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Different Units Used in Engineering and Revenue Department

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Written by Help The Engineer Team
Reviewed by Er. Inderjit Sharma (Retd.), Punjab PWD

Why this matters: On site and in offices, engineers work in feet, metres and inches, but land records in revenue offices use Karam, Marla, Kanal, Biswa and Bigha. You need to switch between the two all the time.

This page puts all the common units in one place, with pictures, simple tables and a converter, so you can understand them and convert in seconds.

Part 1: Units of Length

Length tells you how long something is. Let’s start with the smallest unit.

Inch and Soot

An inch is split into 8 equal parts, and each part is called a Soot. Carpenters and masons use it for fine measurement.

1234 5678 1 Inch = 8 Soot 1 Soot = 1/8 inch (each yellow block) 1 CM = 10 MM (enlarged) 1 MM = 1/10 cm (each blue gap)
Fig. 1: An inch has 8 Soot. A centimetre has 10 millimetres. (Both are drawn larger than real size.)

Foot, Yard, Metre and Karam: Side by Side

These are the units you meet most. The picture shows them drawn to the same scale, so you can see how they compare:

01 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft5 ft 1 Foot 12 inch 1 Yard (Gaj) 3 ft = 36 inch 1 Metre 3.28 ft = 100 cm 1 Karam 5.5 ft = 5 ft 6 inch
Fig. 2: A Metre is a little longer than a Yard. A Karam is the longest, at 5.5 ft.
UnitEqual toEasy way to remember
1 Inch8 SootAbout the width of your thumb
1 Foot12 Inch = 30.48 CMAbout the length of a school ruler
1 Yard (Gaj)3 Feet = 36 InchAbout one big step
1 Metre100 CM = 3.28 FeetA little longer than a yard
1 CM10 MMAbout the width of a fingernail
1 Karam5 ft 6 inch = 5.5 FeetAbout one person’s height

Part 2: Units of Area

Area tells you how much surface a floor, plot or field covers. It is length × width, so area units are “square” units.

Square Foot vs Square Yard (Square Gaj)

A square yard is 3 ft × 3 ft. Count the small squares in the picture: there are 9 square feet in it.

12345 6789 3 ft 3 ft 1 Square Yard (Gaj) = 3 ft × 3 ft = 9 square feet Each small square = 1 ft × 1 ft = 1 sq ft
Fig. 3: 1 Square Yard (Gaj) = 9 Square Feet.
💡 Watch out: When people say “Gaj” for a plot, they mean square Gaj (square yard). A 100 Gaj plot = 100 × 9 = 900 sq ft.

Part 3: Revenue (Land) Units

Revenue offices measure land in two systems. Both start from the Acre.

System 1: Kanal – Marla 1 Acre4,840 sq yd 1 Kanal605 sq yd 1 Marla30.25 sq yd × 8× 20 System 2: Bigha – Biswa 1 Acre= 96 Biswa 1 Bigha20 Biswa 1 Biswa50.41 sq yd 4.8 Bigha× 20 Each arrow shows how many smaller units fit in one bigger unit.
Fig. 4: The two revenue systems. 1 Acre = 8 Kanal = 160 Marla, and 1 Acre = 96 Biswa = 4.8 Bigha.
UnitEqual toSquare yardsSquare feet
1 Acre8 Kanal = 96 Biswa4,84043,560
1 Kanal20 Marla6055,445
1 Marla9 Sarsahi30.25272.25
1 Bigha20 Biswa1,008.339,075
1 Biswa1/20 Bigha50.41453.75
1 Gaj (sq yard)9 Square Feet19
💡 Note: The size of a Bigha is different in different states, and even between districts. The values above follow 1 Acre = 96 Biswa. Always confirm with the local revenue office before using them for a land deal.

Try It: Unit Converter

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Area
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Key Takeaways

  • 1 Inch = 8 Soot, 1 Foot = 12 Inch = 30.48 CM, 1 Yard = 3 Feet
  • 1 Metre = 100 CM = 3.28 Feet, 1 CM = 10 MM
  • 1 Karam = 5.5 Feet
  • 1 Square Gaj = 9 Sq Ft, 1 Acre = 4,840 Sq Yard
  • 1 Acre = 8 Kanal, 1 Kanal = 20 Marla = 605 Sq Yard, 1 Marla = 30.25 Sq Yard
  • 1 Acre = 96 Biswa, 1 Bigha = 20 Biswa, 1 Biswa = 50.41 Sq Yard (Bigha varies by region)

References: Standard units used in engineering practice and in Punjab revenue records; 1 foot = 0.3048 m and 1 yard = 0.9144 m (international definitions).

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