A plot ad says “10 marla” and the next one says “1 kanal”, with prices quoted in lakhs for each. Before you compare anything, you need one number: how many square feet sit behind each word. Here is the marla and kanal math, with a real example you can reuse.
What a marla and a kanal actually are
The kanal is a unit of land area used in northern India, mainly in Punjab. Under British rule, the marla and kanal were standardised so that 1 kanal equals 20 marla. That is 605 square yards, or exactly one eighth of an acre.
The conversion table you need
From the kanal figures, you can work out everything else:
- 1 kanal = 605 square yards = 5,445 square feet = 505.857 square metres
- 1 marla = 605 ÷ 20 = 30.25 square yards = 272.25 square feet
- 1 acre = 8 kanal, and 1 hectare = 19.768 kanal
- 1 bigha = 4 kanal in Punjab (5 kanal in East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar)
The method is always the same: convert everything to square feet first, then compare. In plain words, multiply the number of marla by 272.25, or the number of kanal by 5,445.
Worked example: a 10 marla plot
A 10 marla plot is 10 × 272.25 = 2,722.5 square feet. In square yards that is 302.5, and in square metres about 252.9. Half a kanal gives the same answer (0.5 × 5,445 = 2,722.5), which is a handy check.
Now a bigger plot. Say you are offered 3 kanal. That is 3 × 5,445 = 15,135 square feet, or about 1,517.6 square metres. In acres it is 3 ÷ 8 = 0.375, and in hectares about 0.152.
Comparing prices fairly
Suppose a seller quotes 4.5 lakh rupees per marla (a made-up figure for illustration). One kanal is 20 marla, so that is 90 lakh rupees per kanal. To compare it with a rate quoted per square foot, divide: 450,000 ÷ 272.25 = about 1,653 rupees per square foot. Do the same for the second plot and the cheaper one is obvious.
Common mistakes
- Using a rounded marla. Some sources describe the marla loosely as about 25 square yards (225 square feet). The standardised value derived from the kanal is 30.25 square yards (272.25 square feet). On 10 marla, that is 2,250 versus 2,722.5 square feet, a gap of 472.5 square feet, or 21%. Always ask which definition the seller uses.
- Mixing up the bigha. A bigha is 4 kanal in Punjab but 5 kanal in East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, so “2 bigha” is not the same plot everywhere.
- Comparing prices in different units. A price per marla and a price per square yard cannot be compared until both are in the same unit.
Quick checklist before you sign
Write the plot size in marla or kanal, convert it to square feet with the factors above, then check it against the area printed on the sale documents. If the two numbers differ, ask why before you pay. For other regional units, see our guide to converting bigha, guntha and cent to square feet.
