Area Converter
Convert between square meters, hectares, acres, square feet, square yards, and more.
Conversions run locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded or stored.
About Area Units
This converter handles ten units used worldwide for measuring surface area: from tiny square millimeters for engineering components to vast square miles for geographic regions. Select your starting unit, enter a value, choose your target format, and read the converted result immediately.
Unit Comparison Table
| Unit | Abbreviation | Equals (in m²) | Commonly Used In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Millimeter | mm² | 0.000001 | Engineering drawings, microchips |
| Square Centimeter | cm² | 0.0001 | Paper sizes, small objects |
| Square Meter | m² | 1 | Floor plans, rooms, construction (most countries) |
| Hectare | ha | 10,000 | Agriculture, land measurement (Europe, Australia) |
| Square Kilometer | km² | 1,000,000 | Cities, countries, large geographic areas |
| Square Inch | in² | 0.000645 | Small screens, displays (US) |
| Square Foot | ft² | 0.0929 | Real estate, interior design, flooring (US/UK) |
| Square Yard | yd² | 0.836 | Textiles, carpeting, landscaping (US/UK) |
| Acre | ac | 4,047 | Farms, plots, land sales (US/UK) |
| Square Mile | mi² | 2,589,988 | Cities, counties, large land areas (US/UK) |
When to Use Each Unit
- Square Millimeters/Centimeters: Measuring cross-sections of wires, pipes, electronic components, or paper thickness where precision matters
- Square Meters: Calculating room size for paint/flooring, property listings in most countries, solar panel sizing for roofs
- Hectares: Farm and forest management, vineyard planning, land registry documents outside the US
- Square Kilometers: Comparing city sizes, measuring lakes or forests, calculating population density
- Square Feet/Yards: US real estate listings, carpet installation quotes, garden landscaping estimates, fabric requirements
- Acres: Agricultural land purchases, rural property boundaries, comparing farm sizes, US/UK land surveys
- Square Miles: County or state comparisons, large wilderness areas, ocean surface measurements
Frequently Asked Questions
How many square feet are in an acre?
One acre contains exactly 43,560 square feet. To visualize it, think of a football field (including end zones) — that's roughly 1.32 acres or about 57,600 square feet.
What's the difference between a hectare and an acre?
A hectare is a metric unit equal to 10,000 m² (the area of a 100m × 100m square). An acre is an imperial unit equal to about 4,047 m². One hectare equals approximately 2.471 acres. Most of the world uses hectares for land; the US uses acres.
How do I convert square meters to square feet for a floor plan?
Multiply the m² value by 10.764. For example, a 30 m² living room equals about 323 ft². Alternatively, use this tool by selecting Square Meter as source and Square Foot as target — the result updates instantly as you type.
Which unit do architects use in different countries?
The US construction industry primarily uses square feet for residential projects and sometimes acres for commercial sites. The UK officially uses metric (square meters) but many older buildings are still described in square feet. Europe, Asia, and most of the rest of the world use square meters exclusively.
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