Area Converter
Area measures the size of a two-dimensional surface, such as a floor, a wall, a plot of land, or a country. Because area is length multiplied by length, every area unit is the square of a length unit, which is why symbols carry a small "2", as in m2 and ft2.
Popular Area Conversions
All Area Conversions
People convert area units constantly because two systems are in everyday use. Construction, real estate, and farming in much of the world rely on square meters, hectares, and square kilometers, while the United States and a few other places use square feet, acres, and square miles. Converting lets you compare a listing measured in square feet with a plan drawn in square meters, or size up a field given in acres against one in hectares.
Area Units Explained
Metric area units scale by factors of 100 or 10,000. One square centimeter equals 100 square millimeters, one square meter equals 10,000 square centimeters, one hectare equals 10,000 square meters, and one square kilometer equals 100 hectares, or 1,000,000 square meters. The hectare is the standard unit for land and farmland. US customary and imperial units relate differently: one square foot equals 144 square inches, one square yard equals 9 square feet, one acre equals 43,560 square feet (also 4,840 square yards), and one square mile equals 640 acres. Square meters, square feet, acres, and hectares are the units most people actually need.
How to Convert Area Units
The reliable method is to convert through a common base unit, usually the square meter, then to your target unit. Each area factor is the square of the matching length factor. Since 1 foot is exactly 0.3048 meters, 1 square foot is 0.3048 squared, or exactly 0.09290304 square meters. To turn 500 square feet into square meters: 500 x 0.09290304 = 46.45 m2. Going the other way, 1 m2 equals 1 / 0.09290304, or about 10.7639 square feet. For land, 1 acre = 4046.8564224 m2 = 0.40468564224 hectares, and 1 hectare is about 2.4711 acres. The key rule: always square the length factor, never just multiply it once.
Common Uses
- Estimating paint, flooring, or tile needed for a room
- Comparing real estate listings priced per square foot or square meter
- Sizing farmland and fields in acres or hectares
- Reading land plots and survey documents
- Planning gardens, lawns, and landscaping
- Comparing the size of cities, parks, or countries
Accuracy Tips
The most common mistake is forgetting to square the linear factor. Doubling a room's width and length quadruples its area, not doubles it. Keep metric-to-metric (m2, cm2, ha) separate in your head from imperial (ft2, acre) and convert across systems only once. For land deals, use the precise acre value of 4046.8564224 m2 rather than rounding early, since small errors scale up over large plots.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many square feet are in a square meter?
One square meter equals about 10.7639 square feet. This comes from squaring the conversion 1 meter = 3.28084 feet. To go back, 1 square foot is exactly 0.09290304 square meters.
How many square feet are in an acre?
One acre is exactly 43,560 square feet. It also equals 4,840 square yards or about 4046.8564 square meters. An acre is roughly the size of an American football field without the end zones.
What is the difference between a hectare and an acre?
A hectare is a metric unit equal to 10,000 square meters, while an acre is a customary unit equal to 43,560 square feet. One hectare is about 2.4711 acres, and one acre is about 0.4047 hectares.
How many square meters are in a hectare?
One hectare equals exactly 10,000 square meters, which is the area of a 100 m by 100 m square. One hundred hectares make up one square kilometer.
How do I convert square miles to square kilometers?
Multiply square miles by 2.589988110336 to get square kilometers, since 1 mile is exactly 1609.344 meters. For example, 5 square miles is about 12.95 square kilometers. One square mile also equals 640 acres.