Area Converter
All Conversions
Quick Conversions
Related Converters
Understanding Area Units
Metric Area Units
Square Meter (m²)
The standard metric unit for area. A square with sides of 1 meter each. Used for room sizes, apartments, and small plots.
Square Kilometer (km²)
Equal to 1,000,000 square meters. Used for cities, countries, and large geographical areas.
Hectare (ha)
Equal to 10,000 square meters or 100m × 100m. Common for measuring farmland and forests.
Square Centimeter (cm²)
Used for small areas like paper, screens, and technical specifications.
Imperial Area Units
Square Foot (ft²)
Standard US unit for real estate. A 12 inch × 12 inch square. Used for home sizes and commercial spaces.
Square Yard (yd²)
Equal to 9 square feet. Used for carpeting, flooring, and some landscaping measurements.
Acre
Equal to 43,560 square feet. Traditional unit for land measurement in US, UK, and former British colonies.
Square Mile (mi²)
Equal to 640 acres. Used for large land areas, cities, and geographic regions.
Area Comparison Reference
| Object/Space | sq ft | sq m |
|---|---|---|
| Parking space | ~180 | ~17 |
| 1-bedroom apartment | ~600-800 | ~55-75 |
| Tennis court | 2,808 | 261 |
| Basketball court | 4,700 | 437 |
| American football field | 57,600 | 5,351 |
| Soccer field | ~76,000 | ~7,000 |
Conversion Formulas
sq ft = sq m × 10.764
sq m = sq ft × 0.0929
acres = hectares × 2.471
hectares = acres × 0.4047
Origin of the Acre
The acre originated in medieval England as the amount of land that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen. Its irregular size (43,560 sq ft) comes from being defined as a strip 1 furlong (660 ft) long and 1 chain (66 ft) wide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert square feet to square meters?
Multiply square feet by 0.0929 to get square meters. For example, 1,000 sq ft × 0.0929 = 92.9 sq m. To convert square meters to square feet, multiply by 10.764.
What is the difference between an acre and a hectare?
An acre equals 43,560 square feet (about 4,047 sq m), while a hectare equals 10,000 square meters (about 2.47 acres). Acres are commonly used in the US and UK for land measurement, while hectares are the international metric standard.
How big is an acre in practical terms?
An acre is roughly the size of a football field without the end zones (about 90% of one). It's approximately 208.7 feet × 208.7 feet as a square, or any shape totaling 43,560 square feet. A typical suburban lot is 0.25-0.5 acres.
Why are area units squared?
Area measures two-dimensional space, requiring two length measurements multiplied together. When you convert length units, the conversion factor must be squared for area. For example, since 1 meter = 3.281 feet, 1 square meter = 3.281² = 10.76 square feet.