Local land measurement units in India

While there are some standard land-measurement units used globally, some countries, including India, also use more locally popular benchmarks, which have been in practice for long. In this article, we will discuss the common land measurement units used in various parts of India, apart from the globally accepted benchmarks.

Common land measurement units used across the world

Square foot (sq ft)

The most commonly-used unit is a square foot (sq ft), which is equal to 0.11 of a square yard. Under the rules of the real estate law in India, developers have to notify the area in sq ft terms.

Check out the square feet to square meter calculator

An imperial unit used to measure area, sq ft is used across geographies to map the area at the time of property purchases. Countries where the usage of sq ft is most common include India, the US, the UK, Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Hong Kong, Liberia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Singapore.

Square yard

Larger than a sq ft, a square yard is made of 9 sq ft. The units is widely used across the globe to measure land, especially in residential real estate. In several Indian states, local governments use square yard as the standard value while fixing circle rates (in Rs per sq yard). In Haryana, for example, land rates in urban areas are fixed on a rupee per square yard basis by the state government.

Convert square yard to square feet

Square metre (sq mt)

Made of 10.76 sq ft, a square metre is also a common land measuring unit applied in India. Since square metre is a unit that measures area, these are avoided when measuring length or distance in one direction.

Check out square meter to square feet conversion

Acre

Counted among the oldest units applied across the world to measure vast tracts of land, the acre and has undergone a lot of changes along the way. Used in the imperial system of units and the US system, the modern acre is equal to 4,840 square yards, 43,560 square feet, 4,047 square metres and 0.4047 hectares. An acre could also be defined as an area one furlong long by 4 rods wide.

One acre consists of 43,560 sq ft.

Convert acre to hectare

Hectare

Hectare, a commonly used unit of the metric system that is used to measure land and plots all across the world, goes by the symbol ha. Invented in the year 1795, the term hectare is a conjunction of the Latin words area and hect. One hectare is equal to 1,07,639 sq ft.

See also: Hectare to acre conversion

Land measurement units in east India

Dhur

It is mostly used in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura and West Bengal. Dhur denotes different sizes, depending on the state where it is being used. In Bihar, it is equal to over 68 sq ft. In Tripura, it stands for 3.6 sq ft. The use of dhur is also common in Nepal.  

States where Dhur is used: UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and Tripura.

See also: Dhur to decimal calculator

Kattha

Kattha  (or Katha) also has different values, ranging between 600 and 2,800 sq ft. A standard sq ft equivalent of the unit is 719 sq ft.

States where Kattha is used: Assam, Bengal, Bihar and MP.

Katha to square feet conversion

Chatak

Aside from being commonly used in the eastern state of West Bengal in India, chatak is also equally popular across neighboring and Bangladesh, for land measurement.  Aside from chatak, the use of Katha for area measurement purpose is also quite popular in West Bengal. One Chatak is equal to 45 sq ft.

States where Chatak is used: West Bengal

Use our Chatak to katha calculator

Lecha

A Lecha denotes 144 sq ft.

States where Lecha is used: Assam

Land measurement units in north and west India

Bigha

This unit, used a wide range of states, denotes different sq ft numbers in different states.

Convert Bigha to acre

Despite its wide popularity, bigha is not used anywhere in the southern part of the country, where more localised land measurement units are in vogue.

Gaj

Quite commonly used in the northern part of India, a Gaj is made of 9 sq ft.

States where Gaj is used: Delhi, Punjab and Haryana.

Biswa

A Biswa is 1,350 sq ft.

States where Biswa is used: UP, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

Check out Biswa to square feet calculator

Killa

A Killa is equal to 43,560 sq ft of land.

States where Killa is used: Punjab and Haryana.

Kanal

A Kanal is equal to 5,445 sq ft.

States where Kanal is used: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

Check out Kanal to acre conversion

Ghumao

Also known to be an equivalent of an acre, a Ghumao consists of 43,560 sq ft.

States where Ghumao is used: Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.

Sarsai

A Sarsai is equal to 30.25 sq ft.

States where Sarsai is used: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Marla

A Marla consists of 272.25 sq ft.

States where Marla is used: Punjab and Haryana.

Use our calculator to convert Marla to acre

Land measurement units in south India

Ankanam

An Ankanam is equal to 72 sq ft.

States where Ankanam is used: Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Guntha

A Guntha stands for 1,089 sq ft.

States where Guntha is used: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Kuncham

A Kuncham is equal to 4,356 sq ft.

States where Kuncham is used: Andhra Pradesh.

Ground

A ground has 2,400 sq ft in it.

States where ground is used: Tamil Nadu.

Ground to cent conversion

Cent

A cent is equal to 435.6 sq ft.

States where cent is used: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Use the Cent to square feet calculator

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