Purchasing a property is always a promising prospect. But, the real estate jargons, especially concerning land measurement units in India, can be confusing. The issue amplifies if an individual is not familiar with the local measurement units.

In India, there are several units used to measure land, from globally-accepted ones like a square foot, square yards or Gaj, hectares, and acre to local units like Bigha, Biswa, Chatak, and Guntha. Although an individual can easily turn to a calculator to convert hectares to acres, learning these units – both international and local – in detail can help aspiring homeowners or property sellers in undertaking a simple and informed decision about their endeavours.

A brief about global land measurements units

Here are a few global units of measurement followed in India to denote property areas –

1. Square foot – As per RERA guidelines, every realtor in India is supposed to specify a property’s area in sq. ft. It’s equal to 0.990304 sq. m. and 0.11 sq. yard.
2. Square metre – It is also a common land measurement unit, and is equal to 10.76 sq. ft.
3. Square yard – It denotes 9 sq. ft. Several state governments in India, like Haryana, use sq. yard as the standard unit when specifying the price of any property or piece of land.
4. Hectare – Denoted by ha, it is a common measuring unit used in India for large plots of land, especially ones committed to agriculture. One hectare is equal to 10,000 sq. m. or 107639 sq. ft. If you convert ha to ac or acres, it’s 1 ha = 2.4971 ac.
5. Acre – It is one of the oldest land measuring units, both globally and in India. An acre is mostly used in case of vast plots of land, especially agricultural. One acre is equal to 43560 sq. ft., 4840 sq. yards, and 4047 sq. m. If you convert an acre to a hectare, 1 ac = 0.4047 hectares.

The international measuring units are one of the first things you shall know before applying for a loan against property. That way, you can gauge the loan amount you are eligible to avail against your property’s value.

Local land measuring units in India

Although, international units mostly denote the area of a property in documents, understanding the local jargon can help you deal more soundly with realtors.

The units used predominantly vary with states and regions, and a similar-termed unit can refer to different land sizes based on the location.

Here’s a list of the local units and how they measure to the globally-followed metrics –

• Bigha

Individuals in Uttarakhand and some parts of Himachal Pradesh use Bigha as a measuring unit. It denotes 968 sq. yard or 8712 sq. foot.

• Bigha-Pucca

It’s a larger unit than Bigha and is equal to 3025 sq. yard or 27225 sq. feet. In terms of a hectare, 1 Bigha-Pucca = 0.2529 ha. If you convert hectares to acres, 1 Bigha-Pucca is approximately 0.625 acres. This unit is used in Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and a few parts of UP.

• Biswanasi

It is a smaller unit of Biswa, where 1 Biswa = 20 Biswanasis. When converted to international standards, 1 Biswa = 48.4 square yard. Individuals in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, UP, Haryana, and Punjab, use Biswa and Biswanasi.

• Cent

Cent is used in most of South India, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. 1 Cent is equal to 435.6 sq. ft. or 0.00405 hectares. If you consider ha to ac, it’s 0.009999 acres.

• Khatta

Popularly used in West Bengal, Bihar, and Assam, Khatta refers to different land areas across these states. In Bengal, 1 Khatta = 720 sq. ft. or 1/20th of a Bigha. It’s equal to 2880 sq. ft. in Assam and 1361.25 sq. ft. in Bihar.

In case you are planning to purchase or sell a property in any of these regions, learning these units, both international and local, is indispensable. It’s equally important if you’re opting for a property loan since that allows you to compare lenders’ offers aptly.

However, you must also look for additional features offered by reputed financial institutions, including pre-approved offers. These offers minimise the time and complications involved in availing a loan and apply to a host of products like loan against property and home loan. You can provide your name and phone number to check your pre-approved offer.

This financing option allows you to leverage the equity of your land or property, and you can use a loan against property to address any number of financial obligations.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to know the land measurement units, which can help you to navigate across varying metric systems followed by realtors and lending institutions. To be on the safe, ensure to use a calculator to convert hectares to acres or any other units.