Square Meters to Square Feet Calculator
Convert square metres to square feet: 1 m² = 10.763910416709722 sq ft, because a foot is defined as 0.3048 m. Type either box — the conversion runs both ways.
Last updated:Conversion Formula
Conversion factors follow NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9.1 (area). Links are in Sources below.
square feet = square metres × 10.763910416709722
square metres = square feet ÷ 10.763910416709722 (or × 0.09290304, which is exact)
The long factor is 1 ÷ 0.09290304. The denominator is exact — 0.3048 m per foot, squared — so the only imprecision is in how many digits you write down. Multiplying by the exact 0.09290304 in the other direction is always preferable to dividing by a truncated 10.7639.
Worked Example
A European listing gives a flat as 85 m². How much is that in the units a US flooring order uses?
- Write the factor: 1 m² = 10.763910416709722 sq ft.
- Multiply: 85 × 10.763910416709722 = 914.93 sq ft.
- Convert back to check: 914.93 × 0.09290304 = 85.00 m². ✓
Mental version: 85 × 10 = 850, plus 7.6% of 850 (64.6) = 914.6 sq ft — about 0.04% low. Good for a sanity check, not for an order.
Quick Reference
| Square Meters | Square Feet |
|---|---|
| 0.5 m² | 5.382 sq ft |
| 1 m² | 10.7639 sq ft |
| 2 m² | 21.5278 sq ft |
| 5 m² | 53.8196 sq ft |
| 10 m² | 107.6391 sq ft |
| 25 m² | 269.0978 sq ft |
| 50 m² | 538.1955 sq ft |
| 75 m² | 807.29 sq ft |
| 100 m² | 1,076.39 sq ft |
| 150 m² | 1,614.59 sq ft |
| 200 m² | 2,152.78 sq ft |
| 300 m² | 3,229.17 sq ft |
| 500 m² | 5,381.96 sq ft |
| 1,000 m² | 10,763.91 sq ft |
One square metre in every unit on this site
Useful when a listing mixes systems. Every value below is 1 m² expressed through the same NIST factors, so the column can never disagree with itself:
- 10.763910416709722 square feet (1 ÷ 0.09290304)
- 1.1959900463 square yards (1 ÷ 0.83612736)
- 1,550.0031 square inches (1 ÷ 0.00064516)
- 0.00024710538 acres (1 ÷ 4,046.8564224)
- 0.0001 hectares, exactly (1 ÷ 10,000)
- 0.00000038610216 square miles (1 ÷ 2,589,988.110336)
What is a square meter?
A square metre is the area of a square one metre on each side, and it is the SI derived unit of area. The metre itself is defined by fixing the speed of light, so the square metre needs no artefact and no rounding. Sub-multiples follow the usual prefixes: 1 m² = 10,000 cm² = 1,000,000 mm², and 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² = 100 hectares.
It is the unit used for floor area in most of the world, for land in metric countries (as hectares or m²), and for every scientific and engineering area figure.
What is a square foot?
A square foot is the area of a square one foot on each side: 12 in × 12 in = 144 sq in, or 0.09290304 m² exactly. It is exact because the international foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 m, and 0.3048² = 0.09290304. NIST SP 811 prints it as 9.290 304 E−02 m².
US listings, floor plans, carpet and tile orders, and building-code area limits are all written in square feet, which is why a metric listing has to be converted before it means anything to a US buyer or contractor.
What does a square metre look like in feet?
| Metric | In feet | Check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 m × 1 m | 3.2808 ft × 3.2808 ft | 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895 |
| 10 m × 10 m (100 m²) | 32.81 ft × 32.81 ft | 32.808399² = 1,076.39 |
| 3 m × 4 m (12 m² bedroom) | 9.84 ft × 13.12 ft | 9.84252 × 13.12336 = 129.17 sq ft |
| 5 m × 8 m (40 m² apartment) | 16.40 ft × 26.25 ft | 16.4042 × 26.2467 = 430.56 sq ft |
| 85 m² as a square | 30.25 ft × 30.25 ft | √85 = 9.2195 m = 30.2478 ft |
Area alone never determines the sides: 85 m² could be 30.25 ft × 30.25 ft, or 17 ft × 53.8 ft, or an L. Take the square root only when you want the square equivalent. For a real room with measured sides, use the house square footage calculator and add the rooms up.
