Land units in Gujarat explained: acre, sq yard, sq ft, guntha, bigha and sq metre
Dholera plots get quoted in a mix of units, and the mixing is where mistakes happen. The clean conversions: 1 acre = 4,840 square yards = 43,560 square feet, 1 square yard (gaj) = 9 square feet, and 1 guntha = 1,089 square feet, so 40 guntha make an acre. The unit to distrust is the bigha. In Gujarat the bigha is non-standard and varies by region, so never let a binding deal ride on it. The number that governs the transaction is the survey or Final Plot area in square metres from the official record. Convert for intuition, but sign on the square-metre figure in the document.
Land in and around Dholera is quoted in whatever unit suits the seller's story. Developed plots tend to come in square yards or square feet, raw and agricultural land in bigha or acre. None of that is a problem until you compare two plots priced in two different units, or until a unit that has no fixed size does the heavy lifting in a deal. This page gives you the conversions that hold, and flags the one that does not.
Get comfortable with these and you can normalise any quote to a common unit and compare like with like. Our land unit converter does the arithmetic for you, but it helps to understand what it is doing.
The units that are fixed
Four conversions are exact and never change. One acre equals 4,840 square yards, which equals 43,560 square feet. One square yard, called a gaj locally, equals 9 square feet. One guntha equals 1,089 square feet, and 40 guntha make one acre. These are arithmetic, not opinion, so any two plots quoted in these units can be compared directly once you convert them to a single unit.
A worked example: a plot described as 200 square yards is 200 times 9, or 1,800 square feet. A one-acre parcel is 43,560 square feet, or about 24 of those 200-square-yard plots. Doing this conversion before you compare prices is the single fastest way to see whether one quote is genuinely cheaper than another or just quoted in a smaller-sounding unit, which is exactly the discipline our plot price guide insists on.
The unit to distrust: the bigha
The bigha is where buyers get burned, because in Gujarat it is non-standard. It is commonly cited at around 21,780 square feet, roughly half an acre, in parts of the state, but the South Gujarat vigha runs closer to 23,958 square feet, and other pockets differ again. There is no single statewide bigha you can rely on. That variability is fine for casual conversation and dangerous in a contract. If a deal is denominated in bigha, you cannot know exactly how much land you are buying without the record.
The square metre: the unit that governs the deal
Official land records, including the survey and Final Plot area, are stated in square metres. That is the number that governs the transaction, the stamp duty and the title. Whatever unit the marketing uses, the square-metre figure in the record is the one that is legally binding, so it is the one to verify and the one to sign on. Convert into square feet or square yards for your own intuition, but never let a brochure's unit override the record's.
| Unit | Equals | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 acre | 4,840 sq yard = 43,560 sq ft | Confirmed |
| 1 square yard (gaj) | 9 sq ft | Confirmed |
| 1 guntha | 1,089 sq ft | Confirmed |
| 1 acre | 40 guntha | Confirmed |
| 1 bigha (Gujarat) | Non-standard, commonly ~21,780 sq ft, varies | Confirmed with caveat |
| Square metre | The unit used in the official record | Confirmed |
How to use this when comparing plots
Practically, do three things. First, convert every quote to a single unit, usually square feet or square metres, before you compare prices. Second, if any quote is in bigha, ask for the exact square-metre area from the record rather than accepting an assumed bigha size. Third, when you reach the document stage, read the area from the 7/12 extract and the Final Plot record, not the marketing sheet. Our documents checklist shows where each area figure lives and what it proves.
The bottom line
Land units in Gujarat are simple once you separate the fixed ones from the elastic one. Acre, square yard and guntha convert exactly. The bigha does not, so keep it out of any binding number. And whatever the brochure says, the square-metre area in the official record is the figure that counts. Convert for clarity, verify the record, and let the arithmetic, not the sales unit, tell you what a plot really costs.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet are in an acre?
How many square feet is one guntha?
What is a square yard in square feet?
How big is a bigha in Gujarat?
Which unit should a Dholera deal be based on?
Why do sellers quote plots in different units?
Sources
- Standard land-unit conversions: 1 acre = 4,840 sq yard = 43,560 sq ft; 1 sq yard (gaj) = 9 sq ft; 1 guntha = 1,089 sq ft; 1 acre = 40 guntha.
- Gujarat bigha is non-standard: commonly ~21,780 sq ft (~0.5 acre) in parts, South Gujarat vigha ~23,958 sq ft, other pockets differ; use the survey or Final Plot area in square metres from the record for any binding deal.
- Official land records and Final Plot areas are stated in square metres. See our full sources page for links.