Land UnitsThe kanal is the working unit of land in Haryana and Punjab, and it is also used in Jammu and Kashmir. Farm land is spoken of in killas (acres) and kanals; house plots in kanals and marlas.
The chain of units
The Government of India land records data standard gives this chain for Haryana after settlement:
- 1 karam = 66 inches (5.5 feet)
- 1 sarsahi = 1 karam × 1 karam = 30.25 square feet
- 9 sarsahi = 1 marla = 272.25 square feet
- 20 marla = 1 kanal = 5,445 square feet
- 8 kanal = 1 acre, also called a ghuman or killa
Each step is exact, so a kanal is exactly one eighth of an acre: 43,560 ÷ 8 = 5,445 square feet, or 605 square yards (gaj).
Killa: the field you can see
In consolidated villages each acre field is laid out as a rectangle of 36 karam by 40 karam, which is 198 feet by 220 feet. That rectangle is one killa. This is why farmers count in killas: you can stand at one corner and see the whole unit.
Worked example
A plot is written as 2 kanal 7 marla. In marla that is 2 × 20 + 7 = 47 marla. In square feet it is 47 × 272.25 = 12,795.75. In square yards it is 12,795.75 ÷ 9 = 1,421.75 gaj.
Is a kanal the same everywhere?
The 5,445 square feet kanal follows from the 66 inch karam. Where older records used a different karam, the old kanal differs. For a sale or a loan, go by the karam your own revenue record names.
Kanal: ready table
| Kanal | Square feet | Square yards | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,445 | 605 | 0.125 |
| 2 | 10,890 | 1,210 | 0.25 |
| 3 | 16,335 | 1,815 | 0.375 |
| 4 | 21,780 | 2,420 | 0.5 |
| 5 | 27,225 | 3,025 | 0.625 |
| 6 | 32,670 | 3,630 | 0.75 |
| 7 | 38,115 | 4,235 | 0.875 |
| 8 | 43,560 | 4,840 | 1 |
| 9 | 49,005 | 5,445 | 1.125 |
| 10 | 54,450 | 6,050 | 1.25 |
| 15 | 81,675 | 9,075 | 1.875 |
| 20 | 1,08,900 | 12,100 | 2.5 |
| 25 | 1,36,125 | 15,125 | 3.125 |
| 30 | 1,63,350 | 18,150 | 3.75 |
| 40 | 2,17,800 | 24,200 | 5 |
| 50 | 2,72,250 | 30,250 | 6.25 |
| 75 | 4,08,375 | 45,375 | 9.375 |
| 100 | 5,44,500 | 60,500 | 12.5 |
For a sale, a loan or a court paper, go by your own revenue record. Local units can differ between districts and between old and new records. The sizes here were read in the official documents named under Sources on 11 November 2026. This site is not a government site and gives no legal advice.
Questions people ask
How many square feet is 1 kanal?
1 kanal is 5,445 square feet, which is 605 square yards or 505.86 square metres. Source: the Government of India land records data standard.
How many square feet is 1 killa (ghuman)?
1 killa (ghuman) is 43,560 square feet, which is 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square metres. Source: the Government of India land records data standard.
Sources
- Meta Data and Data Standards (MDDS), Annexure IV, code directory CD00.01 Measurement units, Table 1.3 Conversion Factors. Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India; the table credits the Department of Land Resources. Open the document