Area converter
Convert between any two of 9 area units. Conversion runs in your browser.
More detailsUnits covered · Everyday area conversions · Squared units square the factor · Acres and hectares
Units covered
| Unit | Symbol | In square meters |
|---|---|---|
| Square meter | m² | 1 |
| Square kilometer | km² | 1,000,000 |
| Square centimeter | cm² | 0.0001 |
| Square mile | mi² | 2,589,988 |
| Square yard | yd² | 0.8361274 |
| Square foot | ft² | 0.09290304 |
| Square inch | in² | 0.00064516 |
| Acre | ac | 4,046.856 |
| Hectare | ha | 10,000 |
Everyday area conversions
| 1 of these | m² | km² | mi² | ft² | ac | ha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square meter | 1 | 0.000001 | 3.861022e-07 | 10.76391 | 0.0002471054 | 0.0001 |
| Square kilometer | 1,000,000 | 1 | 0.3861022 | 10,763,910 | 247.105381 | 100 |
| Square mile | 2,589,988 | 2.589988 | 1 | 27,878,400 | 640 | 258.998811 |
| Square foot | 0.09290304 | 9.290304e-08 | 3.587006e-08 | 1 | 0.00002295684 | 0.000009290304 |
| Acre | 4,046.856 | 0.004046856 | 0.0015625 | 43,560 | 1 | 0.4046856 |
| Hectare | 10,000 | 0.01 | 0.003861022 | 107,639.1 | 2.471054 | 1 |
Each row is one of that unit, given in each of the others.
Squared units square the factor
The most common error in area conversion is reusing the length factor. There are 3.28 feet in a metre, but there are 3.282 = 10.76 square feet in a square metre. The same applies throughout: a square kilometre is a million square metres, not a thousand, because the factor 1,000 is squared.
Acres and hectares
An acre was originally the area a yoke of oxen could plough in a day, which is why it is an awkward 4,046.86 m². A hectare is a clean 10,000 m², or a square 100 m on a side. The useful approximation is that a hectare is about two and a half acres — precisely, 2.471. A football pitch is close to one hectare, which makes it a workable mental yardstick for either unit.