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Acres explained

An acre is a unit of area commonly used in land measurement, especially in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries that use imperial or customary systems. One acre represents a convenient parcel of land (4,046.8564224 square meters) and is widely used in agriculture, real estate, and land planning.

Symbol

The most common abbreviations for acre are ac or sometimes a, although the word is frequently spelled out in full.

Related area units

Unit Symbol Description
Square mile mi² Large land measure. 1 mi² = 640 acres (used for large land areas and jurisdictions)
Hectare ha Common metric land unit. 1 ha = 2.47105381 acres
Acre ac Standard non‑SI land unit
Square yard yd² Smaller imperial area unit. 1 acre = 4,840 yd²
Square meter m² SI base unit of area. 1 acre = 4,046.8564224 m²
Square feet ft² Smaller imperial area unit. 1 acre = 43,560 ft²

Systems and differences

The acre belongs to the imperial and U.S. customary area traditions and is not an SI unit. The hectare and square meter are metric and used internationally in scientific, engineering, and many government contexts. When precision or international consistency is needed, convert acres to square meters or hectares.

Applications and practical uses

Acre is commonly used in:

  • Agriculture — describing farm size and crop area
  • Real estate — listing property area for sale
  • Urban planning and land management — zoning and parcel mapping

How acres are measured

Modern measurement uses surveying tools and digital methods: total stations, GPS/GNSS receivers, GIS software, and aerial imagery. For rough on‑the‑ground estimates, surveyors use measuring wheels and tape; planners rely on cadastral maps and satellite-based area calculations.

Origin

The word "acre" derives from Old English "æcer" meaning a field. Historical uses described an area that a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. It's also important to note that one acre equals an area of 1 chain (66 feet) by 1 furlong (10 chains or 660 feet), two other historically significant land measurement units.

FAQs

Is an acre the same everywhere?

The modern statute acre is standardized (4,046.8564224 m²) and used consistently where acres are employed; historical regional acres varied, but those are now obsolete.

Which is bigger: an acre or a hectare?

A hectare is larger: 1 hectare ≈ 2.47105 acres. Hectares are used in most countries for official land records while acres remain common in the US and some other places.

How big is an acre in practical terms?

An acre is roughly a square about 63.61 meters (209 feet) on each side, or about 0.405 hectares. Visually, half a football (soccer) pitch is often close to one acre depending on exact field dimensions.

Below illustration shows the difference in size between 1 hectare and 1 acre, as compared to the size of a modern day soccer pitch.

size of 1 acre vs 1 hectare vs 1 soccer field comparison

Can I convert acres precisely to metric units?

Yes. Use the exact factor 1 acre = 4,046.8564224 square meters for precise conversions; you can use our website to perform this conversion automatically.

When should I use acres vs. hectares?

Use acres when working with U.S. customary or certain property contexts in the UK/US; use hectares or square meters for international, scientific, and regulatory work where SI units are required.