biswa
1 Biswa = 125–126 sq m (Pucca)
1 Biswa = 50–51 sq m (Kachcha)

A “20 biswa” plot in UP is one Pucca bigha = 2,529 sq m = 27,225 sqft.

Katha

Common in Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam:

State	1 Katha = sq ft	1 Katha = sq m
Bihar	1,361	126.45
West Bengal	720	66.89
Jharkhand	1,361	126.45
Assam	2,880	267.57

The Assam Katha is more than 4x the Bengal Katha. If you are buying across states, never assume.

Gaj (Square Yard)

Urban Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, western UP:

Unit	Relation
1 Gaj = 1 Sq Yard = 9 Sq Feet = 0.836 Sq Meter
100 Gaj = 900 sqft = 83.6 sqm
250 Gaj = 2,250 sqft = 209 sqm

Delhi residential transactions are universally quoted in gaj (or “yard”). When a listing says “200 gaj plot”, it is 1,800 sqft. When a Gurgaon agricultural plot says “5 bigha”, you need the state’s bigha definition.

Marla & Kanal

Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh — particularly common in Chandigarh and Haryana urban:

Unit	Relation
1 Kanal = 20 Marla = 4,500 sqft (Punjab / Haryana urban)
1 Kanal = 20 Marla = 5,400 sqft (Himachal / some older records)
1 Marla = 225 sqft = 20.9 sqm (Haryana standard)
1 Kanal = 0.125 acre

An 8-Marla plot in Panchkula is roughly 1,800 sqft. A 1-Kanal plot is 4,500 sqft — a serious residential lot. Confirm which marla definition is in use; urban Haryana is standardised to 225 sqft, but some older transactions still use 272 sqft.

Cent, Guntha, Ground

South Indian specialty units:

Unit	Region	Relation
1 Cent	Kerala, Tamil Nadu	435.6 sqft = 40.47 sqm
100 Cent = 1 Acre	Kerala	—
1 Guntha	Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP/Telangana	1,089 sqft = 101.17 sqm
40 Guntha = 1 Acre	—	—
1 Ground	Tamil Nadu urban	2,400 sqft = 223 sqm

A “10 cent” Kerala plot is 4,356 sqft. A “20 guntha” Bangalore rural plot is 21,780 sqft (half an acre).

Conversion Reference: The Five Most-Common Property Conversations

Conversation 1: “How big is my Delhi/Gurgaon residential plot?”

Listing will say: “200 gaj” or “250 sq yards”
You convert to: square feet (for comparison with apartment carpet areas)
Formula: Gaj × 9 = sqft
Example: 200 gaj = 1,800 sqft

Conversation 2: “How big is the agricultural plot I’m buying?”

Listing will say: “5 bigha” or “2 acres”
You convert to: hectare (for official revenue records) and acre (for resale comparison)
Formula (UP/Haryana Pucca): Bigha × 0.2529 = hectare
Example: 5 bigha UP Pucca = 1.26 hectare = 3.13 acre

Conversation 3: “What’s the carpet area of the flat?”

RERA filing will say: “72 sqm” or “95 sqm”
You convert to: square feet (for comparing with other listings)
Formula: sqm × 10.764 = sqft
Example: 72 sqm = 775 sqft carpet = roughly 1,000 sqft super-built-up

Conversation 4: “What’s my BHK’s super built-up?”

Super-built-up is marketing; carpet area is law. RERA requires the sale to be stated in carpet area (square meters). Always cross-check:

Carpet area = actual usable area inside your flat (before internal walls)
Built-up area = carpet + walls + balcony
Super built-up = built-up + proportional common areas (corridors, lobbies, stairs)

For a deep walkthrough, see Carpet Area vs Super Built-Up Area: The Complete Guide.

Conversation 5: “How does the HRERA filing compare to the brochure?”

The HRERA-filed carpet area will be in square meters. The brochure will show square feet. Convert and verify:

HRERA filing: “Carpet 75 sqm”
Brochure: “Carpet 807 sqft”
Your check: 75 × 10.764 = 807.3 sqft ✓

If the numbers don’t reconcile, the brochure is wrong. The HRERA filing is the legally binding number.

Master Conversion Table (Print-and-Carry)

From	Sq Ft	Sq M	Hectare	Acre	Bigha (UP/HR Pucca)
1 Sq Ft	1	0.0929	0.0000093	0.000023	0.0000367
1 Sq M	10.764	1	0.0001	0.000247	0.000395
1 Sq Yard (Gaj)	9	0.836	0.0000836	0.000207	0.00033
1 Hectare	107,639	10,000	1	2.471	3.954
1 Acre	43,560	4,047	0.4047	1	1.601
1 Bigha (UP/HR Pucca)	27,225	2,529	0.2529	0.625	1
1 Bigha (Kachcha)	10,890	1,012	0.1012	0.25	0.4
1 Biswa (Pucca)	1,361	126.45	0.01265	0.03125	0.05
1 Marla (HR urban)	225	20.9	0.00209	0.00517	0.00826
1 Kanal	4,500	418	0.0418	0.1033	0.165
1 Katha (Bihar)	1,361	126.45	0.01265	0.03125	0.05
1 Cent	435.6	40.47	0.004047	0.01	0.016
1 Guntha	1,089	101.17	0.01012	0.025	0.04

Bookmark this page or save the table. For any property conversation in India, one of these conversions is in play.

When Unit Confusion Becomes Fraud

A common pattern: the broker quotes size in one unit, the seller confirms in another, the registration happens in a third — and the buyer realises later that the plot is 15–20% smaller than expected. This is legal ambiguity wrapped around a measurement mismatch.

Two defences:

Insist on the final measurement in hectare or square meter — the international/revenue-record unit. Traditional units (bigha, biswa, katha) are fine as secondary references, but the primary legal measurement should be in SI units.
Cross-verify on the state land-record portal. Bhu Naksha (Rajasthan, MP, many others) and Bhulekh (UP) show the plot area in the recorded unit. If the portal says 0.25 hectare and the seller says “5 bigha Kachcha” (which also equals 0.25 hectare), the math checks out. If the seller says “5 bigha Pucca” (1.26 hectare), the math does not.

For state-specific land-record verification, see our Bhulekh UP Guide and Bhu Naksha Rajasthan Guide.

The Single Rule

When in doubt, ask for the measurement in square meters or hectares — and the corresponding entry on the state’s official land-record portal. Every other conversion is a conversation; this one is the law.

For the complete pre-purchase verification framework, see our Flat Buying Checklist India 2026. For RERA-registered project data with filed carpet areas and land details, browse reratracker.com.