Free calculator
Plot area calculator
Work out the area of a plot from its sides, whether it is a rectangle, a four-sided plot whose corners are off square, or a triangle, measured in feet, karam or metres, and see it in sq ft, square yards, marla and kanal.
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Calculator
Measure your plot
Choose the shape, give the sides as you measured them, and add a diagonal if the plot is not a rectangle.
Area of the plot
- Square feet
- 2,278.75
- Square yards
- 253.19
- Square metres
- 211.7
- Kanal
- 0.506of 4,500 sq ft
In marla
- Marla of 225 sq ftMost housing schemes
- 10.13 marla
- Marla of 272.25 sq ftRevenue measure
- 8.37 marla
The average of opposite sides would give 2,323.75 sq ft (10.33 marla), 45 sq ft or 2% more than the true area.
Measurements
- Perimeter
- 201.5 ft
- CornersFront left, front right, back right, back left
- 90.1°, 90°, 74.1°, 105.8°
- Front right to back leftMeasure it to check: the tape should read about this
- 69.53 ft
A plot's official size is the one its society or the land record gives, from their own demarcation. Measure along the boundary line, not the face of a wall, which may stand inside it.
Reference
How far off the average of the sides can be
Four plots of about 10 marla, each worked out exactly from four sides and a diagonal, and by the average of opposite sides.
| Plot | Sides (ft) | True area | Average of sides | Too high by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rectangle | 35, 65, 35, 65 | 2,275 | 2,275 | Exact |
| Narrower at the back | 40, 65.2, 30, 65.2 | 2,275 | 2,281.72 | 6.72 sq ft, 0.3% |
| Back boundary at an angle | 35, 70, 36.4, 60 | 2,275 | 2,320.52 | 45.52 sq ft, 2% |
| Leaning over, corners of 75° and 105° | 35, 65, 35, 65 | 2,197.48 | 2,275 | 77.52 sq ft, 3.5% |
The average of opposite sides matches a rectangle and overstates every other shape. The further the corners are from square, the more it adds.
Reference
Karam to feet
The revenue karam is 5.5 ft, 66 inches. Lengths in land records and on the shajra are given in karam.
| Karam | Feet | Feet and inches | Metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 karam | 5.5 | 5 ft 6 in | 1.68 |
| 2 karam | 11 | 11 ft | 3.35 |
| 3 karam | 16.5 | 16 ft 6 in | 5.03 |
| 4 karam | 22 | 22 ft | 6.71 |
| 5 karam | 27.5 | 27 ft 6 in | 8.38 |
| 6 karam | 33 | 33 ft | 10.06 |
| 8 karam | 44 | 44 ft | 13.41 |
| 10 karam | 55 | 55 ft | 16.76 |
| 12 karam | 66 | 66 ft | 20.12 |
| 15 karam | 82.5 | 82 ft 6 in | 25.15 |
| 18 karam | 99 | 99 ft | 30.18 |
| 20 karam | 110 | 110 ft | 33.53 |
| 25 karam | 137.5 | 137 ft 6 in | 41.91 |
| 36 karam | 198 | 198 ft | 60.35 |
| 40 karam | 220 | 220 ft | 67.06 |
A square karam, a sarsai, is 30.25 sq ft, and 9 make a marla of 272.25 sq ft. A killa of 36 × 40 karam (198 × 220 ft) is an acre. Some older local karams were a little shorter, so go by the one your record uses.
How it is worked out
From the sides to the area
A rectangle is its width times its depth: a 35 × 65 ft plot is 2,275 sq ft, which is 10.11 marla where a marla is 225 sq ft. Divide the square feet by the marla your papers use, 225 sq ft in most housing schemes or 272.25 sq ft in the revenue measure, and the marla by 20 for kanal.
A plot whose corners are not square cannot be worked out from its four sides alone, because the same four sides can lean over, like a door frame pushed out of square, and hold less ground. One diagonal, from a front corner to the opposite back corner, fixes the shape. It splits the plot into two triangles whose three sides are all known, and a triangle's area follows exactly from its sides by Heron's formula: take s, half the sum of the three sides, and the area is the square root of s × (s − a) × (s − b) × (s − c). The two triangles added together are the plot.
Land records and many dealers multiply the average of the front and back by the average of the two sides instead. That is exact for a rectangle, and for any other shape it gives more than the true area, never less. On the example the calculator opens with, a 35 ft front, 70 ft right side, 36 ft 6 in back and 60 ft left side, it gives 2,323.75 sq ft against a true 2,278.75 sq ft: 45 sq ft, or 2%, too much.
