Acre vs. Hectare — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on July 25, 2023
An acre is a unit of area commonly used in the US, equal to 4,046.86 square meters. A hectare, used internationally, is 10,000 square meters. One hectare is approximately 2.47 acres.
Difference Between Acre and Hectare
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
An acre is a unit of land area commonly used in the United States and other countries that do not widely use the metric system. A hectare, on the other hand, is a unit of land area used in the metric system, which is internationally accepted for scientific and everyday use.
An acre approximately 0.405 hectares or about 4,047 square meters. One hectare is equivalent to about 2.47 acres or 10,000 square meters.
The acre originated in the Middle Ages, traditionally defined as the amount of land that could be plowed in one day with a yoke of oxen. The hectare, introduced during the French Revolution, is based on the metric system's base-10 design.
While acres are commonly used for smaller land areas in countries like the United States, the hectare is typically used for larger land parcels and in scientific work worldwide. Understanding these two units can be crucial in land management, real estate, and agricultural contexts.
Both acre and hectare, despite their differences in size and usage, serve the same purpose: to measure land area. They remain relevant today, bridging historical conventions and modern measurements in our diverse world.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A unit of area
Also a unit of area
Used in system
Imperial & US customary
Metric (SI)
Size (in square meters)
4,046.86 m²
10,000 m²
Size (in square feet)
43,560 ft²
107,639 ft²
Size (in square yards)
4,840 yd²
11,960 yd²
Size (in square miles)
0.0015625 mi²
0.003861 mi²
Commonly used in
United States, Liberia
Worldwide except US & Liberia
Fields it's used in
Agriculture, real estate
Agriculture, science
Examples of real-world usage
U.S. National Parks sizes
Land measure in football field
Compare with Definitions
Acre
An acre represents approximately 43,560 square feet, a size that can be visualized as a football field.
My family's house sits on about half the size of a football field, or roughly half an acre.
Hectare
A metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters, used primarily in the measurement of land.
Their new farm spans across 200 hectares, offering ample space for a variety of crops.
Acre
An acre is used in real estate to help assess the value and cost of a property.
The asking price for the undeveloped acre of land was surprisingly high.
Hectare
(abbreviated `ha') A unit of surface area equal to 100 ares (or 10,000 square meters)
Acre
A term used in forestry to estimate the amount of woodland.
The wildfire sadly destroyed over a thousand acres of the national park
Hectare
A measure of area, or superficies, containing a hundred ares, or 10,000 square meters, and equivalent to 2.471 acres.
Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, 1⁄640 of a square mile, or 43,560 square feet, and approximately 4,047 m2, or about 40% of a hectare.
Hectare
A metric unit of area equal to 100 ares (2.471 acres).
Acre
A historical measure, originally defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in one day.
In medieval times, an acre was considered a day's work for a pair of oxen.
Hectare
A unit of surface area (symbol ha) equal to 100 ares (that is, 10,000 square metres, one hundredth of a square kilometre, or approximately 2.5 acres), used for measuring the areas of geographical features such as land and bodies of water.
Acre
A territory of western Brazil bordering on Bolivia and Peru.
Hectare
Hectare is often used in agriculture to indicate the size of fields and farmland.
The wheat is thriving across all fifty hectares of the field this year.
Acre
A unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries.
Hectare
A unit of surface area in the International System of Units (SI), often used in environmental studies.
The forest reserve has grown to an impressive 4000 hectares, providing habitat for countless species.
Acre
An acre is a unit of area used primarily in the United States and other countries that do not use the metric system, often for land measurement.
They bought a 50-acre farm in the countryside.
Hectare
Defined by the metric system, a hectare is the equivalent of a square with 100-meter sides.
The city park, covering an area of one hectare, provides a green oasis in the urban environment.
Acre
A unit of area in the US Customary System, used in land and sea floor measurement and equal to 160 square rods, 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. See Table at measurement.
Hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre.
Acre
Acres property in the form of land; estate.
Acre
(Archaic) A field or plot of arable land.
Acre
A wide expanse, as of land or other matter.
"acres of textureless carpeting" (Anne Tyler).
Acre
An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86 square meters.
Acre
An area of 10,240 square yards or 4 quarters.
Acre
Any of various similar units of area in other systems.
Acre
A wide expanse.
I like my new house - there’s acres of space!
Acre
A large quantity.
Acre
(obsolete) A field.
