How big is a marla or a kanal? Learn the 225 and 272.25 sq ft marla, convert kanal to square feet and acres, and avoid costly mix-ups when buying land.
Property ads in Pakistan say “5 marla house” or “1 kanal plot”, but the same marla can mean two different sizes. A difference of 47 square feet per marla becomes 940 square feet on a kanal. Here is what each unit means and how to convert between them.
How big is one marla?
There are two marla sizes in common use:
| Marla | Square feet | Where it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Standard marla | 225 sq ft | Most housing societies, DHA, Bahria Town, LDA and many city plots |
| Revenue (old) marla | 272.25 sq ft | Land revenue records, agricultural land and many older areas |
The 272.25 sq ft marla comes from the acre: 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft = 160 marla, so each marla is 43,560 ÷ 160 = 272.25 sq ft. Always ask which marla a seller or society uses, and check the registry.
How big is one kanal?
1 kanal = 20 marla, so it also has two sizes:
- 20 × 225 = 4,500 sq ft (society kanal)
- 20 × 272.25 = 5,445 sq ft (revenue kanal)
With the revenue kanal, 8 kanal = 1 acre. With the 4,500 sq ft kanal, an acre is about 9.68 kanal.
Quick conversion table
| Unit | 225 sq ft marla | 272.25 sq ft marla |
|---|---|---|
| 3 marla | 675 sq ft | 816.75 sq ft |
| 5 marla | 1,125 sq ft | 1,361.25 sq ft |
| 7 marla | 1,575 sq ft | 1,905.75 sq ft |
| 10 marla | 2,250 sq ft | 2,722.5 sq ft |
| 1 kanal | 4,500 sq ft | 5,445 sq ft |
| 2 kanal | 9,000 sq ft | 10,890 sq ft |
| 1 acre | 193.6 marla | 160 marla (8 kanal) |
Larger units: acre and murabba
Farmland is measured in acres and murabba. 1 murabba = 25 acres (a square of land in the old canal-colony survey). That is 200 revenue kanal or 1,089,000 sq ft. One acre is also 4,046.86 square metres, which helps when comparing with international listings.
Worked example
A plot is advertised as 12 marla in a society that uses the 225 sq ft marla. Area = 12 × 225 = 2,700 sq ft. If the plot is 45 ft wide, its depth is 2,700 ÷ 45 = 60 ft. If the same 12 marla were revenue marla, it would be 3,267 sq ft, which is 567 sq ft more land.
Convert in one step
Our Land Area Converter has both marla and both kanal sizes, plus acre, murabba, square feet, square yards and square metres. Type a number and see every unit at once. For other area units such as hectares or square miles, use the Area Converter, and for plot sides in feet and metres, the Length Converter.
Tips before you buy
- Ask for the area in square feet as well as marla, and write it on the agreement.
- Measure the plot yourself: width × depth in feet gives square feet.
- Check the registry or fard for the unit used by the revenue department.
- Compare prices per square foot, not per marla, when the marla sizes differ.