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Tamil Nadu land area converter
Enter an extent in any unit used in Tamil Nadu — cent, ground, acre, gajam, hectare, kuzhi — and see it in all the others at once.
Traditional units vary by district. Ground, cent, acre, hectare and the metric units are fixed everywhere. Kuzhi, ma, kani and veli do not have a single statewide value — the figures here use the common 1 kuzhi = 144 sq ft basis, but the value in use differs between districts and sometimes between villages. Confirm against the extent recorded in the patta and the FMB sketch rather than relying on a converted traditional figure.
Why extents in Tamil Nadu are quoted in so many units
A single transaction can involve three or four different units. The seller quotes cents, the deed records square feet, the patta is in hectares and ares, and an older parent document uses kuzhi or ma. None of them is wrong. They come from different systems laid down at different times, and all of them remain in use.
That matters because extent is one of the most common places a property turns out not to be what it was described as. An extent stated in cents in a listing, converted carelessly, can differ from the extent recorded in the revenue records by enough to matter.
Standard units
These conversions are exact and the same everywhere in Tamil Nadu.
| Unit | Short | In square feet | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square feet | sq ft | 1 sq ft | The base unit most sites are quoted in |
| Square yard (gajam) | gajam | 9 sq ft | Common in older deeds and in plot sales |
| Square metre | sq m | 10.7639 sq ft | The metric unit used in approvals and FMB sketches |
| Cent | cent | 435.6 sq ft | One hundredth of an acre; the usual unit for small plots |
| Are | are | 1,076.39 sq ft | Metric; one hundredth of a hectare |
| Ground | ground | 2,400 sq ft | Chennai and urban plots; equals 2.4 cents |
| Acre | acre | 43,560 sq ft | Agricultural land; 100 cents |
| Hectare | ha | 1,07,639.1 sq ft | Metric; 2.471 acres |
The ones worth memorising
- 1 cent = 435.6 sq ft, and 100 cents make an acre
- 1 ground = 2,400 sq ft, which is 2.4 cents
- 1 gajam = 1 square yard = 9 sq ft
- 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft; 1 hectare = 2.471 acres
Traditional units, and why they vary
Kuzhi, ma, kani, veli and ankanam are older measures that appear in parent documents and in the way land is still spoken about in parts of the state. Unlike the units above, they do not have a single statewide value.
The figures in the converter use the common basis of 1 kuzhi = 144 square feet, with the larger units derived from it. In practice the value in use differs between districts, and occasionally between villages in the same district.
| Unit | Commonly taken as |
|---|---|
| Ankanam | 72 sq ft |
| Kuzhi | 144 sq ft |
| Ma | 14,400 sq ft |
| Kani | 57,600 sq ft |
| Veli | 2,88,000 sq ft |
Treat a converted traditional figure as an indication, never as the extent. Where a deed or an older document states an extent in these units, the figure to rely on is the one recorded in the patta and shown on the FMB sketch.
Checking an extent properly
Converting between units tells you whether two documents agree with each other. It does not tell you whether either agrees with the land. Those are different questions, and only the second is answered on site.
An extent is worth checking in three places, and all three should agree:
- The deed — the extent the seller is conveying
- The patta and FMB sketch — the extent the revenue records recognise, and the shape and position of the survey number on the ground
- The property itself — measured between the boundaries as they actually stand
Where a survey number has been subdivided over the years, the first two often disagree. Where a boundary wall has crept, the third disagrees with both.
Common questions
How many square feet is one cent?
One cent is 435.6 square feet. A cent is one hundredth of an acre, so 100 cents make an acre of 43,560 square feet.
How many square feet is one ground?
One ground is 2,400 square feet, which works out to 2.4 cents. The ground is used mainly in Chennai and in urban plots elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.
How many cents are in an acre?
Exactly 100 cents. An acre is 43,560 square feet and a cent is 435.6 square feet.
What is a kuzhi in square feet?
A kuzhi is most commonly taken as 144 square feet, but it is not fixed statewide. The value in use differs between districts and sometimes between villages, so always confirm against the extent recorded in the patta and the FMB sketch.
Is a gajam the same as a square yard?
Yes. A gajam is a square yard, which is 9 square feet. It appears frequently in older deeds and in plot sales.
Which unit will the patta show?
Revenue records in Tamil Nadu normally record extent in hectares and ares, while deeds and sale listings often use cents, grounds or square feet. Converting between them is where mismatches surface, which is why the recorded extent is worth checking against what is actually on the ground.
Make sure the extent on paper is the extent on the ground
A TruTitle site survey sends a civil engineer to the property to walk the boundaries, measure the extent against the recorded extent, and check encroachment, setbacks and access. Photographs and measurements come back in a written report, anywhere in Tamil Nadu, from ₹2,499.
Request a site survey