Area Converter
Convert between square feet, square meters, acres, hectares, square miles and more with a single, flexible area converter. Ideal for land measurement, architecture, engineering, GIS and everyday use.
Interactive area unit converter
Conversion updates automatically when you change value or units.
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Common area conversions
How area conversion works
Area measures the size of a surface in two dimensions (length × width). Because there are many different systems of measurement (metric, imperial, U.S. customary), it is often necessary to convert between units like square meters, square feet, hectares and acres.
General area conversion formula
If each unit can be expressed as a multiple of square meters (m²), any conversion can be written as:
\( A_{\text{to}} = A_{\text{from}} \times \dfrac{k_{\text{from}}}{k_{\text{to}}} \)
where \(k_{\text{from}}\) and \(k_{\text{to}}\) are the equivalent values of one unit (from / to) in square meters.
Key area units and definitions
Below are some of the most commonly used area units and their relationship to square meters.
| Unit | Symbol | In square meters (m²) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square millimeter | mm² | 0.000001 m² | Very small surfaces, engineering drawings. |
| Square centimeter | cm² | 0.0001 m² | Small objects, technical specifications. |
| Square meter | m² | 1 m² | Base SI unit for area. |
| Square kilometer | km² | 1,000,000 m² | Large regions, cities, countries. |
| Square inch | in² | 0.00064516 m² | Screens, paper sizes, small surfaces. |
| Square foot | ft² | 0.09290304 m² | Rooms, apartments, real estate listings. |
| Square yard | yd² | 0.83612736 m² | Gardens, carpets, sports fields. |
| Acre | ac | 4,046.8564224 m² | Land parcels in U.S. and U.K. |
| Hectare | ha | 10,000 m² | Agricultural land, forestry, planning. |
| Square mile | mi² | 2,589,988.110336 m² | Larger regions, states, countries. |
Example: converting square feet to acres
Suppose you have a plot of land of 65,340 square feet and want to know its size in acres.
- Use the fact that 1 acre = 43,560 ft².
- Apply the formula: acres = ft² ÷ 43,560.
- Compute: 65,340 ÷ 43,560 ≈ 1.5 acres.
Using the converter above, enter 65,340 as the value, select Square feet (ft²) as the source unit and Acres (ac) as the target unit: the result will match this manual calculation.
When precise area conversion matters
- Real estate and land sales: Comparing listings given in acres versus hectares.
- Architecture and construction: Converting drawings and plans between metric and imperial units.
- Agriculture and forestry: Field size, seeding rate, fertilizer and yield calculations.
- GIS and mapping: Area of parcels, regions and buffer zones in different coordinate systems.
Area vs. volume
Area describes the size of a surface (2D). Volume describes the amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object (3D). It is a common mistake to confuse the two when reading building codes, agricultural regulations or engineering specifications. Always check whether the unit uses a square symbol (m², ft²) or a cubic symbol (m³, ft³).
FAQ on area conversions
How accurate is this area converter?
The converter uses exact or high-precision conversion factors for area units based on the definitions in terms of meters and feet. For most practical applications (real estate, engineering, agriculture) the numerical precision is more than sufficient. If you are working on legal boundary surveys or scientific research, always confirm which standard definitions apply in your jurisdiction.
Which is larger: an acre or a hectare?
A hectare is larger than an acre. One hectare is 10,000 m², while one acre is approximately 4,046.856 m², so 1 ha ≈ 2.471 acres. To convert hectares to acres, multiply by 2.471; to convert acres to hectares, divide by 2.471.
Can I use this tool for very large areas (countries, oceans)?
Yes, as long as you use appropriate units like square kilometers or square miles. Keep in mind that very large regions over the Earth’s surface may involve geodetic effects and map projections; for detailed cartographic work, use a GIS system with the correct projection and then convert the numeric results with this tool.