square foot (ft²)

1 square foot = 0.09290304 square metres

What is square foot?

A square foot is a unit of area in imperial and US customary systems equal to 144 square inches. It is commonly used in the United States for real estate listings, floor plans, and building layouts.

Notes: Imperial/USCS unit

Real-world uses

Square feet are the primary unit for real estate in the United States, Canada, and parts of South Asia. Office space, apartment listings, and retail floor plans are quoted in sq ft. Flooring, tiles, and paint coverage are sold per square foot in these markets.

History

The square foot derives directly from the foot, which has been used since ancient times. It became the de facto real estate standard in the United States and remains deeply entrenched in American property markets despite the global shift toward metric units.

Common mistakes

Forgetting that square footage is an area measure, not a length. A 1,000 sq ft apartment is not 1,000 feet long. Also, nominal tile sizes often include grout spacing, so actual coverage per tile is slightly less than the stated size.

When is this conversion used?

Converting between square foot and square metre is common when working across metric and imperial systems, such as international trade, travel between countries with different measurement standards, or following instructions from a different region.

How to convert square foot to square metre

To convert square foot to square metre, multiply the value by 0.09290304.

Conversion formula (from base unit)

x * 0.09290304

Measurement standards

The square metre is the SI derived unit of area. The hectare (10,000 m²) is accepted for use with the SI by the BIPM, particularly for land measurement, though it is not an SI unit itself.

Did you know?

Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state, covers just 0.44 km² (about 109 acres) — smaller than many golf courses. By contrast, Russia spans over 17.1 million km², nearly 39 million times larger.

Quick reference: square foot to square metre
square feetsquare metres
0.10.0092903
0.50.04645152
10.09290304
20.18580608
50.4645152
100.9290304
252.322576
504.645152
1009.290304
25023.22576
50046.45152
1,00092.90304

Common values

Common values
square feetsquare metres
A4 paper0.66736245 square feet0.062 square metres
Parking space134.54888021 square feet12.5 square metres
Tennis court2,807.98131041 square feet260.87 square metres
Football field (soccer)76,854.32037531 square feet7,140 square metres
Central Park, NYC36,704,934.52098015 square feet3,410,000 square metres

Full square foot conversion table

Full square foot conversion table
Unit Value Factor
square metre1 ft² = 0.09290304 m²× 0.09290304
square kilometre1 ft² = 9.290304e-08 km²× 9.290304e-08
square mile1 ft² = 3.587006e-08 mi²× 3.587006e-08
acre1 ft² = 0.00002296 ac× 0.00002296
hectare1 ft² = 0.00000929 ha× 0.00000929
square centimetre1 ft² = 929.0304 cm²× 929.0304
square inch1 ft² = 144 in²× 144
square yard1 ft² = 0.11111111 yd²× 0.11111111
are1 ft² = 0.00092903 a× 0.00092903