Katha to Square Feet Converter

Katha is a familiar land unit in Bangladesh, eastern and northern India, Nepal, and several cross-border real-estate markets, but it is not one universal size. A buyer who hears “five katha” in Dhaka, Patna, Guwahati, and the Nepal Terai may be looking at four very different areas. This converter is built around that reality. It asks for the region first, then multiplies the katha amount by the square-foot factor used by the form.

The current calculator factors are the ones defined in its form logic: 720 sq ft/katha for Bangladesh and West Bengal, 1,361 sq ft/katha for Bihar, Patna, and Gorakhpur, 3,645 sq ft/katha for Nepal, 2,880 sq ft/katha for Assam, 1,742.24 sq ft/katha for Saran, and a custom option for any local value supplied by a deed, broker, surveyor, or land office. The calculator does not edit or normalize these factors behind the scenes; it simply applies the selected value.

For wider comparison, use the area converter, the square feet to square meters calculator, and the gaj to square yard converter. Those links help when a listing mixes traditional land units with square feet, square yards, and metric plans.

What katha means by region

Katha, also written kattha or cottah in some records, belongs to the family of customary land units used with bigha, decimal, dhur, kani, gonda, and other local measures. Unlike square foot or square meter, it was not standardized through a single international definition. Local land revenue systems fixed their own relationships, and those relationships survived in property ads and official paperwork.

That is why this converter starts with a region selector. In Bangladesh and West Bengal, a common value is 720 sq ft per katha. Nepal commonly uses a much larger 3,645 sq ft value, especially in Terai land measurement. Assam listings often use 2,880 sq ft. Bihar, Patna, and Gorakhpur are represented here by 1,361 sq ft, while Saran is represented by 1,742.24 sq ft. The custom field exists because district practice, older deeds, and local revenue tables can differ from simplified online lists.

If the conversion supports a legal or financial decision, do not stop at the calculator. Ask which record defines the unit, whether the area is gross plot area or net usable area, and whether the stated katha count includes road share, common passage, or disputed boundary strips.

Formula used by the calculator

The square-foot result is multiplication by the selected regional factor:

$\text{area in sq ft} = \text{katha} \times \text{sq ft per katha}$

The square-meter result then uses the exact square-foot-to-square-meter factor:

$\text{area in m}^2 = \text{area in sq ft} \times 0.09290304$

The form rejects negative katha values and rejects a zero or negative custom factor. It displays square feet and square meters to two decimals, while keeping the region label and the factor visible in the result. That transparency is important because two users can enter the same number of katha and receive completely different square-foot totals if they select different regions.

Worked example

Suppose the region is left on the default Bangladesh / West Bengal setting and the area is 3.5 katha. The form reads the regional factor as 720 sq ft/katha:

$3.5\ \text{katha} \times 720\ \frac{\text{sq ft}}{\text{katha}} = 2520\ \text{sq ft}$

It then converts square feet to square meters:

$2520\ \text{sq ft} \times 0.09290304 = 234.1156608\ \text{m}^2$

The result panel therefore shows 2,520.00 sq ft, a regional factor of 720.00 sq ft/katha, 234.12 m2, and the region label Bangladesh / West Bengal. The copy text follows the same calculation: 3.5 katha equals 2,520.00 sq ft using 720.00 sq ft/katha.

If you keep the same 3.5 katha but switch to Nepal, the square-foot result becomes 12,757.50 sq ft because the selected factor is 3,645. That contrast is the main reason the region selector matters.

Reference table

Practical uses

Katha conversions are most common in land listings, mutation paperwork, informal price quotes, inheritance partitions, and building discussions. In a real-estate negotiation, a seller may quote price per katha while a lender, architect, or valuer asks for square feet. Converting first lets you compare per-square-foot prices across neighborhoods and avoid paying more simply because two listings use different unit language.

Square feet are also needed for building coverage, floor-area ratio, setback checks, boundary-wall estimates, and material quantities. Square meters may be needed for metric drawings, international investors, or public forms. The converter gives both, so you can move from local land language to construction and planning units without losing the selected regional context.

For South Asian property, also watch for neighboring units. Gaj often means square yard, but katha does not equal gaj. Bigha can be 20 katha in some places, yet the actual square-foot size of the bigha changes when the katha changes. Dhur, decimal, kani, gonda, marla, and kanal have their own regional histories too. Convert only after identifying the local table.

Common pitfalls

• Using the default for every place. The default 720 sq ft/katha is not correct for Nepal, Assam, Bihar, Saran, or every local record.
• Comparing price per katha across regions. A lower price per katha can still be expensive if that region’s katha is smaller.
• Forgetting square meters. Metric drawings may not match the square-foot listing until you multiply by 0.09290304.
• Treating a broker table as a legal record. Online factors are useful, but deeds, cadastral maps, and revenue records control formal decisions.
• Mixing gross and net area. A plot may include road share, common passage, or unusable strips in the quoted katha count.

Sources

• Ministry of Land, Government of Bangladesh, Calculation of area of land in Bangladesh — official table listing katha/cottah relationships, including 720 square feet.
• Bihar Bhumi, Government of Bihar, Jamabandi FAQ — official land-record context for checking village-level land entries and area records.
• Provincial and Local Governance Support Programme, Government of Nepal, Resource Book on Building By-laws and Building Permit System in Nepal — official building-permit reference for Nepal land and planning context.
• NIST, Special Publication 811: Guide for the Use of the International System of Units — SI guidance used for the square-meter conversion.