Land Area Converter
Use this land area converter to convert between every Indian land measurement unit and global standards. Enter any value — be it gaj, bigha, kattha, acre, hectare or square feet — and instantly get equivalent values across all units. The converter handles state-specific bigha and kattha definitions correctly, so a UP bigha (27,225 sqft), MP bigha (12,000 sqft), or Bengal bigha (14,400 sqft) is computed accurately rather than using a single misleading "average".
This gaj to square feet converter is essential for property buyers, sellers, real estate agents, farmers and anyone who has ever encountered conflicting land measurements in property documents. India uses one of the world's most diverse sets of regional land units — over 20 traditional measures still in active use across rural revenue records and urban property listings. Whether you're comparing a Punjab marla plot with a Bengaluru sqft listing, or converting your grandfather's ancestral bigha holding to acres for valuation, the converter gives you exact answers in seconds.
How this calculator works
India's diverse land measurement system
India inherited a patchwork of land units from centuries of regional administration. When state revenue departments were modernised post-Independence, local definitions of bigha, kattha, marla and other units were preserved rather than standardised — leading to today's situation where the "same" unit means dramatically different things in different states. This converter handles all major regional variants accurately.
Universal units (consistent everywhere)
| Unit | Equivalent | Common usage |
|---|---|---|
| Square feet (sqft) | 1 sqft = 0.0929 sqm | Urban real estate pricing |
| Square metres (sqm) | 1 sqm = 10.7639 sqft | Legal property documents (SI standard) |
| Square yards / Gaj | 1 sqyd = 9 sqft | North India residential plots |
| Acre | 1 acre = 43,560 sqft = 4,047 sqm | Agricultural land, large parcels |
| Hectare | 1 hectare = 10,000 sqm = 2.471 acres | Government land records, agriculture |
Regional units — varies by state
Bigha (largest variation among Indian units)
- Standard / Pucca Bigha: 27,000 sqft (used as default reference)
- UP / Bihar Pucca Bigha: 27,225 sqft
- UP / Bihar Kachcha Bigha: 17,424 sqft
- Rajasthan Pucca Bigha: 27,225 sqft
- Madhya Pradesh Bigha: 12,000 sqft
- West Bengal / Bangladesh Bigha: 14,400 sqft
- Assam Bigha: 14,400 sqft
- Haryana / Punjab Bigha: 27,225 sqft
This dramatic variation is why "10 bigha" can mean anywhere from 2.75 acres (MP) to 6.25 acres (UP) — always confirm which bigha standard applies before any property transaction.
Kattha (1/20 of a bigha — also varies)
- Bihar Kattha: 1,361.25 sqft
- West Bengal Kattha: 720 sqft
- Assam Kattha: 2,880 sqft
Marla and Kanal (Punjab, Haryana, J&K)
- Marla: 272.25 sqft (= 9 × 30.25 sqft, originating from a "marla" being one-twentieth of a kanal)
- Kanal: 5,445 sqft (20 marlas)
- 8 kanals = 1 acre; common residential plot in Chandigarh is 10 marla (~250 sqyd / 2,272 sqft)
Ground (Tamil Nadu)
1 ground = 2,400 sqft. Standard residential plot size in Chennai is often expressed in grounds — a "1 ground plot" is roughly 2,400 sqft.
Cent (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, parts of Karnataka)
1 cent = 435.6 sqft = 48.4 sqyd. Exactly 100 cents = 1 acre — designed for easy conversion. Small residential plots in Kerala are typically 5-10 cents; agricultural plots may be 50-200 cents.
Guntha (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh)
1 guntha = 1,089 sqft (= 33 × 33 feet, approximately). Exactly 40 gunthas = 1 acre. Farmland and rural plots in these states are quoted in gunthas. A "10 guntha" plot is roughly 10,890 sqft.
Biswa (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab)
1 biswa = 1/20 of a UP bigha = 1,361.25 sqft. Small village plots and orchards are commonly measured in biswas — "20 biswa makes 1 bigha" is a useful memory aid.
Why measurement disputes happen
Most property disputes involving area arise from three confusions: (1) Built-up vs carpet vs super built-up area in apartments — RERA mandates carpet area now, but older listings still mix definitions. (2) Pucca vs kachcha bigha in northern villages — older revenue records may use kachcha definitions while newer registrations use pucca. (3) Local cubits, gaj and hand-spans still used informally — particularly in rural land partitions among heirs. Always insist on official survey records (4(1) records in Maharashtra, RTC in Karnataka, khasra in UP) which use modern measurements in metres or sqft.
Property document terminology
For legal accuracy, modern property documents in India use square metres as the primary unit (SI standard mandated by the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976), with square feet as a secondary measurement for buyer convenience. Traditional units like bigha and kattha appear in older records and rural contexts but are rarely used in formal modern deeds for urban transactions.
Worked example
Example 1 — Convert 5 acres to bigha (different states):
- 5 acres = 5 × 43,560 = 2,17,800 sqft
- UP Pucca Bigha (27,225 sqft): 2,17,800 / 27,225 = 8.0 bigha
- MP Bigha (12,000 sqft): 2,17,800 / 12,000 = 18.15 bigha
- Bengal Bigha (14,400 sqft): 2,17,800 / 14,400 = 15.13 bigha
- Same land area, but the bigha number more than doubles depending on which state's definition applies.
Example 2 — Convert 1,200 sqft urban flat to traditional units:
- 1,200 sqft = 111.48 sqm = 133.33 sqyd (gaj)
- = 0.0276 acres = 2.76 cents = 1.10 ground (TN) = 1.10 guntha (MH/KA)
- = 4.41 marla (Punjab) = 0.022 hectare
- Useful for an NRI buyer familiar with cents (Kerala) viewing a Mumbai flat priced per sqft.
Example 3 — Punjab residential plot conversion:
- 10-marla plot = 10 × 272.25 = 2,722.5 sqft = 252.9 sqm
- = 302.5 sqyd (gaj) = 0.5 kanal = 0.0625 acres
- = 6.25 cents — useful when comparing with a Kerala buyer's reference frame