A buyer asks how big a 10 marla house is. One agent says 2,250 sq ft, another says 2,722 sq ft, and both are right. The marla is not a fixed size: it depends on who drew up the plot. Getting this wrong on a listing is one of the quickest ways to lose a buyer's trust, so it's worth knowing exactly where the numbers come from.
Three sizes of marla
| Marla standard | Square feet | Square yards | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Society marla | 225 | 25 | Common in private housing societies, for example DHA Lahore and Bahria Town |
| 250 sq ft marla | 250 | 27.78 | Some older schemes |
| Revenue marla | 272.25 | 30.25 | Government land records (the traditional marla) |
Always check the society's own schedule or the plot documents. When you list a property, write the standard next to the size, for example "10 marla (225 sq ft marla)", so nobody has to guess.
How the other units relate
- 1 kanal = 20 marla, whatever the marla standard. So a kanal is 4,500 sq ft with a 225 sq ft marla and 5,445 sq ft with the revenue marla.
- 1 square yard = 9 square feet. In Karachi, plot sizes are usually quoted in square yards, often called gaz: a "120 gaz" plot is 120 square yards, or 1,080 sq ft.
- 1 acre = 43,560 sq ft. With the revenue marla that is exactly 8 kanal (160 marla). With a 225 sq ft marla it is about 9.7 kanal.
- 1 square metre = 10.764 sq ft, useful when a buyer abroad asks for metric sizes.
Common plot sizes under each standard
| Plot | 225 sq ft marla | 272.25 sq ft marla |
|---|---|---|
| 5 marla | 1,125 sq ft (125 sq yd) | 1,361.25 sq ft (151.25 sq yd) |
| 8 marla | 1,800 sq ft (200 sq yd) | 2,178 sq ft (242 sq yd) |
| 10 marla | 2,250 sq ft (250 sq yd) | 2,722.5 sq ft (302.5 sq yd) |
| 1 kanal | 4,500 sq ft (500 sq yd) | 5,445 sq ft (605 sq yd) |
| 2 kanal | 9,000 sq ft (1,000 sq yd) | 10,890 sq ft (1,210 sq yd) |
Karachi plots in marla
Buyers moving between cities often want Karachi sizes in marla. A 120 sq yd plot (1,080 sq ft) is 4.8 marla on the 225 sq ft standard or about 3.97 marla on the revenue standard. A 240 sq yd plot is 9.6 or 7.93 marla, and a 500 sq yd plot is exactly 1 kanal on the 225 sq ft standard.
Convert any size, with the marla standard of your choice.
Open the converterHabits that prevent mistakes
- Record the size in the unit the documents use, and convert only for display.
- Put the marla standard in every listing and every WhatsApp message that quotes a size.
- When comparing prices per marla across societies, convert both to square feet first.
In aaraazi, a property's size is stored once in the unit from its documents, and every screen can show it in marla, kanal, square yards or square feet.