Gaj vs Sq Yard vs Sq Ft: Land Units (2026)

How the units relate

A yard is three feet. A square yard is a square three feet on each side, so it holds 3 x 3 = 9 square feet. Gaj is the Hindi and Urdu word for yard. In property use in North India, "gaj" means square yard, so 1 gaj = 1 square yard = 9 square feet. A square metre is about 1.196 square yards and 10.764 square feet, and a square yard is about 0.8361 square metre.

These are definitions, not local customs, so they hold in every state.

Conversion table

Hectare equals 2.471 acres. Figures are rounded to the digits shown.

Why gaj gets confused

The word gaj can also mean a measuring length in older usage, and a yard stick is a gaj. In land sales, though, a plot "of 100 gaj" is a plot of 100 square yards. The confusion arises when a speaker means 100 yards by length. If a figure sounds too large or too small, ask whether it is length or area.

Which unit is used where

• Gaj / square yard: residential plots in Delhi NCR, parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. See gaj in Delhi NCR.
• Square foot: built-up and super area of flats, and sometimes plot size in southern states.
• Square metre: authority allotments, master plans and many official records.
• Acre and hectare: larger agricultural land.

Local units are different

Bigha, biswa, kanal, marla, killa, nali and similar units vary and are not covered by these fixed numbers unless a record defines them. See land measurement units in India, bigha size by state and what is biswa. A marla or a kanal may be given in square feet by some sources, but we could not confirm a single official value, so see kanal and marla in Haryana and Punjab.

Common mistakes

• Treating 1 gaj as 10 square feet, or as 9.5.
• Confusing square metres with square yards. They differ by about 20 per cent.
• Comparing plot rate per gaj with flat rate per square foot without adjusting for built-up area.
• Quoting a covered area for a plot.
• Using the length meaning of gaj in an area calculation.

Worked examples

A 250 gaj plot is 250 x 9 = 2,250 square feet and 250 x 0.8361 = about 209 square metres. A 400 square metre plot is 400 / 0.8361 = about 478 gaj. A rate of 50,000 per gaj converts to 50,000 / 9 = about 5,556 per square foot of land. These show the method only, and the rates are invented for illustration.

Comparing rates fairly

To compare two offers, put both on the same basis, such as price per square yard of land. Compare with the official circle rate, stated in the unit used by the state. See circle rate versus market rate. Remember that a rate per square foot of built-up area is a different measure from a rate per square foot of land.

Buyer checklist

1. Ask the unit for every number you hear: length or area, gaj or square foot.
2. Take the area from the title document and the survey map.
3. Convert with the factors above and recheck.
4. Match the area on site with a tape or surveyor.
5. State the area in fixed units in the sale deed. See sale deed guide and land due diligence checklist.

Land area versus built-up area

Square feet is the unit people use for flats and houses, and it is also used for land. The same number means different things. A 1,800 square foot plot is land. A 1,800 square foot flat is a covered area that includes walls and may include a share of common areas. When comparing a plot with a flat, convert the plot to square feet of land and compare the cost of land and construction separately. Land has no built-up area until something is built on it, and the floor area you may build depends on local rules, so see how to read a master plan and land use zones explained.

For farmhouse buyers, the permitted built-up share of an agricultural plot is set by state or authority rules, not by the unit, so check farmhouse rules in India before you fix a budget.

Regional habits in quoting area

Habits vary. In Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, plots are often quoted in gaj or square yards. In Uttar Pradesh towns, you may hear gaj, square feet or square metres, depending on whether the plot is in an authority scheme. In Rajasthan, square yards and bigha both appear. In hill states, local units such as nali are common for agricultural land. Because the habit differs, ask each time and write the unit next to the figure in your notes.

When a message says only "200", you do not yet have an area. When a message says "200 gaj", you do, and you can check it against the title: 200 gaj is 1,800 square feet, or about 167 square metres. If the title says 150 square metres, there is a gap of roughly 17 square metres to explain before you proceed.

Rounding and tolerance

Small differences are normal. A plot measured on site rarely matches the record to the square foot, and rounding of conversion factors adds noise. A difference of a few per cent between the record and the measurement may be acceptable, but a larger gap needs an explanation, such as encroachment, a road widening or an error in the record. Decide before you pay what gap you will accept and write the adjustment mechanism, such as a price reduction per square yard of shortfall, into the agreement.

Use at least four significant digits when you convert, and round only the final figure. For large areas, convert to acre and hectare, where the fixed relation is 1 hectare = 2.471 acre.

Using calculators safely

Online converters are fine for the fixed units on this page. Check the gaj, square yard and square foot results against the table above. Do not use a converter for bigha, biswa, kanal or marla unless it tells you which state and which source it uses, and even then confirm in your record.

What we could not confirm

The conversions on this page are fixed by definition. We did not open a statute or official page to cite them in this session, and we did not verify local unit values. The page is a DRAFT until a source link is added.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Fixed conversions on this page (1 acre = 4,840 sq yd = 43,560 sq ft; 1 sq yd = 9 sq ft; 1 hectare = 2.471 acre) follow from standard definitions of the acre, yard and hectare.
• We could not open an official revenue department page, Act or gazette giving a bigha, biswa or killa value for the states named here during this review, so no local-unit value is stated as official. Read the definition in your own record.