AIWA Properties Advisory Desk
We quote, compare, and verify plot sizes in Marla and Kanal every day across Bahria Town, Etihad Town, Lake City, DHA, and the wider Lahore market. The conversions below are the ones we reconcile against society files and revenue records before a client pays.
In standard Pakistani real estate: 1 Marla = 225 square feet, and 1 Kanal = 20 Marla = 4,500 square feet. A Marla is also 25 square yards (25 Gaz), and 1 acre is roughly 9.68 Kanal. The one thing to watch is that some rural revenue records use a larger 272.25 sq ft Marla — so confirm the standard before you pay.
Almost every plot in Lahore, Islamabad, and across Punjab is priced per Marla or per Kanal, yet these units rarely get explained properly. Get them wrong and a plot can look bigger or cheaper than it really is. Below is the exact version we use on deals — and you can run any number through our free area unit converter as you read.
What is a Marla?
A Marla is the base unit for residential plots. In the standard adopted by modern housing societies, one Marla is 225 square feet. The same area can be written several ways:
- 1 Marla = 225 square feet
- 1 Marla = 25 square yards (commonly called 25 Gaz)
- 1 Marla ≈ 20.90 square metres
That makes the common residential sizes easy: a 5 Marla plot is 1,125 sq ft, a 10 Marla plot is 2,250 sq ft, and a 7 Marla plot is 1,575 sq ft. These three sizes cover most of what changes hands in Lahore.
What is a Kanal?
A Kanal is the larger unit used for bigger residential and commercial plots. The Marla-to-Kanal relationship is fixed everywhere in Punjab:
- 1 Kanal = 20 Marla
- 1 Kanal = 4,500 square feet
- 1 Kanal = 500 square yards (500 Gaz)
- 1 Kanal ≈ 418 square metres
So a 2 Kanal house sits on 9,000 sq ft, and a 1 Kanal plot — the benchmark premium size in societies like DHA and Bahria Town — is 4,500 sq ft.
The one difference that trips buyers up
Here is the detail that causes most confusion: there are two Marla standards. Urban real estate uses the 225 sq ft Marla; older revenue (Patwari) records in some areas use a 272.25 sq ft Marla. The number of Marla in a Kanal stays 20 either way — but the square-foot area shifts, and so does the Kanal-to-acre relationship.
| Factor | Real-estate standard (societies) | Old revenue standard (some records) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Marla | 225 sq ft | 272.25 sq ft |
| 1 Kanal (20 Marla) | 4,500 sq ft | 5,445 sq ft |
| Kanal per acre | ≈ 9.68 Kanal | exactly 8 Kanal |
| Where you'll see it | Society files, listings, dealers | Mutation / Fard, rural land |
Always reconcile before you pay
How Marla and Kanal relate to acres
For agricultural land and large parcels, you’ll meet the acre (and sometimes Killa and Murabba). The quick relationships under the real-estate standard:
- 1 Acre = 43,560 sq ft ≈ 9.68 Kanal ≈ 193.6 Marla
- 1 Killa = 1 Acre (the terms are used interchangeably in rural Punjab)
- 1 Murabba = 25 Acres
Convert any size instantly
Rather than do the maths by hand, drop your figure into the converter — it shows the equivalent in Marla, Kanal, square feet, square yards, square metres, and acres all at once.
Area Unit Converter
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many Marla are in one Kanal?
There are exactly 20 Marla in 1 Kanal, and this never changes across Punjab. So 1 Kanal = 20 Marla = 4,500 square feet under the standard real-estate measurement.
How many square feet is 1 Marla?
1 Marla is 225 square feet in the standard most Pakistani housing societies use — equivalent to 25 square yards (25 Gaz) or about 20.90 square metres. Some rural revenue records use an older 272.25 square feet Marla, so always confirm which one applies to your plot.
What is 1 Kanal in square feet?
1 Kanal equals 4,500 square feet (20 Marla × 225 sq ft), which is also 500 square yards or roughly 418 square metres.
How many Kanal make an acre?
Using the 4,500 sq ft Kanal standard common in real estate, 1 acre (43,560 sq ft) is about 9.68 Kanal. In the older revenue system where 1 Kanal = 5,445 sq ft, exactly 8 Kanal make 1 acre.
What is 5 Marla and 10 Marla in square feet?
5 Marla is 1,125 square feet (125 square yards) and 10 Marla is 2,250 square feet (250 square yards) under the 225 sq ft standard. These are the two most common residential plot sizes in Lahore.
Is a Marla the same everywhere in Pakistan?
Not historically. Modern urban societies standardise on 225 sq ft per Marla, but older revenue records in some districts use 272.25 sq ft. The number of Marla in a Kanal (20) is always fixed; it's the square-foot value of one Marla that can differ. Reconcile the society file against the revenue record before buying.