hectare to square foot (ha to ft²) - How to convert ha to ft²
Converting hectare to square foot may sound like a challenge, but with the right approach it becomes simple and practical. This conversion is essential for farmers, architects, real estate developers, and even environmental planners who often switch between metric and imperial systems. With 1 ha = 107 639.104 ft², the link between these two units shows how vast land can be when expressed in square feet.
What is a hectare?
A hectare (ha) is a metric unit of area widely used across the globe, especially in agriculture, forestry, and land measurement. One hectare equals 10 000 m² and is slightly larger than two football fields. The term comes from the French “hecto” (meaning hundred) and “are” (a now less common metric unit). Its simplicity has made it the standard for governments, land registries, and international reporting.
What is a square foot?
The square foot (ft²) is a unit from the imperial and US customary systems. Defined as the area of a square with each side measuring one foot (12 inches), it’s a common measure for houses, apartments, and commercial real estate. For example, property listings in the United States or Canada almost always describe size in square feet rather than hectares.
Conversion formula: ha to ft²
The formula to convert hectare to square foot is direct:
Area in ft² = Area in ha × 107 639.104
Example:
Convert 2 ha to ft²:2 × 107 639.104 = 215 278.208 ft²
This simple multiplication allows quick conversions for projects ranging from farmland valuation to property development.
You can explore related tools like the Area Conversion tool.
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Do you know?
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A hectare has been the global standard for reporting agricultural statistics since the 19th century, and it’s still the official unit for land under cultivation in the European Union.
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In the US, the square foot has been the star of real estate advertising. From glossy magazines in the 1950s to today’s online platforms, homebuyers evaluate value mostly on price per square foot.
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The largest football stadiums, such as the AT&T Stadium in Texas, cover more than 3 million ft², which is equal to around 28 ha of land.
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In films like The Big Short, property sizes and square footage play a crucial role in showing how housing markets were valued before the financial crisis.
From farmland to skyscrapers
In the early 20th century, many immigrants arriving in North America were used to land measured in hectares from Europe. When they began buying property in cities like New York or Chicago, they encountered the square foot system for the first time. Newspapers at the time reported confusion, with some farmers misjudging urban lot sizes by several times. Over decades, this difference in measurement became symbolic: hectares representing open farmland and square feet representing urban density.
One famous example appeared in a 1930s real estate guidebook distributed in Chicago. It included conversion charts to help new settlers, showing how many square feet made up a hectare. This guide became an essential tool for land investors and is now considered a piece of real estate history preserved in libraries.
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Picture it in real life
Think of 1 hectare as a wide-open field. When converted, it stretches to more than 107 000 ft² — that’s about two NBA basketball courts side by side, multiplied by 25.
Now imagine you own 10 hectares. In square feet, that’s over a million ft² — enough to fit entire city blocks or a large shopping mall complex.
By visualizing hectares as square feet this way, the numbers transform from abstract figures into everyday spaces you can picture instantly. It’s not just math — it’s a way to see land with new eyes.
Check the full set of Conversion Tools available on Jetcalculator. These resources cover multiple dimensions, from geometry to land and property measurements, making them versatile companions.