Acreage Calculator
Enter the dimensions of your land plot and get the acreage, square footage, square meters, hectares, and square yards instantly. Choose from five common parcel shapes, switch between metric and imperial units, and add a price per acre to estimate the property value. Results update as you type.
Formula
Worked example
A rectangular pasture 660 ft by 660 ft: 660 x 660 = 435,600 sq ft. Divide by 43,560 to get exactly 10 acres, or 4.047 hectares. At $3,000 per acre the land is worth $30,000.
What is an acre and why does it matter?
An acre is exactly 43,560 square feet, or about 4,046.86 square metres. It was historically defined as the amount of land an ox could plough in a single day, and it remains the standard unit for measuring land parcels in the United States, United Kingdom, and several other countries. Knowing the acreage of a property is essential for real estate listings, agricultural planning, zoning applications, crop yield estimates, fencing budgets, and irrigation system sizing. One acre equals 0.404686 hectares, so international comparisons are straightforward once you have the acreage figure.
How to calculate acreage for common shapes
For a rectangular or square parcel, multiply the length by the width to get square feet, then divide by 43,560. A 660 ft by 660 ft field gives 435,600 sq ft, which is exactly 10 acres. For a triangle, use half the base times the perpendicular height before dividing. A triangular corner lot with a 300 ft base and 200 ft height has 30,000 sq ft, or about 0.69 acres. For a circular parcel such as a centre-pivot irrigation field, square the radius and multiply by pi: a field with a 1,320 ft radius covers pi x 1,320^2 = roughly 5,477,787 sq ft, or about 125.7 acres. Trapezoids appear in many deeded farm parcels where one fence line follows a road or creek; add the two parallel sides, multiply by the height, then divide by two. For an irregular lot, split it into simple shapes, calculate each, and add the results.
Acres, hectares, and global unit conventions
The United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom commonly use acres for land measurement. Most of Europe, South America, and the rest of the world uses hectares, where one hectare equals 10,000 square metres (2.471 acres). When comparing international farmland prices or land-use data, converting between the two is routine. Agricultural commodity reports often state yield in tonnes per hectare, while US farm income statistics use dollars per acre. This calculator outputs both simultaneously so you can compare across systems without a separate step. For very large holdings, square miles (640 acres each) or square kilometres are sometimes used.
Using the price-per-acre feature for land valuation
The optional price-per-acre input lets you estimate the market value of a parcel directly from its dimensions. Enter the price per acre from a comparable sale, a listing price, an assessed value, or a published average for your county, and the calculator multiplies it by the computed acreage. This is useful for quickly screening parcels, comparing the value per acre of two properties of different shapes, or estimating how price changes affect total value. Keep in mind that appraised or market value also reflects location, zoning, soil quality, water rights, road access, and improvements, so treat this as a first approximation rather than a formal appraisal.
Common land area reference points
| Area | Acres | Square feet | Hectares |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small suburban lot | 0.115 | 5,000 | 0.046 |
| Large suburban lot | 0.25 | 10,890 | 0.101 |
| One city block (approx.) | 2 - 5 | 87,120 - 217,800 | 0.81 - 2.02 |
| 1 acre (exact) | 1 | 43,560 | 0.405 |
| 1 hectare (exact) | 2.471 | 107,639 | 1 |
| American football field | 1.322 | 57,600 | 0.535 |
| Small hobby farm | 5 | 217,800 | 2.02 |
| Average US farm | 445 | 19,383,000 | 180 |
Quick reference for understanding land size in everyday terms.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in an acre?
Exactly 43,560 square feet. This is the legal definition in the United States. To convert any square-foot area to acres, simply divide by 43,560. For example, a 20,000 sq ft lot is 20,000 / 43,560 = about 0.459 acres.
How many acres is a football field?
An American football field including end zones is 360 feet long and 160 feet wide, giving 57,600 square feet, or about 1.322 acres. Without the end zones the playing field is 300 ft x 160 ft = 48,000 sq ft, about 1.102 acres. This calculator uses the total field including end zones as its reference.
How many acres is one hectare?
One hectare equals exactly 10,000 square metres, which is 2.47105 acres. Conversely, one acre equals 0.404686 hectares. To convert hectares to acres, multiply by 2.47105; to convert acres to hectares, multiply by 0.404686.
How do I calculate the acreage of an L-shaped or irregular lot?
Divide the irregular shape into two or more rectangles, triangles, or other simple shapes whose dimensions you can measure. Calculate the area of each section separately using the appropriate formula, add all the section areas together, then divide the total by 43,560 to get acres. For complex or legally sensitive parcels, a licensed surveyor will provide the most accurate and legally binding figure.
What is the difference between an acre and a square acre?
There is no unit called a "square acre." An acre is already a unit of area, not length, so "square acre" is not a meaningful term. People sometimes confuse this with "square" as a shape: a square 208.71 feet on each side has an area of exactly one acre.
How accurate is this calculator for buying or selling land?
This tool is accurate for the geometry given to it, but measured dimensions often differ from legal deed descriptions. Deed acreage is typically determined by a licensed surveyor and governs in any transaction. Always verify the acreage on the plat map or recorded survey before completing a purchase, sale, or boundary agreement.