Rounding a flooring or tile order
- Convert first, round last. 85 m² → 914.9324 sq ft → order against 915, not against 914.93 × 1.1 = 1,006.4 twice-rounded.
- Round the order up, never down. Being 2 sq ft short stops a job; being 2 sq ft over does not.
- Waste factor is a separate decision. It depends on tile size, pattern and room shape, so it belongs to your installer's quote, not to this conversion. This page converts units and nothing else.
- Don't mix measurement conventions. A figure labelled m² in one listing and sq ft in another may not count the same spaces (balconies, closets, stairwells, wall thickness). Confirm what each listing includes before comparing — the unit conversion is exact, the measured area behind it may not be comparable.
FAQ
How many square feet are in one square meter?
10.763910416709722. One square metre is 1 m × 1 m and one foot is defined as 0.3048 m, so 1 sq ft = 0.09290304 m² and 1 ÷ 0.09290304 = 10.763910416709722 sq ft per m². The decimal does not terminate, so printed values are always rounded.
How do I convert square meters to square feet without a calculator?
Multiply by 10.76. The mental shortcut is multiply by 10, then add 7.6%: for 85 m² that is 850 + 64.6 = 914.6 sq ft, against a true 914.93 sq ft, so the estimate runs about 0.04% low. Multiplying by 11 overshoots by about 3%, which is too much for ordering material.
Why is 1 square meter 10.76 square feet instead of a round number?
Because the foot was redefined in 1959 as exactly 0.3048 m, and area scales by the square of the length factor. 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895 ft per metre, and 3.280839895² = 10.763910416709722. The 0.3048 is exact; the resulting area factor simply does not come out round in base 10.
How many square meters are in a 1,500 sq ft house?
139.35 m². Multiply square feet by 0.09290304: 1,500 × 0.09290304 = 139.35456 m². A 2,500 sq ft house is 232.2576 m², a 1,000 sq ft apartment is 92.90304 m², and a 500 sq ft studio is 46.45152 m². See the square feet to square meters page for that direction.
What are the dimensions of one square meter in feet?
3.2808 ft × 3.2808 ft, since 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895. A 10 m × 10 m floor is 32.81 ft × 32.81 ft and 100 m² = 1,076.39 sq ft. To turn any area back into a square side, take the square root: √(85 m²) = 9.22 m = 30.25 ft.
How do I convert square feet back to square meters?
Multiply by 0.09290304, which is exact, or divide by 10.763910416709722. Example: 1,076.39 sq ft × 0.09290304 = 100.00 m². Type into the second box of the converter above and it runs this direction automatically.
Sources and How to Check This Page
- The square foot (9.290 304 E−02 m²), square yard (8.361 274 E−01 m²), square inch (6.4516 E−04 m²), acre (4.046 873 E+03 m², based on the U.S. survey foot), square mile (2.589 988 E+06 m²) and hectare (1.0E+04 m²) factors are all from NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9.1. NIST prints exact factors in boldface.
- The 0.3048 m international foot that makes 0.09290304 exact is documented in NIST's Appendix B.9 length table and in the retirement notice for the competing US survey foot, 85 FR 62698, FR Doc. 2020-21902, deprecated on December 31, 2022. Using the survey foot instead would move the factor in the sixth digit.
- Everything else on this page is arithmetic on those two exact numbers and can be re-derived: 1 ÷ 0.09290304 = 10.763910416709722; 1 ÷ 0.3048 = 3.280839895; 3.280839895² = 10.763910416709722; 85 × 10.763910416709722 = 914.9324; 1,500 × 0.09290304 = 139.35456; √85 = 9.2195 m.
- What this page does not claim: what a typical home, flat or room measures. "100 m² is about the size of an average US starter home" is the sort of comparison that looks helpful and is not checkable — the Census Bureau's new-housing data reports median and average floor area by year and region, not a single national norm, so we do not print one here. For measured house area use the house square footage calculator; for the sourced lot-size benchmark see the property size calculator.