Marla to Square Feet Conversion Made Easy For You!

A Guide for Marla to Square Feet Conversion

History of Measuring System 

The history of the measurement system dates back to the beginning of the Indus Valley Civilization, around the fifth millennium BC.

The Maurya Empire (322-185 BC) formulated the rules for using the complex system of weights and measures, but later it was the Mughal Empire that began to use these measures to determine land ownership and collect taxes on land as part of Mughal land reforms.

The adoption of different units of weights and measures is applied when measuring lands depending on the region. The system is widely reflected in architecture, people and artifacts.

The standardized measurement of 1 Marla = 272.25 square feet, but many housing schemes currently consider three Marla measurements in Pakistan mentioned below.

Who Started the System of Measuring Land?

Several land reforms were introduced during the Mughal Empire on the subcontinent. Akbar the Great (1556-1605) was the one who took the liberty of imposing standardized units of weights and systems of measurement during his reign.

At that time, the units in use were called Gaz and Bigha. Gaz equals 3 feet and Bigha equals 2420 square ghaz. Bamboo canes with iron joints were used to measure the ground. The weight and size of the land determined people’s land income. 

British units of measurement were first adopted in India by the East India Company on October 1, 1958.

Defining the Basic Units of Measurements 

Marla

A part of 160 acres is basically known as marla, the square feet area for one marla is 272.25. One Marla also equates to 30.25 square yards or approximately 25.2929 square meters. About 20 marla make up a canal which equates to 5445 square feet of an area.

The use of the marla as a unit of land measurement is not only common in Pakistan but also in Bangladesh. The unit, on the other hand, is made up of various dimensions in India and Pakistan.

To better understand the Pakistani real estate market, let us know what the units mean before buying a property in Pakistan.

Square Feet

A square foot is a unit of measurement equal to a square with the length of one foot.

The symbol for square feet is ft2.

Square Meters

As the name says, square meters mean a square whose each side is a meter each. This unit is generally used for measuring houses, rooms, etc.

The symbol for square meters is m2.

Square Yards

Square Yards is rarely used but it means the same as ‘gazz’. You must have heard this term many times while shopping for clothes. It is similar to square feet. Gazz is used to express plot sizes in Karachi.

Kanal

The northern side of Pakistan mostly uses Kanal for measuring land. To make it easy to understand, a 20 marla land equals 1 Kanal. Find 1 kanal houses in Islamabad

Acres

Acres used the most in the US and UK equate to 4,840 square yards or 4,047 square meters.

Murabba

Murabba is a very unique unit as such that it does not define a particular area but a certain dimension. 25 acres of land is called a murabba, the term has been in use since the British rule. Get to know how land is transferred in Pakistan.

Hectare

Hectare is sometimes mixed with acres, but it is a square with four sides equal to 100 meters. 1 hectare is almost 2.5 acres.

Measuring Units for Land in Pakistan

Note that the standard units of measure used for farms or agriculture are different from those used for housing. We know that people are sometimes confused with both, so the list below represents all units used for housing. 

Marla is the most common land unit used in most areas of Pakistan. Under British rule, Marla had a standard unit of measurement equivalent to 272.25 square feet or 30.25 square yards. 

But at present, three different measurements are used for Pakistani house plant packages. In larger cities like Lahore, Islamabad, etc. Marla is smaller and equals 225 square feet. However, it now has three different dimensions; 272.25 square feet, 250 square feet and 225 square feet. The yard called Gaz in Urdu is also used to measure plots.

• 9 Karm = 1 Marla = 272.25 Sq. ft = 30.25 Sq. yard 

• 20 Marlas = 1 Kanal = 5,445 sq. ft = 605 sq. Yard 

• 4 Kanals = 1 Bigha = 21,780 sq. ft = 2420 sq. Yard

• 2 Bighas = 8 Kanals = 1 Acre = 43,560 sq. ft = 4840 sq. Yard 

• 9 Kanals = 1 Killa = 48,400 sq. ft = 5377.78 sq. Yard 

• 2.5 Acres = 1 Hectare = 107639 sq. ft = 11959.89 sq. Yard 

• 25 Acres = 1 Murabba = 10.11 Hectares

Note: 3 feet equals to 1 yard. The unit is most used in the Indo-Pak subcontinent.

Calculating 1 Marla = 272.25 sq. ft

 Calculating 1 Marla = 250 sq. ft

 Calculating 1 Marla = 225 sq. ft

 Some of the Commonly Asked Questions

Converting 1125 sq feet apartment is equal to 5 marla 

Converting 2250 sq feet house is equal to 9 marla

Converting 1300 sq feet apartment and the house is equal to 4.7 marla

Converting 1200 sq feet apartment is equal to 4.40 marla

If you want to measure the size of the land yourself, you can do this by multiplying the length by the width, the total obtained will be the square feet of the property. From there, you can determine the acreage by dividing the square footage by 43,560, which will give you the actual square footage in one acre. 

However, calculating it yourself can be confusing and difficult. It can be more boring if the land has a strange shape, so there is a different equation for each variant of shape.

Prior to construction, a geotechnical survey of the terrain should be conducted which will establish all factors important for budgetary considerations, such as the cost of a rock breaker for excavation. 

Alternatively, if the soil is too soft or there is a natural spring or aquifer, you will also need to look for additional costs to drill the foundation through this to stabilize the soil ground.

Keep following Landster Blog, the country’s #1 property blog and stay up-to-date with the top real estate trends in Pakistan.