Acres to Hectares: The Conversions That Actually Matter
1 hectare = 2.4711 acres. 1 acre = 0.4047 hectares.
1 acre = 4,046.86 m² = 43,560 sq ft. 1 hectare = 10,000 m² = 100m × 100m.
The Core Conversions
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| Acres | Hectares | 0.404686 |
| Hectares | Acres | 2.471054 |
| Acres | Square metres | 4,046.856 |
| Acres | Square feet | 43,560 |
| Hectares | Square metres | 10,000 |
| Square metres | Square feet | 10.7639 |
| Square kilometres | Hectares | 100 |
| Square miles | Acres | 640 |
| Square miles | Square kilometres | 2.58999 |
Mental Shortcuts
- Hectares to acres: multiply by 2.5. Over-states by about 1% — close enough for a field conversation.
- Acres to hectares: divide by 2.5, or multiply by 0.4.
- A hectare is a square 100m on a side — slightly larger than a standard football pitch.
- An acre is roughly 63m × 63m if it were square, or about 0.6 of a football pitch.
- Square kilometre = 100 hectares = 247 acres.
Common Land Sizes, With Tree Counts
| Size | Hectares | m² | Trees at 2.5m spacing | Trees at 3m spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 acre | 0.40 | 4,047 | 647 | 450 |
| 2 acres | 0.81 | 8,094 | 1,295 | 899 |
| 5 acres | 2.02 | 20,234 | 3,237 | 2,248 |
| 10 acres | 4.05 | 40,469 | 6,475 | 4,496 |
| 1 hectare | 1.00 | 10,000 | 1,600 | 1,111 |
| 5 hectares | 5.00 | 50,000 | 8,000 | 5,556 |
| 10 hectares | 10.00 | 100,000 | 16,000 | 11,111 |
| 100 hectares | 100.00 | 1,000,000 | 160,000 | 111,111 |
Work out any spacing with the spacing calculator, or see how many trees per acre for the full chart.
Local Units Are a Trap
Where money is involved, use hectares or square metres
- Many countries use local land measures — plots, decimals, bighas, kanals, rai, tarea, dunam — and several of these vary by region within the same country.
- A "plot" in one district may not be a plot in the next. Agreeing a price per plot without defining it is how disputes start.
- Agree the area in hectares or square metres, and put the figure in the contract.
- And measure it. A stated acreage that nobody has walked is an assumption. Discrepancies of 10–20% are common in land that has been subdivided and resold.
Why an Acre Is That Odd Number
An acre was historically the area a yoke of oxen could plough in a day: one furlong (660 feet) by one chain (66 feet), which comes to 43,560 square feet. It was a measure of work, not of geometry.
The hectare came later and was defined cleanly as 100 metres square — 10,000 m². That is why the conversion between them is 2.4711 rather than anything memorable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many acres in a hectare?
One hectare equals 2.4711 acres. For quick mental arithmetic, multiply hectares by 2.5 — that over-states by about 1%.
Going the other way, one acre equals 0.4047 hectares.
How big is one acre?
4,046.86 square metres, or 43,560 square feet. If it were square it would be roughly 63m on each side, which is about 0.6 of a standard football pitch.
The odd number comes from its historical definition: one furlong by one chain, being the area a yoke of oxen could plough in a day.
How big is one hectare?
Exactly 10,000 square metres — a square 100 metres on each side, slightly larger than a standard football pitch.
That is 2.4711 acres, or 107,639 square feet.
How many square metres in an acre?
4,046.86 square metres. For a hectare it is exactly 10,000 square metres.
One square kilometre is 100 hectares, or about 247 acres.
What about local land units like plots or decimals?
Be careful with them. Many local measures vary by region within the same country, so a plot in one district is not necessarily a plot in the next.
Where money is involved, agree the area in hectares or square metres and put that figure in the contract — and have the land actually measured rather than relying on a stated figure.
Know Your Real Acreage
Discrepancies of 10 to 20 percent are routine in subdivided land. A GPS boundary walk is the cheapest due diligence available.
Over a decade establishing, measuring and managing eucalyptus, pine and indigenous plantations across Uganda. Based in Wakiso, Kampala. Reviewed and updated September 6, 2026.
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These apply the same way in any country.
