Square Meters to Acres Converter
Convert between square meters (m²) and acres (ac) with precise calculations for land measurement
Area Conversion Calculator
Enter area in square meters (metric)
Enter area in acres (imperial)
Conversion Result
Conversion Formula
Square Meters to Acres
Acres = Square Meters ÷ 4,046.8564224
Example: 10,000 m² ÷ 4,046.86 = 2.471 acres
Acres to Square Meters
Square Meters = Acres × 4,046.8564224
Example: 2.5 ac × 4,046.86 = 10,117.14 m²
Common Area Conversions
| Square Meters | Acres | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 m² | 0.247105 ac | Small plot |
| 2,000 m² | 0.494211 ac | Building lot |
| 4,046.86 m² | 1.000000 ac | 1 acre |
| 5,000 m² | 1.235527 ac | Large lot |
| 10,000 m² | 2.471054 ac | 1 hectare |
| 20,000 m² | 4.942108 ac | Small farm |
| 40,468.6 m² | 10.000000 ac | 10 acres |
| 1,00,000 m² | 24.710540 ac | Large property |
| 4,04,686 m² | 100.000000 ac | 100 acres |
| 10,00,000 m² | 247.105400 ac | 1 km² |
Quick Reference
1 acre = 4,046.8564224 square meters
1 square meter = 0.000247105 acres
1 hectare = 10,000 m² = 2.471 acres
Acres are imperial, square meters are metric
Practical Applications
Real Estate
Property and land size measurements
Agriculture
Farm and field area calculations
Construction
Development site measurements
Land Management
Conservation and forestry areas
Understanding Square Meters and Acres
What is a Square Meter?
A square meter (m²) is the SI (metric) unit of area. It represents the area of a square with sides measuring one meter each. It's the standard unit for measuring land and property in most countries worldwide and is commonly used in construction, real estate, and land surveying.
What is an Acre?
An acre (ac) is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. Historically, it was defined as the area that could be plowed in one day by a yoke of oxen. Today, one acre equals 43,560 square feet or about 4,047 square meters. It's commonly used in the United States, UK, and other countries for measuring large land areas.
Conversion Relationship
1 acre = 4,046.8564224 m²
More precisely: 4,046.8564224 square meters
Historical Context
The acre originated from the area of land tillable by one man behind one ox in one day. It was standardized in 1824 as part of the British imperial system. The metric system uses hectares (10,000 m²) for similar large-area measurements, where 1 hectare ≈ 2.471 acres.
Practical Conversion Examples
🏡 Residential Property
Problem: A house plot measures 2,000 square meters. How many acres is that?
Solution: 2,000 m² ÷ 4,046.86 = 0.494 acres
The property is approximately half an acre.
🌾 Agricultural Land
Problem: A farm is 50 acres. What's that in square meters?
Solution: 50 ac × 4,046.86 = 202,343 m²
The farm covers over 200,000 square meters or about 20 hectares.
🏗️ Development Site
Problem: A construction site is 1 hectare (10,000 m²). Convert to acres.
Solution: 10,000 m² ÷ 4,046.86 = 2.471 acres
One hectare equals approximately 2.5 acres.
🌲 Forest Conservation
Problem: A conservation area is 100 acres. What's the area in square meters?
Solution: 100 ac × 4,046.86 = 404,686 m²
The conservation area covers approximately 40.5 hectares.
Visual Size Comparison
1 Acre ≈ 4,047 m²
- •About 90% of an American football field
- •16 tennis courts
- •A square roughly 64m × 64m
1 Hectare = 10,000 m²
- •Equals 2.471 acres
- •A square 100m × 100m
- •About 1.5 soccer fields
Common Property Sizes
- •Small lot: 500-1,000 m² (0.12-0.25 ac)
- •Large lot: 2,000-4,000 m² (0.5-1 ac)
- •Small farm: 20,000+ m² (5+ ac)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many square meters are in an acre?
One acre contains exactly 4,046.8564224 square meters. This is the internationally accepted conversion factor. For practical purposes, you can round this to 4,047 square meters, which provides sufficient accuracy for most land measurement applications.
Why do some countries use acres and others use square meters?
The acre is part of the imperial system, historically used in the United Kingdom and its former colonies. Square meters are part of the metric system, adopted by most countries worldwide for scientific and commercial purposes. The United States, UK, and a few other countries continue to use acres for land measurement, while most other nations use hectares (10,000 m²) and square meters.
What's the difference between an acre and a hectare?
An acre is an imperial unit equal to 4,047 m², while a hectare is a metric unit equal to 10,000 m². One hectare equals approximately 2.471 acres. Hectares are more commonly used internationally and in scientific contexts, while acres remain popular in the United States, UK, Canada, and India for real estate and agriculture.
How do I calculate land area in square meters?
For rectangular land, multiply length by width (both in meters) to get the area in square meters. For irregular shapes, you may need to divide the land into simpler shapes (rectangles, triangles) and sum their areas. Professional surveyors use GPS technology and specialized software for accurate measurements of complex property boundaries.