conversions
How Many Square Feet in an Acre
Last updated: May 31, 2026
Written by Blake Boege
A square-feet-in-an-acre page translates land area measurements between acres and square feet. A standard survey acre contains exactly 43,560 square feet. This is equivalent to approximately 4,047 square meters or 0.405 hectares.
Convert between acres and square feet instantly. Review the historical origin of the acre and compare its size visually and metrically.
Quick Answer
Calculate the exact number of square feet in an acre (43,560 square feet per US/Imperial acre).
How Many Square Feet Are in an Acre?
There are 43,560 square feet in one acre.
For metric measurements, this is equal to approximately 4,047 square meters or 0.405 hectares.
Equivalent Metric Area
Formula: 1 Acre = 43560 square feet (US Survey standard)
Acres to Square Feet Reference Table
| Acres (ac) | Square Feet (sq ft) |
|---|---|
| 1/8 acre | 5,445 sq ft |
| 1/4 acre | 10,890 sq ft |
| 1/3 acre | 14,520 sq ft |
| 1/2 acre | 21,780 sq ft |
| 3/4 acre | 32,670 sq ft |
| 1 acre | 43,560 sq ft |
| 2 acres | 87,120 sq ft |
| 5 acres | 217,800 sq ft |
| 10 acres | 435,600 sq ft |
Examples
1/4 Acre
10,890 sq ft
1/2 Acre
21,780 sq ft
1 Acre
43,560 sq ft
How it works
In standard land surveys and real estate, acres and square feet are related by a constant conversion factor:
Standard Area Conversion
1 Acre = 43,560 Square Feet
Conversion Formula
Multiply acres by 43,560 to get square feet. Divide square feet by 43,560 to get acres.
The Medieval Origin of the Acre
The word "acre" derives from the Old English word æcer, meaning "open field". Historically, it was defined as the amount of land that could be plowed in a single day by a yoke of eight oxen.
This area was standardized as a rectangle of 1 chain wide (66 feet) by 1 furlong long (660 feet). Multiplying these dimensions yields the standard survey acre still in use today:
Visual Comparisons: Football Fields and Tennis Courts
Since 43,560 is a large number that is hard to visualize, real estate agents and developers often use sports fields to describe acreage:
- An American football field (including end zones) is 1.32 acres.
- A standard association soccer field is about 1.76 acres.
- An acre can fit about 16 standard singles tennis courts.
Metric Area Equivalents
For global land transactions and maps, standard US Customary acreage is translated into metric units of area:
- 1 Acre = approximately 4,046.86 square meters.
- 1 Acre = exactly 0.40468564 hectares.
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Frequently asked questions
There are exactly 21,780 square feet in a 1/2 acre (43,560 ÷ 2).
A standard American football field (including the end zones) measures 360 feet long by 160 feet wide, totaling 57,600 square feet. This is equal to approximately 1.32 acres. Excluding end zones, the field is 48,000 square feet, or about 1.10 acres.
No, a hectare is much larger. 1 hectare is defined as 10,000 square meters, which equals approximately 2.471 acres. Conversely, 1 acre is equal to about 0.4047 hectares.
Visually, 1 acre is roughly 90% of the size of a standard soccer field, or about the area of 16 standard tennis courts laid out in a grid.
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