Area is where unit conversion quietly goes wrong, because the factors are not the ones you already know. If a metre is 3.28 feet, a square metre is not 3.28 square feet — it is 10.76, because the factor gets squared along with the unit.
What the Area Converter does
Converts between metric and imperial area units using exact squared factors. A square foot is 0.09290304 m² — which is 0.3048 squared, not 0.3048.
Includes the two units land is actually traded in: the hectare at exactly 10,000 m², and the acre at 4046.8564224 m². An acre is roughly 0.405 hectares, which is not a round number in either direction.
Open the Area Converter and follow the settings and checks below.
Exact factors, in square metres
| Setting | What it means |
|---|---|
| km² | 1,000,000 |
| Hectare | 10,000 — a square 100 m on each side |
| Acre | 4046.8564224 |
| ft² | 0.09290304 — that is 0.3048² |
| yd² | 0.83612736 — that is 0.9144² |
| mi² | 2,589,988.11 |
| cm² | 0.0001 |
| Acres per hectare | About 2.471 |
How to use it
- Enter the area.
- Pick the units.
- Read the result — every unit is shown together.
Practical advice
Never convert an area by applying a length factor. Doubling the sides of a room quadruples its floor area, and the same relationship applies to units: the length factor must be squared. This is the single commonest error in flooring, paint and land-area estimates, and it is always wrong by a factor of the conversion itself.
Common questions
Why is a square foot 0.0929 m² and not 0.3048?
Because area is two-dimensional. A foot is 0.3048 m, and 0.3048 × 0.3048 = 0.09290304. Using the length factor for an area gives an answer wrong by a factor of about 3.28.
How many acres in a hectare?
About 2.471. A hectare is exactly 10,000 m² — a neat square 100 m a side — while an acre is a historical unit at 4046.8564224 m², so the ratio is deliberately not round.
Where did the acre come from?
Traditionally the area one man with one ox could plough in a day, which is why it is 4840 square yards rather than anything tidy. It survives in land dealings in the US, UK and Ireland.
Which unit should I use for land?
Follow local convention: hectares in most of the world, acres in the US, and both in the UK and Ireland where deeds may use either. Converting between them is exactly what this is for.
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Vootkit provides a browser calculator and educational guidance. Results depend on the values and units you enter, so verify important financial, academic, safety or professional decisions with an appropriate authoritative source.
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