What this calculator does
Change an area from one unit to another, such as square feet to square meters or acres to hectares. Area units are squares built from length units. So every area factor comes from multiplying a length factor by itself. One inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters. That makes one square inch exactly 6.4516 square centimeters. And one square foot is exactly 0.09290304 square meters. Land units like the acre and the hectare are built from those same pieces.
Enter an area and choose the units. The converter gives the result and shows the working, which passes through square meters. It also shows a table of the same area in all ten units. It's handy for comparing floor plans, property listings and land sizes given in different systems.
Where it's used
Why this math matters outside the classroom:
- Floor plans. A 50 m² apartment is about 538 ft², a conversion renters make when comparing listings from different countries.
- Land. A 2.5 hectare plot is 25,000 m², or about 6.18 acres.
- Maps. Geography students convert a 100 km² national park to about 38.6 square miles.
- Squared factors. Because 1 ft = 12 in, a square foot is 12 × 12 = 144 square inches, not 12.
- Sheet materials. A 4 × 8 ft sheet of plywood covers 32 ft², which is about 2.97 m².
Grade level and standards: Grades 6–7; Common Core State Standards for Mathematics 6.RP.A.3.d. © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
How to use it
- Enter the area. Zero and decimals are fine, but negative areas aren't allowed.
- Choose the unit you're converting from and the unit you want.
- Read the result, or use the table to compare the area in every unit at once.
What the inputs mean
- Area
- The area to convert, in the “From” unit. If you have a length and width instead, use the area or square footage calculator first.
- From
- The unit your number is in.
- To
- The unit you want the answer in.
Formula and method
result = value × (from-unit in m²) ÷ (to-unit in m²) 1 ft² = 0.3048² m² = 0.09290304 m² 1 acre = 43,560 ft² = 4,046.8564224 m² 1 hectare = 10,000 m²; 1 km² = 100 hectares 1 mi² = 640 acres = 2,589,988.110336 m²
The calculator stores each unit as its exact size in square meters (m²). The small ² means "square", so 0.3048² is 0.3048 times itself. To convert, it multiplies your value by the from-unit's size to get square meters. Then it divides by the to-unit's size.
A common trap is using a length factor on an area. There are 3 feet in a yard, but 9 square feet in a square yard. That's because both sides of the square get bigger. The factors here are already squared, so you can convert directly.
Worked example
A home listing gives 2,000 square feet. What is that in square meters?
- 1 ft² = 0.09290304 m².
- 2,000 × 0.09290304 = 185.80608 m².
Result: 2,000 ft² is exactly 185.80608 m², about 186 square meters.
Understanding the result
Some handy rough guides: a square meter is about 10.76 square feet. A hectare is about 2.47 acres, and an acre is about 0.405 hectares.
An acre is a fixed area, not a fixed shape. Any plot of 43,560 square feet is an acre, whether it's square, long and narrow, or oddly shaped.
Assumptions and limitations
- Inches, feet, yards and miles use the international definitions agreed in 1959.
- The acre is the international acre of 43,560 square feet.
- The US survey acre, an older version that differs by about 4 parts per million, isn't offered.
- Regional land units such as the are, cent, bigha or katha aren't included.
- It converts an area you already know. It doesn't measure an area or work one out from a length and width.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in a square meter?
About 10.7639. The exact figure is 1 ÷ 0.09290304, and its decimals never end. So it's usually rounded to 10.76.
How big is an acre?
An acre is 43,560 square feet, or about 4,047 square meters. That's roughly three-quarters of an American football field, counting the end zones. It's also a square about 208.7 feet on each side.
Why is a square yard 9 square feet and not 3?
A square yard is 1 yard by 1 yard, which is 3 feet by 3 feet. Multiplying the two sides gives 9 square feet. An area factor is always the length factor times itself.
What is the difference between a hectare and a square kilometer?
A hectare is 100 m × 100 m, or 10,000 m². A square kilometer is 1,000 m × 1,000 m, which is 100 hectares.
Is there a page for a single pair, such as acres to hectares?
Yes. Three common land and floor-area pairs have their own pages with a reference table: acres to hectares, square feet to square meters, and acres to square feet. Each converts in both directions.
How this calculator is checked
Method: Squares of the 1959 international length definitions (1 in = 0.0254 m); international acre = 43,560 ft²; hectare = 10⁴ m². The calculation is covered by automated tests with known reference values and edge cases. Last updated 2026-10-18. Found a problem? Tell us.
Embed this calculator
Put this Area Converter on your own website or blog for free. Paste this code where you want it to appear: