This free area converter changes square meters to square feet, acres to hectares, square feet to acres and square miles to square kilometers instantly. Below the area converter you will also find a shape calculator for rooms and plots, a conversion chart, worked formulas and real-world size comparisons.
Area Conversion Chart
The most-used area conversions at a glance.
| Unit | Equals | Also equals | Also equals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 square meter (m²) | 10.764 sq ft | 1.196 sq yd | 0.0001 ha |
| 1 square foot (sq ft) | 0.0929 m² | 0.1111 sq yd | 0.000023 acres |
| 1 square yard (sq yd) | 9 sq ft | 0.8361 m² | 0.000207 acres |
| 1 acre | 43,560 sq ft | 4,046.86 m² | 0.4047 ha |
| 1 hectare (ha) | 10,000 m² | 2.471 acres | 107,639 sq ft |
| 1 square kilometer (km²) | 100 ha | 247.1 acres | 0.3861 sq mi |
| 1 square mile (sq mi) | 640 acres | 2.59 km² | 259 ha |
Popular Area Conversions Explained
Square meters to square feet
Multiply by 10.764. A 50 m² flat is about 538 sq ft.
Square feet to square meters
Multiply by 0.0929. A 1,000 sq ft home is about 92.9 m².
Acres to hectares
Multiply by 0.4047. A 10-acre farm is about 4.05 hectares.
Hectares to acres
Multiply by 2.471. A 5-hectare plot is about 12.36 acres.
How big is an acre?
43,560 sq ft: about 76% of an American football field, or just over half a standard soccer pitch.
Square miles to km²
Multiply by 2.59. One square mile is 640 acres.
Area Units Explained: Metric vs Imperial
What each unit in the area converter means, and its exact value.
Area measures how much flat surface a shape covers. It is always written in square units, because it comes from multiplying one length by another. Most of the world uses the metric system (square meters, hectares and square kilometers). The United States, and the UK for housing, still widely use imperial units (square feet, square yards, acres and square miles). An area converter bridges the two.
| Unit | System | Exact definition | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square meter (m²) | Metric | A square 1 m × 1 m | Homes, rooms and offices worldwide |
| Square foot (sq ft) | Imperial | 0.09290304 m² exactly | Homes and rentals in the USA, UK, Canada and India |
| Square yard (sq yd) | Imperial | 9 sq ft = 0.83612736 m² | Carpet, turf and fabric |
| Acre | Imperial | 43,560 sq ft = 4,046.8564224 m² | Farms, estates and land in the USA and UK |
| Hectare (ha) | Metric | 10,000 m² (100 m × 100 m) | Farmland and forests in most of the world |
| Square kilometer (km²) | Metric | 1,000,000 m² = 100 ha | Cities, national parks and countries |
| Square mile (sq mi) | Imperial | 640 acres = 2.589988 km² | US cities, counties and states |
How to Calculate Area: Formulas & Worked Examples
Use these formulas, or let the shape calculator above do the math for you.
Rectangle or square room
A bedroom 4 m long and 3.5 m wide covers 4 × 3.5 = 14 m², which the area converter shows as about 150.7 sq ft. Always measure both sides in the same unit before multiplying.
L-shaped room
Split the room into two rectangles, work out each area and add them. For example, a living room made of a 6 m × 4 m section and a 3 m × 2 m section is 24 + 6 = 30 m² (about 323 sq ft).
Circle
A round patio with a 3 m radius covers 3.1416 × 3 × 3 ≈ 28.27 m². If you only know the diameter, halve it to get the radius first.
Triangle
A triangular garden bed with an 8 ft base and 5 ft height is (8 × 5) ÷ 2 = 20 sq ft.
Irregular plots of land
Divide the plot into rectangles, triangles and trapezoids (area = ((side a + side b) ÷ 2) × height), calculate each piece and add them together. For large or legally important plots, rely on a licensed surveyor’s figure.
