How many square metres are in one cent?

One cent equals 40.4686 square metres. This is because one cent is defined as one hundredth of an acre, and one acre equals 4,046.86 square metres. So 1 cent = 4046.86 ÷ 100 = 40.4686 m². For practical purposes this is often rounded to 40.47 m².

Where is the cent used as a unit of land measurement?

The cent is commonly used in southern India (particularly Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka), Sri Lanka, and some parts of Bangladesh and Malaysia to measure residential and agricultural land plots. It is also used by some South Asian communities in New Zealand and Australia when describing inherited or overseas land. In these regions, land is often described in terms of cents and grounds rather than in square metres or hectares.

How do I convert square metres back to cents?

To convert square metres to cents, divide the number of square metres by 40.4686. For example, 200 m² ÷ 40.4686 = 4.942 cents. This converter performs the calculation in both directions. You can enter a value in cents to get square metres, or enter square metres to get cents.

Cent to Square Metre Converter

This calculator converts land area between cents and square metres, the unit used across southern India, Sri Lanka and much of South Asia to describe residential and agricultural plots. If you are dealing with a South Asian property, perhaps a family land listing in Kerala or Tamil Nadu, and need to compare it against New Zealand's square metre and hectare measurements, this tool converts instantly in both directions. Enter a value in the "area in cents" field and it returns the equivalent in square metres straight away, or enter square metres in the second field to get the answer back in cents. A conversion summary then shows the figure in square metres, square feet and acres, so you can see the plot size across the units you are most likely to need. A quick-reference table lists common cent values from 1 to 100 with their square metre, square foot and acre equivalents, and a details panel breaks the working down further, including the hectare equivalent. The conversion is based on the fixed international acre definition, where one acre equals 4,046.8564224 square metres and one cent, a hundredth of an acre, equals 40.4686 square metres. Because this is a defined unit conversion rather than an estimate, the results are exact to the rounding shown, though a formal land description should always rely on an official survey or title document.

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Standard conversion Based on the international acre definition: 1 acre = 4,046.8564224 m². 1 cent = 40.46856 m².

Convert Cents to Square Metres

Area in cents

cent

Result in square metres

m²

Convert Square Metres to Cents

Area in square metres

m²

Result in cents

cent

Conversion Summary

Cents entered
10
Cent (land area)

Square metres
404.69
m²

Square feet

4,356

sq ft

Acres

0.1,000

1 cent = 0.01 acres

Quick Reference Table

Cents	Square Metres (m²)	Square Feet	Acres
1	40.47	435.6	0.0100
2	80.94	871.2	0.0200
5	202.34	2,178	0.0500
10	404.69	4,356	0.1000
20	809.37	8,712	0.2000
25	1,011.71	10,890	0.2500
50	2,023.43	21,780	0.5000
100	4,046.86	43,560	1.0000

Conversion Details

Input (cents)10

1 cent = 40.4686 m²

Square metres404.6,856

Square feet4,356.0

Hectares0.04,047

Acres0.1,000

Key Facts

1 cent equals40.4686 m²

1 cent equals435.6 sq ft

1 cent equals0.01 acres

100 cents equals1 acre

100 cents equals4,046.86 m²

Region of useSouth Asia

What Is a Cent in Land Measurement?

A cent is a unit of land area equal to one hundredth of an acre. It is derived from the Latin word for hundred and has long been used in South Asian countries as a practical subdivision of the acre for measuring residential and agricultural plots. One cent equals 40.4686 square metres, 435.6 square feet, or 48.4 square yards.

The cent is not an SI unit, but it remains in everyday use in southern India (especially Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka), Sri Lanka, and among South Asian communities in Malaysia, Singapore, and elsewhere. In Tamil Nadu property listings, for example, a small house site might be described as "3 cents" rather than "approximately 121 square metres".

The Formula

The conversion is based on the international definition of the acre:

1 acre = 4,046.8564224 m² (exactly, by international agreement)
1 cent = 1/100 acre = 40.468564224 m²
To convert cents to m²: multiply by 40.4686
To convert m² to cents: divide by 40.4686

For most practical purposes, 40.47 m² per cent is used, which is accurate to four significant figures.

Worked Example

A land plot is listed as 10 cents. How many square metres is that?

Square metres = 10 x 40.4686 = 404.69 m²
In square feet: 10 x 435.6 = 4,356 sq ft
In acres: 10 / 100 = 0.10 acres

This is a typical size for a small urban house plot in South Asian cities.

Cents and Other South Asian Land Units

Unit	Square Metres	Cents	Region
1 cent	40.47 m²	1	South Asia
1 ground	222.97 m²	5.51	Tamil Nadu
1 acre	4,046.86 m²	100	Widely used
1 hectare	10,000 m²	247.1	SI / NZ standard
1 square metre	1 m²	0.0247	SI standard

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Sources and method: International acre definition per the international yard and pound agreement of 1959. 1 international acre = 4,046.8564224 m² exactly. 1 cent = 1/100 acre = 40.468564224 m². Conversion to square feet uses 1 m² = 10.7639 sq ft.

This converter uses the international acre definition. The cent is a customary unit of land area used in South Asia and is not part of the SI system. Results are rounded to four decimal places for practical use.