In Sri Lanka, land is sold in perches, roods and acres, while houses and apartments are measured in square feet. Survey plans and deeds may also use hectares or square metres. When you’re buying a plot, comparing prices or planning a house, you need to move between these units quickly and correctly. This guide gives you the numbers and shows how to use them.
The quick answer
1 perch = 272.25 square feet = about 25.29 square metres. So a 10-perch block is 2,722.5 square feet, a little over 250 square metres.
Sri Lankan land units at a glance
| Unit | Perches | Square feet | Square metres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 perch | 1 | 272.25 | 25.29 |
| 1 rood | 40 | 10,890 | 1,011.71 |
| 1 acre | 160 | 43,560 | 4,046.86 |
| 1 hectare | 395.37 | 107,639 | 10,000 |
In words: 40 perches make a rood, 4 roods make an acre, so an acre is 160 perches. A hectare, used in some newer plans and for large estates, is about 2.47 acres.
Common plot sizes in square feet
| Land size | Square feet | Square metres |
|---|---|---|
| 6 perches | 1,633.5 | 151.76 |
| 10 perches | 2,722.5 | 252.93 |
| 15 perches | 4,083.75 | 379.39 |
| 20 perches | 5,445 | 505.86 |
| 40 perches (1 rood) | 10,890 | 1,011.71 |
Remember that land area and floor area are different things. A 10-perch plot (2,722.5 sq ft) doesn’t mean you can build a 2,722 sq ft house on it: you need space for the garden, drive and setbacks your local authority requires, while a two-storey house can have more floor area than its footprint.
Reading acres, roods and perches on a deed
Deeds and survey plans often give the extent in all three units at once, written in different ways such as 0A-1R-20P or A0 R1 P20. That means 0 acres, 1 rood and 20 perches. To turn it into perches:
perches = acres × 160 + roods × 40 + perches
So 0A-1R-20P = 0 + 40 + 20 = 60 perches, and 2A-3R-10P = 320 + 120 + 10 = 450 perches (122,512.5 square feet).
Where does 272.25 come from?
The perch is an old British unit. It’s the area of a square whose sides are one rod long, and a rod is 16.5 feet. 16.5 × 16.5 = 272.25 square feet. That’s why the number isn’t round. Strictly speaking it’s a “square perch”, but in Sri Lanka everyone just says perch.
Comparing land prices
Land is usually priced per perch, but building costs and apartments are quoted per square foot. To compare them:
- Price per square foot = price per perch ÷ 272.25. At Rs. 1,500,000 a perch, that’s about Rs. 5,510 per square foot.
- Total price = price per perch × number of perches. 12.5 perches at Rs. 1,500,000 is Rs. 18,750,000.
- Price per perch from an acre price = price per acre ÷ 160. An estate at Rs. 2,000,000 an acre works out at Rs. 12,500 a perch.
Negotiating? The Percentage Calculator shows what a 5% or 10% discount on the total would save you.
Convert any amount in seconds
- Open the Unit Converter and choose Area.
- Type the amount, for example 15.
- Choose Perch as the unit you have and Square foot (or acre, rood, hectare, square metre) as the unit you want.
- Read the answer, plus a table of the same area in every other unit.
Common questions
How many perches are in an acre?
160 perches. An acre is also 4 roods, and each rood is 40 perches.
How many square feet are in 10 perches?
2,722.5 square feet (10 × 272.25), which is about 252.9 square metres.
How many perches are in a hectare?
About 395.37 perches. A hectare is 10,000 square metres, or about 2.47 acres.
How many perches is 1,000 square feet?
About 3.67 perches (1,000 ÷ 272.25).