Buying flooring or tiles? Work out the floor area, then add about 10% extra for cuts and waste, or more for diagonal layouts.
How Big Is It? Real-World Area Comparisons
Familiar places and objects to help you picture an area.
| Place or object | Metric | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Tennis court (doubles) | about 261 m² | about 2,808 sq ft |
| NBA basketball court | about 437 m² | 4,700 sq ft |
| American football field (with end zones) | about 5,351 m² | 57,600 sq ft (1.32 acres) |
| Soccer pitch (105 m × 68 m) | 7,140 m² (0.71 ha) | about 1.76 acres |
| Vatican City | about 0.49 km² | about 121 acres |
| Monaco | about 2.1 km² | about 0.8 sq mi |
| Central Park, New York | about 3.41 km² | 843 acres |
| Manhattan (land area) | about 59 km² | about 22.8 sq mi |
| Russia, the largest country | 17,098,246 km² | about 6.6 million sq mi |
Russia alone is larger than the entire surface of Pluto. See how every nation compares in our largest countries in the world ranking, or put two countries side by side with Compare Countries.
Area Measurements Around the World
Useful if you are renting abroad, buying land or reading a foreign property listing.
- United States: homes are listed in square feet and land in acres. City and state sizes are given in square miles.
- United Kingdom: property listings often show both square feet and square meters. Farmland is sold in acres or hectares.
- Europe, Africa, Latin America and most of Asia: homes are in square meters and farmland in hectares.
- India: apartments are usually sold by the square foot, while land may use local units such as the bigha, whose size varies from state to state.
- Nigeria: a residential plot is often quoted as 60 × 120 ft (about 669 m²), though plot sizes vary by state and estate, so always confirm the survey plan.
- Japan: room and property sizes often use the tsubo, about 3.31 m² (roughly two tatami mats).
- Thailand: land is measured in rai; 1 rai = 1,600 m².
- China: farmland is traditionally measured in mu; 1 mu ≈ 666.7 m², so 15 mu = 1 hectare.
Converting to square meters or square feet first, then using this area converter, is the easiest way to compare listings from different countries. Planning a move? The currency converter helps you compare prices per square meter, and the distance calculator shows how far away your new home will be.
Area Converter: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert square feet to square meters?
Multiply the number of square feet by 0.092903. For example, 1,000 sq ft × 0.092903 = 92.9 m². To go the other way, multiply square meters by 10.764.
How do I calculate the area of a room?
Measure the length and width of the room in the same unit, then multiply them. A room 12 ft × 10 ft is 120 sq ft, or about 11.15 m². For an L-shaped room, split it into two rectangles and add the areas.
How many square feet are in an acre?
One acre is exactly 43,560 square feet, which is about 4,046.86 square meters or 0.4047 hectares.
What is the difference between an acre and a hectare?
A hectare is a metric unit equal to 10,000 m². An acre is an imperial unit equal to 4,046.86 m², so one hectare is about 2.47 acres.
How do I find the area of a circle or triangle?
For a circle, multiply π (about 3.1416) by the radius squared. For a triangle, multiply the base by the height and divide by 2. The shape calculator above does both for you.
How many square feet are in a square meter?
One square meter equals 10.764 square feet. To convert, multiply square meters by 10.764; for example, 20 m² is about 215.3 sq ft.
How many acres are in a hectare?
One hectare equals about 2.471 acres. One acre is about 0.4047 hectares.
How do I convert square feet to acres?
Divide the number of square feet by 43,560. For example, 10,000 sq ft ÷ 43,560 ≈ 0.23 acres.
How many acres are in a square mile?
There are exactly 640 acres in one square mile, which is about 2.59 square kilometers or 259 hectares.
How big is a hectare?
A hectare is 10,000 square meters, a square 100 m on each side. It is about 1.4 times the size of a standard 105 m × 68 m soccer pitch, or about 2.47 acres.