How this calculation works
Convert through square metres without rounding the intermediate factor. Cent means 1/100 acre, gunta means 1/40 acre, and the Chennai ground means 2,400 sq ft. Assam bigha, katha and lecha presets and the cited West Bengal katha convention are separately labeled. Other definitions need an entered square-foot factor.
Converted area = quantity × source m² factor / target m² factorA worked example
5 cents = 5 × 435.6 = 2,178 sq ft = 202.34282112 m². The same page handles the reverse direction: 2,178 sq ft is 5 cents.
Good to know
Arithmetic using entered measurements and explicit unit definitions. Not a boundary survey, title check, valuation, planning approval or determination of legal shares.
Reference: NIST: exact international-foot and acre factors (opens in a new tab) ↗
Check the land-unit definitions and sources
The standard factors use the international foot and an acre of 43,560 sq ft. Cent means 1/100 acre; gunta means 1/40 acre; the selected Chennai ground means 2,400 sq ft.
The Assam report defines bigha as 14,400 sq ft, katha as 2,880 sq ft and lecha as 144 sq ft. The cited West Bengal court order mentions a 720-sq-ft katha convention. These are explicit presets, not an automatic definition for every record or every place using the same name. Match your record to the stated convention, or use its verified custom factor.
- NIST: exact international-foot and acre factors (opens in a new tab) ↗
- API Setu MDDS: acre/cent and acre/gunta relationships (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Greater Chennai Corporation: one ground is 2,400 sq ft (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Government of Assam AIRBMP framework: section 7.2, page 28 (bigha, katha and lecha) (opens in a new tab) ↗
- Supreme Court order, 7 May 2025: paragraph 2, page 2 (West Bengal katha) (opens in a new tab) ↗
The acre relationships are converted using exact base factors. Rounded or unrelated regional values in a reference table are not substituted for these definitions.
Start with the meaning of the unit on your record
A unit name and a region are different kinds of information. This converter states its definitions: one cent is one hundredth of an acre, one gunta is one fortieth, and its ground is the Chennai 2,400-square-foot ground. Regional presets show both the locality and the exact square-foot definition; names without a matching preset require a user-defined factor.
For an unfamiliar local unit, first obtain a dependable definition for the actual locality and record. Select User-defined local unit and enter its area in square feet. The resulting arithmetic is conditional on that supplied definition; displaying an answer does not verify the factor.
The area converter is useful for standard metric and customary quantities. This land-specific page adds explicit cent, gunta and ground relationships, a factor table and the local-definition input. Both directions belong on this one page, so a number such as 5 cents does not require another tool.
The Assam AIRBMP framework lists one bigha as 14,400 sq ft, one katha as 2,880 sq ft and one lecha as 144 sq ft. Under those definitions, five kathas make one bigha and twenty lechas make one katha. The cited West Bengal convention is 720 sq ft per katha, so an Assam-report katha is four times that area. A shared name does not make the quantities interchangeable.
Read more: Greater Chennai Corporation: one ground is 2,400 sq ft (opens in a new tab) ↗
A square-foot conversion is an area conversion
One square yard contains nine square feet because a yard is three feet along each of two perpendicular directions. Multiplying square yards by three converts only one direction and gives the wrong area. The selector therefore says square yards, even where the area is described conversationally as gaj or gajam.
The converter uses exact international-foot base factors before rounding the display. For example, one cent is 435.6 sq ft and 40.468564224 m² under its 1/100-acre definition. A source’s rounded metric shorthand should not replace that relationship partway through a calculation.
The Chennai source below supports the 2,400-square-foot ground definition. Its tax formulas are outside this converter’s scope. If you need to compare quotations after converting the area, land price per unit keeps the price denominator consistent.
A few questions, answered
Can I use the same bigha value everywhere?
No. The Assam-report preset explicitly uses 14,400 sq ft. It must not be applied to a different bigha definition. Match your actual record to the stated preset, or enter its verified factor.
Why are there two katha choices?
They represent different area conventions: 2,880 sq ft in the cited Assam report and 720 sq ft in the cited West Bengal court order. Ten of these kathas would mean 28,800 sq ft or 7,200 sq ft respectively. Check which definition your measurement uses.
Does one cent mean a hundred square metres?
No. That would be one are. A cent here is one hundredth of an acre, approximately 40.468564 m².
What if both sides use the user-defined local unit?
The quantity stays the same, but the supplied factor is still required to produce its standard-area equivalents.