In short
One acre is 43,560 sq ft, 4,840 sq yd, 4,046.86 m² or 0.40469 hectare, everywhere. A bigha has no national size: in official sources Payotte read, it is 14,400 sq ft in Assam, 14,400 sq ft in West Bengal, 9,074.79 sq ft in Haryana (before settlement), 27,225 sq ft in Rajasthan (Shahjahani jarib of 165 ft), 17,424 sq ft in Rajasthan (Gantari jarib of 132 ft). The same name can mean a different area in another state, and sometimes in another district or village: always check the unit used in your land record or sale deed.
Regional land units read in official sources
| Unit | State or territory | As the source states it | sq ft | m² | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| lecha | Assam | 1 lecha = 144 sq ft | 144 | 13.38 | Government of Assam |
| katha | Assam | 1 katha = 2,880 sq ft | 2,880 | 267.56 | Government of Assam |
| bigha | Assam | 1 bigha = 14,400 sq ft | 14,400 | 1,337.8 | Government of Assam |
| chatak | West Bengal | 1 chatak = 45 sq ft | 45 | 4.18 | National Informatics Centre |
| katha | West Bengal | 1 katha = 720 sq ft | 720 | 66.89 | National Informatics Centre |
| bigha | West Bengal | 1 bigha = 20 katha | 14,400 | 1,337.8 | National Informatics Centre |
| decimal | West Bengal | 1 acre = 100 decimal | 435.6 | 40.47 | National Informatics Centre |
| decimal | Odisha (agricultural and other lands) | 1 acre = 100 decimals | 435.6 | 40.47 | National Informatics Centre |
| decimal | Odisha (house site plots) | 1 decimal = 435 sq ft | 435 | 40.41 | National Informatics Centre |
| sarsai | Haryana (after settlement, karam of 66 inches) | 1 sarsai = 1 karam × 1 karam, 1 karam = 66 inches | 30.25 | 2.81 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| marla | Haryana (after settlement) | 1 marla = 9 sarsai | 272.25 | 25.29 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| kanal | Haryana (after settlement) | 1 kanal = 20 marla (8 kanal = 1 acre) | 5,445 | 505.86 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| biswansi | Haryana (before settlement, karam of 57.157 inches) | 1 biswansi = 1 karam × 1 karam, 1 karam = 57.157 inches | 22.69 | 2.11 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| biswa | Haryana (before settlement) | 1 biswa = 20 biswansi | 453.74 | 42.15 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| bigha | Haryana (before settlement) | 1 bigha = 20 biswa | 9,074.79 | 843.08 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| bigha | Rajasthan (Shahjahani jarib of 165 ft) | 1 bigha = 165 ft × 165 ft = 27,225 sq ft | 27,225 | 2,529.29 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| bigha | Rajasthan (Gantari jarib of 132 ft) | 1 bigha = 132 ft × 132 ft = 17,424 sq ft | 17,424 | 1,618.74 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| gunta | Karnataka | 40 guntas = 1 acre | 1,089 | 101.17 | LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources |
| gunta | Andhra Pradesh | 1 acre = 40 guntas | 1,089 | 101.17 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| guntha | Maharashtra (Ratnagiri district, as described in the district gazetteer) | 1 guntha = 121 sq yd (40 gunthas = 1 acre) | 1,089 | 101.17 | Maharashtra State Gazetteers |
| cent | Kerala | 1 acre = 100 cents | 435.6 | 40.47 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| cent | Tamil Nadu | 1 acre = 100 cents | 435.6 | 40.47 | Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS) |
| kanal | Jammu and Kashmir | 8 kanal = 1 acre | 5,445 | 505.86 | LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources |
| marla | Jammu and Kashmir | 20 marlas = 1 kanal | 272.25 | 25.29 | LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources |
| kanal | Ladakh | 1 kanal = 0.125 acre | 5,445 | 505.86 | LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources |
| marla | Ladakh | 1 marla = 0.05 kanal | 272.25 | 25.29 | LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources |
sq ft and m² are converted by Payotte from the statement in the third column. Haryana uses two systems: units measured after the settlement (bandobust) with a karam of 66 inches, and older records with a karam of 57.157 inches. Rajasthan's bigha depends on the jarib (chain) used, 165 ft or 132 ft. Odisha uses a slightly smaller decimal (435 sq ft) for house site plots than for agricultural land (1/100 acre, 435.6 sq ft).
