The units, and how they fit together
Marla and kanal are the traditional units for plot sizes across Pakistan, and they still appear on listings, allotment letters and revenue records. The basic relationship is simple: 1 kanal is always 20 marla. The complication is that a marla itself is not the same size everywhere.
On the standard revenue marla — the one used in land records — 1 marla is 272.25 square feet, which is 30.25 square yards (gaz). That makes 1 kanal 5,445 square feet, or 605 square yards. An acre is 43,560 square feet, which is exactly 8 kanal on this standard.
The other units you will meet are gaz, which is the same as a square yard and equals 9 square feet, and square metres, where 1 square foot is about 0.0929 square metres. A revenue marla of 272.25 square feet is about 25.29 square metres, and a revenue kanal is about 505.86 square metres.
Keep the chain in mind when you convert: square feet are the common ground. Convert everything to square feet first, then into the unit you want — that way a mistake in one step cannot silently carry into the next.
- 1 kanal = 20 marla, on every standard.
- 1 revenue marla = 272.25 sq ft = 30.25 sq yd (gaz).
- 1 revenue kanal = 5,445 sq ft = 605 sq yd.
- 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft = 8 revenue kanal.
- 1 gaz (square yard) = 9 sq ft.
Two marla standards: 272.25 vs 225 square feet
The reason plot sizes cause arguments is that Pakistan uses two marla standards side by side. The revenue marla, used in official land records, is 272.25 square feet. The urban marla used by most housing societies — DHA, Bahria Town, LDA schemes and similar — is 225 square feet.
The difference comes from the karam, the old measuring rod. A marla is 9 square karams: with the 5.5-foot karam of the revenue records that is 272.25 square feet, and with the 5-foot karam used in city planning it is 225 square feet. Some schemes also use a 250 square feet marla.
The gap matters. A 1 kanal plot is 5,445 square feet on the revenue standard but 4,500 square feet on the urban standard — a difference of 945 square feet for the same label. A buyer who assumes one standard and a seller who assumes the other are talking about different pieces of land.
This is why a good converter shows both standards side by side instead of giving one answer. Convert with the standard your documents use, and check the other standard too — if the two answers are far apart, that is a sign to confirm the papers before money changes hands.
- Revenue marla: 272.25 sq ft — land records, fard, jamabandi.
- Urban marla: 225 sq ft — DHA, Bahria Town, LDA and most housing societies.
- Some schemes use 250 sq ft — check the society's own documents.
Worked examples
A few worked examples make the two standards concrete. On the revenue standard, 5 marla is 1,361.25 square feet; on the urban standard the same 5 marla is 1,125 square feet. Ten marla is 2,722.5 square feet on the revenue standard and 2,250 on the urban one.
One kanal is 5,445 square feet on the revenue standard and 4,500 on the urban standard. Two kanal is 10,890 square feet on the revenue standard — exactly a quarter of an acre — and 9,000 square feet on the urban standard.
To go the other way, divide square feet by the marla size. A plot of 2,722.5 square feet is 10 marla on the revenue standard, but about 12.1 marla on the 225 standard. The ground did not change; only the ruler did.
When a listing gives only marla without saying which standard, treat the number as unfinished. Ask which standard applies, convert both ways, and compare — the answer that matches the society or the revenue record is the one to use.
Common mistakes when reading plot sizes
The most common mistake is mixing the two standards in one calculation — converting marla to square feet with one size and back with the other. The result looks precise and is wrong. Pick one standard for the whole calculation and say which one it is.
Another is confusing gaz and square feet. A gaz is a square yard, not a square foot: 1 gaz is 9 square feet. A plot quoted as 300 gaz is 2,700 square feet, not 300.
People also assume a kanal means the same thing in every city and every scheme. It does not — the label is the same, but the square footage depends on the marla behind it. A kanal in a housing society and a kanal on a revenue record are different sizes.
Finally, never take a listing's area on trust for a purchase. Cross-check it against the allotment letter, the sale deed or the fard, and confirm which marla standard those documents use. A converter can do the arithmetic; only the documents can tell you which arithmetic applies.
The bottom line
Remember three things: a kanal is always 20 marla, a marla is 272.25 square feet on the revenue standard and 225 in most housing societies, and the documents decide which one applies to your plot. Convert with the right standard, and the numbers will agree with the papers.
