Land Measurement Units in India: Guntha, Cent, Ground, Marla, Kanal and Acre in Sq Ft

India uses many land measurement units: an acre in one state, a guntha in another, cents in Kerala, grounds in Chennai and marlas in Punjab. Buyers comparing plots, and developers selling to buyers from other states, need to convert them quickly and correctly. This guide lists the common units with their values in square feet and where they are used.

Land units in India: quick table

Customary units can vary by district. Before a sale, confirm the area in the official land record, which is usually in hectares, acres or square metres.

Guntha

A guntha (also guntha or gunta) is 1,089 sq ft, which is 33 ft × 33 ft or 121 square yards. Forty guntha make one acre. It is the everyday unit for small agricultural and NA plots in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka, and land records in these states often show area in hectare-are (H.R.) alongside it: 1 are is 100 sq m, about 0.99 guntha.

Cent

A cent is one hundredth of an acre: 435.6 sq ft. It is used for house plots in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Karnataka. A 5-cent plot is about 2,178 sq ft; a 10-cent plot is about 4,356 sq ft.

Ground

A ground is 2,400 sq ft, the traditional plot unit in Chennai and nearby areas. A standard 60 ft × 40 ft plot is exactly one ground. One acre is about 18 grounds.

Ankanam and gaj

An ankanam is 72 sq ft (8 square yards) and is used in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Most plotted layouts in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh are sold in square yards (gaj): a 200 sq yd plot is 1,800 sq ft. In north India, a gaj is the same square yard of 9 sq ft.

Marla and kanal

In Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, land is measured in marla and kanal. In revenue records a marla is commonly 272.25 sq ft and a kanal (20 marla) is 5,445 sq ft, so 8 kanal make an acre. Many urban plots are sold with a smaller marla of 225 sq ft, so a "10 marla plot" can mean 2,250 or 2,722 sq ft. Always ask which marla is meant.

Convert any unit in seconds

Our free plot area calculator converts between these units (all except the bigha, which varies by state) and calculates the area of a plot from its sides, including plots where all four sides are different.

Tip for developers selling to buyers from other states

NRI and out-of-state buyers often think in different units from local buyers. On your price list and interactive plot map, show each plot in square feet and the local unit together, for example "1,800 sq ft (200 sq yd)". It removes a common source of confusion and back-and-forth calls.

Frequently asked questions

How many sq ft is 1 guntha?

1 guntha is 1,089 sq ft, or 101.17 square metres. 40 guntha make 1 acre.

How many sq ft is 1 cent?

1 cent is 435.6 sq ft, or one hundredth of an acre.

How many sq ft is 1 acre?

1 acre is 43,560 sq ft, 4,046.86 square metres, 4,840 square yards, 40 guntha or 100 cents.

How many acres are in 1 hectare?

1 hectare is 2.471 acres, or 10,000 square metres.

How many sq ft is 1 ground in Chennai?

1 ground is 2,400 sq ft.