📐 Area Converter: Convert Square Feet, Meters, Acres and Hectares
By ToolNimba Editorial Team · Updated 2026-06-23
Type in any box and every other unit updates instantly. Conversions use exact, standardized factors.
This area converter switches a measurement between square millimeters, square centimeters, square meters, square kilometers, square inches, square feet, square yards, square miles, acres, and hectares. Type a value into any box and every other unit updates at once. All conversions go through square meters using exact, internationally agreed factors, so the results match official definitions rather than rough approximations.
What is the Area Converter?
Area measures the size of a two-dimensional surface, such as a floor, a plot of land, or a country. Because it is a squared quantity, the unit is always a length unit multiplied by itself: a square meter is the area of a square one meter on each side, and a square foot is a square one foot on each side. This squaring is why area conversions are not the same as length conversions. One meter is about 3.28 feet, but one square meter is about 10.76 square feet, because the factor itself is squared.
The cleanest way to convert between many units is to pick one base unit and route everything through it. This tool uses the square meter as the base. Each unit has a fixed factor that says how many square meters it equals: a square foot is exactly 0.09290304 square meters, an acre is exactly 4046.8564224 square meters, and a hectare is exactly 10000 square meters. To convert, the value you type is first multiplied by its own factor to get square meters, then that figure is divided by the factor of every other unit. Because the factors come from the international definitions of the inch, foot, and yard (the inch is exactly 25.4 millimeters), the results are exact rather than rounded guesses.
The two families of units, metric and imperial, are worth keeping straight. Metric area units (square millimeter, square centimeter, square meter, square kilometer, hectare) scale in powers of ten and are used almost everywhere for science and most of the world for land. Imperial and US customary units (square inch, square foot, square yard, square mile, acre) are common in the United States and, for property and land, in the United Kingdom. The acre and hectare are the usual units for land area: an acre is roughly the size of an American football field without the end zones, and a hectare is a square 100 meters on each side, about 2.47 acres.
To calculate area from a measurement, multiply length by width for a rectangle, so a room that is 12 feet by 15 feet covers 180 square feet. Once you have a figure in one unit you can convert it to any other with the boxes above. The acre traces back to the medieval idea of how much land a team of oxen could plow in a day, which is why it is an awkward 43,560 square feet rather than a round number. The hectare, by contrast, was designed to be tidy: 100 meters by 100 meters, or 10,000 square meters, which is exactly one hundredth of a square kilometer.
Large land and geographic areas are often given in square miles or square kilometers. One square mile is 640 acres, the size of a standard survey section in the United States, and equals about 2.59 square kilometers. For very small areas such as components, sensors, or microscopy, square millimeters and square centimeters are the practical units. Whatever scale you are working at, routing every value through the square meter keeps the chain of conversions consistent and free of compounding rounding error.
Many countries also use traditional land units that vary by region. In India, for example, a bigha, guntha, cent, kanal, or marla each maps to a fixed number of square feet or square meters, but the bigha in particular changes size from one state to another. Whenever you deal with a local unit, convert it to square meters or square feet first using the locally accepted factor, then this tool can take it the rest of the way to acres, hectares, or any metric unit.
When to use it
- Converting a property listing from square feet to square meters when comparing homes across countries.
- Turning a plot of land measured in acres into hectares for an agricultural or planning document.
- Working out how many square meters of flooring, tiles, or carpet a room needs from a square-foot measurement.
- Checking the size of a parcel given in square yards against a metric site plan.
- Sizing a large estate, farm, or region in square miles and square kilometers for a report or map.
- Translating a local land unit into square feet first, then converting it onward to acres or hectares.
How to use the Area Converter
- Find the box for the unit you already know (for example, square feet).
- Type your value into that box.
- Read the converted value from any other unit box; they all update at once.
- For an area you have not measured yet, multiply length by width first, then enter that figure.
- To start a new conversion, clear the box or type a fresh number into a different unit.
Formula & method
Worked examples
Convert 1500 square feet (a typical apartment) to square meters.
- Factor for square feet = 0.09290304 m² each.
- square meters = 1500 × 0.09290304 = 139.35456
Result: 1500 ft² = 139.35 m² (about 139.35456 m²)
Convert a 2-acre lot to hectares.
- square meters = 2 × 4046.8564224 = 8093.7128448
- hectares = 8093.7128448 ÷ 10000 = 0.80937128
Result: 2 acres = 0.8094 hectares
Convert 100 square meters back to square feet.
- square meters = 100 (already the base unit).
- square feet = 100 ÷ 0.09290304 = 1076.3910417
Result: 100 m² = 1076.39 ft²
Convert a 5 square mile parcel to acres.
- One square mile = 640 acres (it is also 2589988.110336 m²).
