Land Area Converter

This page converts a land area between acres, hectares, square feet, square metres and square miles, and shows the result against familiar benchmarks so the number means something.

If you have dimensions rather than an area, work it out first, then convert here.

• Rectangle: Area = Length × Width
• Triangle: Area = (Base × Height) ÷ 2
• L-shape or similar: split it into rectangles, do each one, add them up
• Irregular parcel: surveyors use the coordinate (shoelace) formula on GPS or survey points. If your lot has five sides and no right angles, the number on the plat or deed is more reliable than anything you can pace out.

A caution on deed acreage: older descriptions were measured with chains and are frequently off by a few percent. Where the exact figure matters, for a boundary dispute or a subdivision, the survey is the authority and the deed is a historical claim.

Unit conversions:

• 1 acre = 43,560 square feet
• 1 acre = 4,047 square meters
• 1 hectare = 10,000 square meters = 2.471 acres
• 1 square mile = 640 acres

Worked example: A rectangular lot is 120 ft wide × 180 ft deep. Area = 120 × 180 = 21,600 sq ft In acres: 21,600 ÷ 43,560 = 0.496 acres (about half an acre)

Visual size benchmarks:

Lot coverage ratio: Many zoning codes specify a maximum lot coverage ratio: the percentage of the lot that can be covered by buildings. Enter yours above and the calculator returns the largest footprint allowed.

Coverage % = (Building Footprint ÷ Total Lot Area) × 100

If a zoning rule allows 40% coverage on a 0.5-acre lot: Max Building Footprint = 0.40 × 21,780 sq ft = 8,712 sq ft

Read your local code before trusting that figure. Jurisdictions differ on whether driveways, patios, decks, pools and detached garages count toward coverage, and some run a separate “impervious surface” limit that catches the paving even when the coverage rule does not.