Land Area Converter
Convert the land measures used in Bangladesh and India, such as bigha, katha, decimal (shotok), kani and guntha, to acres, square feet and square metres. Every answer shows the working, so you can check it against a deed or a seller’s figures.
katha to sq ft
3,600 sq ft
5 katha is 3,600 square feet.
The same amount in other units
Show me how
Why does this work?
All steps as text
Tip: press ← and → to move between steps, or click any step.
The units this converter uses
| Unit | Equals | Square feet |
|---|---|---|
| Decimal, shotok (শতাংশ, শতক) or cent | 1/100 acre | 435.6 |
| Katha (কাঠা) | 1/20 bigha | 720 |
| Bigha (বিঘা) | 20 katha | 14,400 |
| Gonda (গণ্ডা) | 6 decimals | 2,613.6 |
| Kani (কানি) | 20 gonda, 120 decimals | 52,272 |
| Guntha | 1/40 acre | 1,089 |
| Gaj | 1 square yard | 9 |
| Acre (একর) | 100 decimals | 43,560 |
| Square metre | — | about 10.764 |
| Hectare | 10,000 square metres | about 107,639 |
The decimal, guntha, gaj and acre are fixed fractions of an acre or a yard, so they are the same everywhere. The katha and bigha here are the ones used in Bangladesh and West Bengal. The kani is the 120-decimal kani; see below for how it varies.
Handy numbers
- 1 bigha ≈ 33 decimals: 14,400 ÷ 435.6 ≈ 33.06, which is usually rounded to 33.
- 1 katha ≈ 1.65 decimals, and 1 decimal = 0.605 katha exactly.
- 1 acre = 3.025 bigha = 60.5 katha: 43,560 ÷ 14,400 = 3.025.
- 1 decimal ≈ 40.47 square metres, and 1 katha ≈ 66.89 square metres.
Example: a plot of 5 katha
5 katha × 720 = 3,600 square feet. In decimals that is 3,600 ÷ 435.6 ≈ 8.26 decimals, and in square metres 3,600 × 0.09290304 ≈ 334.45 m². Going through square feet like this works for any two units: multiply by the first unit’s size, then divide by the second’s.
Why the same name can mean different sizes
Land records in Bangladesh use the decimal and the acre, which are fixed. Older local measures are not: Banglapedia records bighas from 33 to 66 decimals and kanis from about 33 to 160 decimals in different districts. The kani here, 20 gonda of 6 decimals each, is the one used around Noakhali and Comilla.
In India the bigha changes from state to state. Commonly quoted sizes are about 14,400 square feet in West Bengal and Assam, about 27,000 in Uttar Pradesh, and 27,225 for the pucca bigha in Rajasthan; a katha in Bihar is about 1,361 square feet. Before you rely on a conversion for a sale or a dispute, check the size used in the deed or the land record (khatian or porcha) for that area.
Questions
How many decimals are in a bigha?
About 33.06: a bigha of 14,400 square feet divided by 435.6 square feet per decimal. Most people round it to 33 decimals.
How many square feet is 1 katha?
720 square feet in Bangladesh and West Bengal, where 20 katha make a bigha. Some other regions use a different katha.
Is a shotok the same as a decimal?
Yes. Shotok (or shotangsho) means one hundredth, and it is the decimal: 1/100 of an acre, or 435.6 square feet. In South India the same unit is called a cent.
How many katha are in an acre?
60.5 katha, because 43,560 ÷ 720 = 60.5. That is also 3.025 bigha.
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