- acres = 5 × 640 = 3200
Result: 5 mi² = 3,200 acres
Exact area conversion factors (in square meters)
| Unit | Symbol | Square meters per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Square millimeter | mm² | 0.000001 |
| Square centimeter | cm² | 0.0001 |
| Square meter | m² | 1 |
| Square kilometer | km² | 1,000,000 |
| Square inch | in² | 0.00064516 |
| Square foot | ft² | 0.09290304 |
| Square yard | yd² | 0.83612736 |
| Square mile | mi² | 2,589,988.110336 |
| Acre | acre | 4046.8564224 |
| Hectare | ha | 10,000 |
Common quick conversions
| From | To | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 square meter | square feet | 10.7639104 |
| 1 square foot | square meters | 0.09290304 |
| 1 acre | hectares | 0.40468564 |
| 1 hectare | acres | 2.47105381 |
| 1 acre | square feet | 43,560 |
| 1 square mile | acres | 640 |
| 1 square kilometer | hectares | 100 |
| 1 square yard | square feet | 9 |
Everyday areas for a sense of scale
| Thing | Approximate area | In other units |
|---|---|---|
| Standard parking space | 14 m² | about 150 ft² |
| Tennis court (singles) | 196 m² | about 2,109 ft² |
| Basketball court (NBA) | 436 m² | about 4,700 ft² |
| American football field (with end zones) | 5,351 m² | about 1.32 acres |
| Soccer pitch (typical) | 7,140 m² | about 1.76 acres |
| One hectare | 10,000 m² | about 2.47 acres |
| Central Park, New York | 3.41 km² | about 843 acres |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using the length factor instead of the area factor. One meter is about 3.28 feet, but one square meter is about 10.76 square feet. The conversion factor must be squared for area, so do not reuse a length factor directly.
- Confusing acres with hectares. A hectare is about 2.47 acres, so the two are not interchangeable. Mixing them up can overstate or understate a plot of land by more than double.
- Rounding factors too early. Treating a square foot as 0.093 m² instead of the exact 0.09290304 m² introduces small errors that grow on large areas. This tool keeps the full factor and rounds only the final display value.
- Mixing up square feet and feet. A room that is 10 feet by 10 feet is 100 square feet, not 10. Area is the product of two lengths, so always multiply the dimensions before converting.
- Assuming a local land unit is the same everywhere. Units like the bigha vary by region, so 1 bigha in one state is not 1 bigha in another. Confirm the local factor and convert to square meters or square feet first.
- Forgetting that square mile and acre are not metric. A square mile is 640 acres and a section of land, but neither scales in powers of ten. Do not treat them like square kilometers or hectares when estimating quickly.
Glossary
- Area
- The size of a two-dimensional surface, measured in squared length units such as square meters or square feet.
- Square meter (m²)
- The SI unit of area, equal to the area of a square one meter on each side. Used as the base unit for these conversions.
- Square foot (ft²)
- A US and imperial unit equal to a square one foot on each side, exactly 0.09290304 square meters. Common for floor space and property.
- Acre
- A unit of land area equal to exactly 4046.8564224 square meters, traditionally 43,560 square feet and one chain by one furlong.
- Hectare (ha)
- A metric land-area unit equal to 10,000 square meters, the area of a square 100 meters on each side. About 2.47 acres.
- Square mile (mi²)
- A large area unit equal to 640 acres or about 2.59 square kilometers, the size of a standard US survey section.
- Conversion factor
- A fixed multiplier that expresses one unit in terms of another. Here each unit has a factor giving its value in square meters.
- Section
- A unit of US land survey equal to one square mile, or 640 acres, used to divide townships into a grid.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert square feet to square meters?
Multiply the number of square feet by 0.09290304 to get square meters. For example, 1500 ft² × 0.09290304 = 139.35 m². The converter above does this instantly for any value.
How many square feet are in a square meter?
One square meter equals about 10.7639 square feet. To convert square meters to square feet, multiply by 10.7639 (or divide by 0.09290304 for the exact result).
How do I convert acres to hectares?
Multiply the number of acres by 0.40468564 to get hectares, since one acre is exactly 4046.8564224 square meters and a hectare is 10,000. For example, 2 acres = 0.8094 hectares.
How many acres are in a hectare?
One hectare equals about 2.47105 acres. To go from hectares to acres, multiply by 2.47105. To go the other way, multiply acres by 0.40469.
How many square feet are in an acre?
One acre is exactly 43,560 square feet. So a half acre is 21,780 square feet and a quarter acre is 10,890 square feet. To go from square feet to acres, divide by 43,560.
How many acres are in a square mile?
One square mile contains exactly 640 acres, which is why it is also called a section in US land survey. A square mile is also about 2.59 square kilometers or 259 hectares.
How do I calculate the area of a room or plot?
For a rectangle, multiply length by width. A room 12 feet by 15 feet is 180 square feet. Once you have the area in one unit, type it into the converter to see it in any other unit.
Are these conversion factors exact?
Yes. They come from the international definitions where the inch is exactly 25.4 millimeters, which fixes the square foot at 0.09290304 m², the acre at 4046.8564224 m², and the hectare at 10,000 m². Only the final display value is rounded.
What is the difference between an acre and a hectare?
Both measure land area, but a hectare (10,000 m²) is larger than an acre (about 4047 m²). One hectare is roughly 2.47 acres, so they are not interchangeable.
How big is an acre compared with a football field?
An American football field including both end zones is about 1.32 acres, so one acre is roughly the playing field without the end zones. A hectare is about 1.76 of those fields.