A triangular plot is worked out the same way, straight from its three sides. A plot with five or more sides is split into triangles by diagonals drawn from one corner; work out each triangle here and add them. The calculator also gives each corner's angle and what the second diagonal should measure, so a mistaken reading shows up before it reaches a sale deed.
On the ground
How to measure a plot
Five steps with a steel tape, and a second person to hold the other end.
Find the true corners
Start from the corner marks the society or the revenue staff set out, or the boundary pillars. A neighbour's wall can stand inside or outside the line.
Measure the four sides
Pull the tape tight and level along each boundary, corner to corner, and write each side down as you stand on the road facing the plot: front, back, left and right.
Measure one diagonal
From a front corner to the opposite back corner. Four sides and a diagonal fix the plot's shape, which four sides alone do not.
Check with the other diagonal
The calculator gives what the other diagonal should measure. If the tape agrees to within a few inches, the measurements are sound; if not, measure again.
Use the marla on your papers
Choose 225 sq ft for most housing schemes or 272.25 sq ft for land in the revenue record, and compare the answer with the allotment letter, the transfer papers or the fard.
Land records
Terms you will meet
The words used for measuring land in the revenue record and on the ground.
- Karam
- The patwari's unit of length, 5.5 ft or 66 inches in the revenue measure. Field sides in the land record are given in karam.
- Sarsai
- A square karam, 5.5 × 5.5 ft, which is 30.25 sq ft. 9 sarsai make a revenue marla of 272.25 sq ft.
- Shajra kishtwar
- The patwari's map of a village's fields, each numbered and drawn with the length of its sides in karam. A copy of the part that shows your land is called an aks shajra.
- Khasra number
- The number of a field in the land record and on the shajra. A holding can take in several khasras, or part of one.
- Fard
- An extract from the land record for a holding, giving its owners and its area in kanal and marla. Ask the patwari or the land record centre for a current one.
- Nishandehi
- Demarcation: the revenue staff mark a holding's boundaries on the ground from the record, on application. In a housing scheme the society marks out a plot when it hands it over.
Questions
Plot area questions
Still have a question?
Ask our team during Pakistan business hours, in English or Urdu.
+92 333 2466662Chat on WhatsAppHow do I calculate the area of an irregular plot?
Measure all four sides and one diagonal, from a front corner to the opposite back corner. The diagonal splits the plot into two triangles whose sides are all known; each triangle's area follows from its sides by Heron's formula, and the two together are the plot. A plot with a 35 ft front, 70 ft right side, 36 ft 6 in back and 60 ft left side, and a 78 ft 3 in diagonal, is 2,278.75 sq ft, 10.13 marla at 225 sq ft a marla.
How do I calculate the area of land in marla?
Work out the area in square feet, then divide by the marla your papers use: 225 sq ft in most housing schemes, 272.25 sq ft in the revenue measure. A 35 × 65 ft plot is 2,275 sq ft, which is 10.11 marla in a scheme and 8.36 marla in the revenue measure. Divide the marla by 20 for kanal.
How many feet are in a karam?
5.5 ft, or 66 inches, in the revenue measure land records use, which is 1.676 m. So 10 karam is 55 ft and 18 karam is 99 ft. A square karam is 30.25 sq ft, 9 of them make a marla of 272.25 sq ft, and a killa of 36 × 40 karam is an acre.
Is the average of opposite sides method accurate?
Only for a rectangle. It multiplies the average of the front and back by the average of the two sides, which assumes every corner is square, and for any other shape it gives more than the true area, never less. On a plot whose back runs at an angle it is 2% too high; on a plot leaning over, with corners of 75° and 105°, 3.5%. Measure one diagonal and the answer is exact.
How do I find the area of a triangular plot?
From its three sides by Heron's formula: add the sides and halve the total to get s, multiply s by s less each side in turn, and take the square root. A plot with sides of 80, 70 and 50 ft has s = 100 and an area of √(100 × 20 × 30 × 50) = 1,732.05 sq ft, 7.7 marla. The longest side must be shorter than the other two together, or the sides cannot meet.
How do I work out a plot with more than four sides?
Split it into triangles with diagonals drawn from one corner, measure every side and diagonal, then work out each triangle here and add the areas. A five-sided plot makes three triangles and a six-sided plot four.
Why does my plot not measure the size on its papers?
Plots are sold by a nominal size and laid out in whole feet, so a 10 marla plot of 35 × 65 ft is 2,275 sq ft, not 2,250 sq ft. Check the marla too: the same 2,275 sq ft is 10.11 marla at 225 sq ft and 8.36 marla at 272.25. If it is still short, ask the society or the revenue office for a demarcation, which is the official measure.
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