Indian land measurement units explained

A practical guide to the customary land units used across India — what each one means, where it's used, and how it converts to square feet.

Last updated: 19 May 2026

India never fully standardised its land measurement vocabulary. Walk into a sub-registrar's office in Bengaluru and you will hear about guntha and cent. Walk into one in Chandigarh and you will hear about marla and kanal. Walk into one in Patna and you will hear about katha and dhur. Each is a customary unit with a defined value in square feet — but only within its own region.

This guide collects the units, the regions where they are used, and their conversion to square feet (the unit Indian buyers most often compare against).

International units used across India

These have a single, identical value everywhere.

Square foot (sqft, ft²) — the universal small unit.
Square metre (sqm, m²) — 10.7639 sqft. Used in builder brochures and apartment registries.
Square yard (sq-yard, gaj, gajam) — exactly 9 sqft. Called gaj in Hindi-speaking states, gajam in Telugu and Tamil. Plot sizes in Delhi NCR are often quoted in gaj.
Acre — 43,560 sqft. The universal large unit.
Hectare — 107,639 sqft, i.e. 2.471 acres or 10,000 sqm.

Pan-India customary units

These are Indian-origin units with a single, consistent value across the country, though usage is concentrated in certain regions.

Guntha (guṇṭha) — 1,089 sqft. Exactly 1/40 of an acre. Customary in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. 40 guntha = 1 acre.
Cent — 435.6 sqft. Exactly 1/100 of an acre. Customary in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, parts of Andhra and Karnataka. 100 cent = 1 acre.
Dismil (decimal) — 435.6 sqft. Numerically identical to cent. Used in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha.
Ground — 2,400 sqft. The customary plot unit in Tamil Nadu, especially Chennai.

State-specific units

These are the units that vary by state — same word, different sqft equivalent depending on where you are.

Bigha

The most state-variable Indian unit. See the full bigha guide for the background — quick reference:

MP — 27,225 sqft
UP — 27,000 sqft
Bihar — 27,220 sqft
Rajasthan (pucca) — 27,225 sqft; (kachha) — 12,600 sqft
Gujarat — 17,427 sqft
West Bengal — 14,400 sqft
Assam — 14,400 sqft
Himachal Pradesh — typically 8,712 sqft

Biswa

Typically 1/20 of a bigha — so the value follows the local bigha size.

UP biswa — 1,350 sqft (1/20 × 27,000)
MP biswa — 1,361.25 sqft (1/20 × 27,225)

Katha

Usually 1/20 of a bigha, with significant regional variation:

WB katha — 720 sqft (1/20 × 14,400)
Assam katha — 2,880 sqft (1/5 × 14,400 — Assam uses 5 katha per bigha)
Bihar katha — typically 1,361 sqft (1/20 × 27,220)
Tripura katha — typically 720 sqft

Because katha is so state-variable, Settelo does not currently offer a katha converter — better to omit a unit than to ship a wrong number. Always confirm against the local revenue record.

Marla and Kanal (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh)

Marla — 272.25 sqft (standard land-records value).
Kanal — 5,445 sqft, i.e. 20 marla.

Some districts historically used a smaller marla (~225 sqft); the standard land-records value today is 272.25 sqft. 8 kanal makes one acre.

Dhur (Bihar, Jharkhand)

1/20 of a katha — approximately 68 sqft. The smallest customary unit in regular use in Bihar revenue records.

How to read a sale deed that mixes units

Indian sale deeds often state the area twice: once in customary units ("1 bigha 5 biswa 12 dhur") and once in square metres for the registry index. If the two do not match exactly when converted, the customary value in the body of the deed governs — but the registered area in the Bhulekh portal is what the sub-registrar will use to compute stamp duty. A mismatch should be resolved with the seller before signing.

Use the converter

The Settelo Plot Area Converter covers all the units above, with state-specific values where they apply. Pick your state first; only the units used in that state are offered.