Property in Pakistan is bought and sold in marla and kanal, while overseas Pakistanis in the UK, US and Canada think in square feet, square meters or acres. The difficulty is that a marla is not the same size everywhere. Before you compare prices or send money for a plot, check which marla is being used.
The two marla sizes
| Marla standard | Square feet | Square yards | Square meters | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (Punjab) marla | 272.25 sq ft | 30.25 sq yd | 25.29 m² | Land records, agricultural land, older areas |
| Society marla | 225 sq ft | 25 sq yd | 20.90 m² | Many housing societies and developers |
The 272.25 sq ft marla comes from the traditional system in which 160 marla make one acre of 43,560 sq ft. Many modern housing schemes use a rounder 225 sq ft marla instead. Both are in common use, so a "10 marla plot" can mean 2,722.5 sq ft or 2,250 sq ft, a difference of more than 470 sq ft.
Warning: always ask for the plot size in square feet as well as in marla, and check the allotment letter or the society's bylaws.
On pakmath.com, our converters use the revenue standard of 1 marla = 272.25 sq ft unless stated otherwise.
The full ladder of units (revenue standard)
| Unit | Equals | Square feet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 sarsai (square) | 1/9 marla | 30.25 sq ft |
| 1 marla | 9 sarsai | 272.25 sq ft |
| 1 kanal | 20 marla | 5,445 sq ft |
| 1 acre | 8 kanal = 160 marla | 43,560 sq ft |
| 1 murabba (square) | 25 acres | 1,089,000 sq ft |
Formulas
- square feet = marla × 272.25 (or × 225 for the society marla)
- marla = square feet ÷ 272.25
- square meters = marla × 25.2929
- kanal = marla ÷ 20
Worked example: a 5 marla plot on the revenue standard is 5 × 272.25 = 1,361.25 sq ft, or about 126.5 m². On a 225 sq ft society marla it is 5 × 225 = 1,125 sq ft.
Worked example: a house advertised as 2,000 sq ft is 2,000 ÷ 272.25 = 7.35 marla on the revenue standard, or 2,000 ÷ 225 = 8.89 marla on the society standard.
Common plot sizes
| Plot | Revenue marla (272.25 sq ft) | Society marla (225 sq ft) | Square meters (revenue) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 marla | 816.75 sq ft | 675 sq ft | 75.9 m² |
| 5 marla | 1,361.25 sq ft | 1,125 sq ft | 126.5 m² |
| 7 marla | 1,905.75 sq ft | 1,575 sq ft | 177.1 m² |
| 10 marla | 2,722.5 sq ft | 2,250 sq ft | 252.9 m² |
| 1 kanal (20 marla) | 5,445 sq ft | 4,500 sq ft | 505.9 m² |
| 2 kanal | 10,890 sq ft | 9,000 sq ft | 1,011.7 m² |
Comparing with acres and hectares
For agricultural land, the acre and the hectare matter more than square feet:
- 1 acre = 8 kanal = 160 marla = 4,046.86 m²
- 1 hectare = 10,000 m² = 2.471 acres = about 19.8 kanal
Tip: if a listing quotes a price per marla, multiply by 160 to get the price per acre and compare it with land prices abroad in the same unit.
Why the marla varies
Land measurement in Punjab grew out of local practice, where a karam (a measuring pace, traditionally 5.5 feet) was the basic length. A marla was 9 square karam: 9 × 5.5 × 5.5 = 272.25 sq ft. Some districts used slightly different karams, and private developers later adopted 225 sq ft to make plans and pricing easier. That history is why two sellers can describe the same plot with different marla counts.
Convert land units
Use our Pakistani units page for marla, kanal, tola, seer and maund, or the area converter for square feet, square meters, acres and hectares.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in 1 kanal? 5,445 sq ft on the revenue standard (20 × 272.25) or 4,500 sq ft where the society marla of 225 sq ft is used.
How many marla are in an acre? 160 marla, or 8 kanal, on the revenue standard.
Is a marla the same in Lahore and Islamabad? Not always. Different housing schemes in both cities use either 225 sq ft or 272.25 sq ft (and a few use other sizes), so check the scheme's own definition.
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