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Understanding Land Measurement in Pakistan: Acre, Kanal, Marla and Beyond

For farmers, land buyers, and property dealers across Pakistan, converting between measurement units isn't just a matter of curiosity — it directly affects land valuation, lease agreements, crop planning, and input calculations like seed rate or fertilizer dosage per unit area. Pakistan's land measurement system blends British imperial units (acre) with traditional Mughal-era units (kanal, marla, bigha) still used in revenue records (patwari registers) across Punjab, KP, and parts of Sindh. This guide breaks down each unit, the exact conversion factors, and where each one is actually used.

Why Pakistan Uses Multiple Land Measurement Systems

Pakistan's dual measurement system exists because land revenue records were established under British colonial administration using the acre, while local agricultural and residential plot transactions continued using pre-existing units like kanal and marla — a system inherited from Mughal-era land settlement. Today, both systems run in parallel: government land records (khasra, jamabandi) often reference kanal and marla, while larger commercial farmland deals and agricultural statistics use acres and hectares.

Acre to Kanal — The Core Conversion

This is the single most searched land conversion in Pakistan, since Kanal is the standard unit for residential plots (especially in Punjab) while Acre is the standard unit for agricultural land measurement.

• 1 Acre = 8 Kanals
• 1 Kanal = 1/8 Acre = 0.125 Acre
• 1 Kanal = 20 Marlas
• 1 Kanal = 505.86 square meters
• 1 Kanal = 5,445 square feet (approximately)

Quick Reference Table:

Marla — The Smallest Common Unit

Marla is the base unit most residential plots in Pakistan are advertised in (5 Marla, 10 Marla, 1 Kanal plots are standard real estate sizes).

• 1 Marla = 1/20 Kanal
• 1 Marla = 25.29 square meters (approx. 272.25 square feet)
• 1 Kanal = 20 Marlas
• 1 Acre = 160 Marlas

Gaj — The Base Unit for Sarsahi and Marla

Gaj is essentially the South Asian equivalent of a square yard and is commonly used in both India and Pakistan for smaller plot measurements:

• 1 Gaj = 1 Square Yard = 9 Square Feet
• 1 Kanal = 605 Gaj
• 1 Marla = 30.25 Gaj

Gaj is most often seen in property listings and revenue records where plot size is quoted directly in "Gaj" rather than Marla, particularly in Sindh and parts of Punjab.

Sarsahi — The Smallest Traditional Unit

Sarsahi is the base building block of the traditional Punjab land measurement system — Marla and Kanal are both derived from it:

• 1 Sarsahi = 1 Square Karam (a Karam being the traditional measuring rod of 5.5 feet)
• 1 Sarsahi = 30.25 Square Feet = 3.36 Square Yards
• 9 Sarsahis = 1 Marla
• 180 Sarsahis = 1 Kanal

Sarsahi is rarely used directly in everyday transactions today but still appears in older patwari land records, which is why it's included as a conversion option.

Khattak and Kharwar — Regional Units

Unlike Kanal, Marla, and Sarsahi — which follow a standardized conversion under Pakistan's consolidated land revenue system — Khattak and Kharwar are localized units without a single fixed national conversion factor. Their exact size can vary by district and even by village, depending on historical land settlement practices in that specific area.

Rather than publish a single number that could be inaccurate for a farmer's specific region, the honest guidance is: if your land records use Khattak or Kharwar, confirm the local conversion factor with your area's patwari or revenue office before relying on any general online figure, since these units were never standardized the way Kanal and Marla were during colonial-era land settlement.

Bigha — Regional Agricultural Unit

Bigha is used more in parts of Sindh and some agricultural contexts, though its exact size varies slightly by region and historical usage — the commonly referenced conversion is:

• 1 Bigha ≈ 2,022.65 square meters
• This makes 1 Acre roughly equal to 2 Bighas, though farmers should confirm local usage since Bigha sizes have historically varied by province.

Murabba — The Large Farm Unit

Murabba is used specifically for large agricultural landholdings, common in canal colony records across Punjab:

• 1 Murabba = 25 Acres
• 1 Murabba = 200 Kanals

This unit matters most for large-scale farm planning, land inheritance division, and agricultural land records in canal-irrigated regions of Punjab.

Hectare — The International Standard

Hectare is the metric unit used in international agricultural statistics, research papers, and increasingly in government crop reporting:

• 1 Hectare = 10,000 square meters
• 1 Hectare ≈ 19.77 Kanals
• 1 Hectare ≈ 2.47 Acres
• 1 Acre ≈ 0.4047 Hectares

Farmers working with imported fertilizer application rates, international seed company recommendations, or agricultural research data will frequently need to convert hectare-based figures into acre or kanal-based figures for local land holdings.

Why Accurate Conversion Matters for Farmers

Beyond simple curiosity, precise unit conversion has real financial and agronomic consequences:

1. Input cost planning — Fertilizer, seed, and pesticide recommendations are often given per acre or per hectare internationally, but farmers plan budgets in kanals or marlas locally. A conversion error here can lead to significant over- or under-application.
2. Land valuation and sale — Since land is bought and sold in kanal/marla in most urban-adjacent areas but recorded in acres in revenue documents, mismatched conversions can cause real financial disputes.
3. Lease and rent agreements — Agricultural land rent is frequently quoted per acre; matching this against a kanal-denominated plot size requires accurate conversion to avoid under- or over-paying.
4. Yield and productivity calculations — Comparing your farm's per-acre yield against research station data (often in hectares) requires correct unit conversion to make a fair comparison.

Use the Calculator for Instant, Error-Free Conversion

Rather than manually calculating between acre, kanal, marla, bigha, murabba, hectare, and other regional units like Sarsahi and Khattak, the Agriculture Area Calculator on Fasal Bachao handles all these conversions instantly — covering Metric, Imperial, Pakistani Traditional, and Regional unit categories in a single tool, with no signup required.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many kanals are in 1 acre?
1 Acre equals 8 Kanals.

How many marlas are in 1 kanal?
1 Kanal equals 20 Marlas.

How many kanals are in 1 hectare?
1 Hectare equals approximately 19.77 Kanals.

What is the difference between Bigha and Kanal?
Bigha and Kanal are both traditional South Asian land units, but Bigha (≈2,022.65 sq m) is significantly larger than Kanal (≈505.86 sq m) — roughly 4 Kanals equal 1 Bigha, though regional variation exists.

How many acres is 1 Murabba?
1 Murabba equals 25 Acres, or 200 Kanals.

How many Gaj are in 1 Marla?
1 Marla equals 30.25 Gaj (square yards).

Is Khattak a standardized land unit in Pakistan?
No — unlike Kanal and Marla, Khattak is a regional unit without a fixed national conversion. Its value can vary by locality, so it's best confirmed with local land records for the specific area.