Not included
- kani, ganda, Tripura: The same national document gives 1 kani = 2.5 acres and, a few lines later, 1 kani = 1.32 acres.
- bigha, kattha, dhur, Bihar: The state's revenue glossary could not be opened from outside India; it is reported to vary by region.
- ground, Tamil Nadu: The state survey department's conversion page and the text of the Urban Land Tax Act could not be opened.
- bigha, biswa, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand: No official text stating the value could be read.
- bigha, Punjab, Gujarat: No official text stating the value could be read.
- local units, Himachal Pradesh: The state's answer in the NGDRS study refers to the conversion tables of its Land Record Manual, 1992, which could not be found online.
Before you buy land or a plot
General information drawn from the official sources cited and dated on this page. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, ask a licensed professional.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44 – 2026, Appendix C, General Tables of Units of Measurement (US National Institute of Standards and Technology) (consulted 18 October 2026): “1 acre (ac) 43 560 square feet (exactly) 0.404 685 642 24 hectare (exactly) … 1 hectare (ha) 10 000 square meters (exactly)”
- Government of Assam, Assam Integrated River Basin Management Project, Resettlement Policy Framework, section 7.2 Terms (PDF p. 28) (consulted 18 October 2026): “1 Bigha (local unit of measurement) 14400 sq. feet / 1 Katha 2880 sq. feet / 1 Lecha 144 Sq. feet”; see also Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Assam, Statistical Handbook Assam 2025 (PDF p. 10): 1 acre = 3.025 bighas
- National Informatics Centre, Gap Analysis – National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS), state responses on land units (p. 32) (consulted 18 October 2026): “acre – equal to 100 decimal; bigha – equal to 20 katha; katha – equal to 1.65 decimal or 720 square feet; chatak – equal to 45 square feet … West Bengal”
- National Informatics Centre, Gap Analysis – National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS), state responses on land units (p. 32) (consulted 18 October 2026): “1 acre of land = 100 decimals (Agricultural and other lands) * 435 square feet = 1 dec (for house site plots) …. Odisha”
- Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors (API Setu, Government of India; table source: dolr.nic.in, Area unit/extent) (consulted 18 October 2026): “After Bandobust (Settlement) 1 Karam = 66” (Haryana) 1 Sarsaai = 1 Karam x 1 Karam … 9 Sarsaai = 1 Marla … 20 Marla = 1 Kanal … 8 Kanal = 1 Acre”
- Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors (API Setu, Government of India; table source: dolr.nic.in, Area unit/extent) (consulted 18 October 2026): “Before Bandobust (Settlement) 1 Karam = 57.157” (Haryana) 1 Biswansi = 1 Karam x 1 Karam … 20 Biswansi = 1 Biswa … 1 Bigha = 20 Biswa … 4 Bigha-16 Biswa = 1 Acre”
- Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors (API Setu, Government of India; table source: dolr.nic.in, Area unit/extent) (consulted 18 October 2026): “Shahjahani Jarib(165 feet) (Rajasthan) 1 Bigha = … 27225 Square Feet … Gantari Jarib(132 feet) (Rajasthan) 1 Bigha = … 17424 Square Feet”
- LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources, Evaluation of Quality of Land Records – Karnataka (PDF p. 10) (consulted 18 October 2026): “40 guntas = 1 acre”
- Metadata and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors (API Setu, Government of India; table source: dolr.nic.in, Area unit/extent) (consulted 18 October 2026): “1 Acre = 100 cents (Kerala,Tamil nadu) … 1 Acre = 40 Guntas(Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka)”
- Maharashtra State Gazetteers, Ratnagiri District, Land revenue administration (Survey) (consulted 18 October 2026): “the guntha (121 square yards), i.e., the square formed by 1 chain or 11 yards), 40 gunthas making an acre”
- LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources, Quality of Land Records – Jammu & Kashmir Report (PDF p. 11) (consulted 18 October 2026): “20 Marlas = 01 Kanals, 08 Kanal =01 Acre are the land units used in the RoR/Jamabandi for land area.”
- LBSNAA for the Department of Land Resources, Quality of Land Records – Ladakh (PDF p. 9) (consulted 18 October 2026): “1 Kanal is 0.125 Acre and 1 Marla is 0.05 Kanal”