A three-question check before comparing two plots
- Which document gives the size? A fard or revenue record, a society allotment letter, a development-authority approval and a dealer's listing can each use a different marla.
- Does it state square feet too? Divide the square feet by the marlas. A result of 225 or 272.25 tells you the marla used; 272 and 270 also appear in some Punjab rules.
- Are both plots in the same marla? If not, convert both to square feet before comparing prices or sizes.
Punjab land-revenue records and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's model bye-laws use 272.25 sq ft. Punjab's private housing scheme rules use 272 outside Lahore, Multan's development authority uses 270 in urban areas, and the Lahore and Faisalabad development authorities and DHA Lahore use 225. A kanal is 20 marlas everywhere, so it changes with the marla: 5,445 sq ft or 4,500 sq ft.
Common plot sizes under the two main definitions
| Plot as described | 272.25 sq ft marla | 225 sq ft marla | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 marla | 816.75 sq ft | 675 sq ft | 141.75 sq ft |
| 5 marla | 1,361.25 sq ft | 1,125 sq ft | 236.25 sq ft |
| 7 marla | 1,905.75 sq ft | 1,575 sq ft | 330.75 sq ft |
| 10 marla | 2,722.5 sq ft | 2,250 sq ft | 472.5 sq ft |
| 1 kanal | 5,445 sq ft (605 sq yd) | 4,500 sq ft (500 sq yd) | 945 sq ft |
| 2 kanal | 10,890 sq ft | 9,000 sq ft | 1,890 sq ft |
The gap grows with the plot. On a 2-kanal plot it is 1,890 sq ft, which is larger than a whole 7-marla plot measured with the 225 sq ft marla.
Why the ratio is exactly 1.21
Both marlas come from the old Punjab land measure built on the karam, a measuring length. Nine square karams make a marla. A 66-inch karam gives a square karam (a sarsai) of 30.25 sq ft and a 272.25 sq ft marla. A 60-inch karam gives 25 sq ft and a 225 sq ft marla.
A 10% longer karam makes every area unit 21% larger, because area grows with the square of length.
That gives two figures that are easy to mix up. A revenue marla is 21% larger than a 225 sq ft marla, but a 225 sq ft marla is only 17.4% smaller than a revenue one. Both describe the same 47.25 sq ft gap per marla, measured from different bases. Percent change versus percentage points explains why the direction changes the percentage.
Worked case: comparing two "5 marla" listings
Two 5-marla plots are each listed at an illustrative Rs 1 crore (Rs 2,000,000 per marla). One is in a Lahore society using 225 sq ft; the other is described from a revenue record using 272.25 sq ft.
| 225 sq ft marla | 272.25 sq ft marla | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,125 sq ft (104.5159 m²) | 1,361.25 sq ft (126.4643 m²) |
| Price | Rs 10,000,000 | Rs 10,000,000 |
| Price per sq ft | Rs 8,888.89 | Rs 7,346.19 |
At the same headline price, the 225 sq ft plot costs about Rs 1,543 more per square foot. Location, title and development usually matter more than this, but the comparison should start from square feet, not marlas. If the purchase is part of a bigger decision, rent versus buy break-even and how much loan you can afford work from the total price.
Checking a plot from its dimensions
Front and depth in feet multiply to square feet, which you can then convert to either marla. This is how to catch a mislabelled plot.
- 25 × 45 ft = 1,125 sq ft: exactly 5 marla at 225, but only 4.1322 marla at 272.25.
- 35 × 65 ft = 2,275 sq ft: 10.1111 marla at 225, or 8.3563 marla at 272.25.
- 120 sq yd = 1,080 sq ft: 4.8 marla at 225, or 3.9669 marla at 272.25.
A plot sold as "10 marla" that measures 35 × 65 ft is a 225 sq ft marla plot. If someone describes it in revenue marlas, it is just over 8. Corner cuts, irregular shapes and road widening can also reduce the usable area below what the dimensions suggest.
Area ConverterFor square meters, acres or hectares without marla units, use the general area converter.Where this conversion stops
- It cannot tell you which marla a particular record uses. Only the document, the society's bylaws or the revenue office can.
- Older revenue records in some areas use other karam lengths, and local units such as murabba are not covered here.
- A 250 sq ft marla is quoted by some property websites, but none of the regulations checked for the converter defines it.
- Area on paper is not a survey. Boundary disputes and measurement errors need a demarcation by the revenue staff or the society.