Acre
(obsolete) The acre's breadth by the length, English units of length equal to the statute dimensions of the acre: 22 yds (≈20 m) by 220 yds (≈200 m).
Acre
(obsolete) A duel fought between individual Scots and Englishmen in the borderlands.
Acre
Any field of arable or pasture land.
Acre
A piece of land, containing 160 square rods, or 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English.
I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which callsThe burial ground, God's acre.
Common Curiosities
What is 1 acre vs. hectare?
One acre is a unit of area commonly used in the United States and other countries that do not use the metric system. One hectare is a metric unit of area. An acre is about 0.405 hectares.
How do you measure hectares of land?
To measure hectares of land, you need to measure the length and width of the land in meters, multiply these together to get the area in square meters, and then divide by 10,000 to convert to hectares.
How long is 40 acres?
An acre is a unit of area, not length. However, if you imagine a square-shaped area, a single acre would be approximately 208.71 feet on each side. So, 40 acres arranged in a square would have a side length of about 1320 feet. But remember, acres can be any shape, not just squares.
What size is 1 acre of land?
One acre is approximately 43,560 square feet, 4,840 square yards, or about 0.405 hectares.
Is 1 hectare equal to 10 kilometre?
No, 1 hectare is not equal to 10 kilometers. A hectare is a unit of area equivalent to 10,000 square meters, whereas a kilometer is a unit of linear measurement.
What is 5 hectares mean?
Five hectares refer to a land area equivalent to 50,000 square meters.
How many cents is 1 acre?
In terms of the Indian measurement system, 1 acre is equivalent to approximately 100 cents.
What is the meaning of 1 hectare?
One hectare represents a unit of area equivalent to 10,000 square meters. It is used in the metric system to measure large areas of land.
How many football fields in 50 acres?
On average, 50 acres is approximately equal to 38 international football fields.
What is the meaning of 1 acre?
One acre is a unit of area that is commonly used in the United States and other countries that do not use the metric system. It is equivalent to 43,560 square feet or about 0.405 hectares.
How do you calculate 1 hectare?
One hectare equals 10,000 square meters, so you calculate a hectare by finding the area of land in square meters and then dividing that figure by 10,000.
How many acres is 200 by 100?
If the measurements are in feet, a 200ft by 100ft area is approximately 0.4591368 acres. If the measurements are in meters, it is approximately 4.942 acres.
How many acres is 100x100?
A plot of land 100 feet by 100 feet is approximately 0.2295684 acres.
What is the formula hectare to acre?
To convert from hectares to acres, multiply the number of hectares by 2.47105 (since one hectare is equal to approximately 2.47105 acres).
How much distance is an acre?
An acre does not measure distance. It's a unit of area equivalent to 43,560 square feet. The distance around an acre would depend on its shape.
What is 1 hectare short?
A hectare, abbreviated as 'ha,' is a unit of area in the metric system equal to 10,000 square meters.
How many board feet are in an acre?
The number of board feet in an acre can vary greatly depending on the type, age, and density of the trees present, but a heavily forested acre might contain 10,000 board feet or more.
How many plots is 10 acres?
The number of plots in 10 acres depends on the size of the plot. For standard plots of 50ft by 100ft, there would be about 87 such plots in 10 acres.
How many plots are in one acre?
The number of plots in an acre depends on the size of the plot. In many areas, a standard plot is considered to be 50ft by 100ft. Therefore, about 8.7 such plots can fit in one acre.
What is the distance of 100 acres?
Again, an acre is a unit of area, not distance. If you imagine a square-shaped plot, 100 acres would measure approximately 2087.1 feet on each side.
How much is a 10 acre field?
Again, an acre is a unit of area, not price. The price of a 10-acre field can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, such as location, land quality, whether it's developed or undeveloped, and the current market conditions.
How many acres is a field?
The size of a field in acres can vary greatly. An acre is a unit of area equal to 43,560 square feet or about 0.405 hectares, so the number of acres would depend on the size of the field in square feet or hectares.
What is the formula for acres?
To convert from square feet to acres, divide the number of square feet by 43,560 (since one acre is equal to 43,560 square feet).
How many plots are in 1 hectare?
The number of plots in a hectare depends on the size of the plot. For standard plots of 50ft by 100ft, there would be approximately 20 such plots in a hectare.
How many acres is 100x100 meters?
A 100m by 100m area is equivalent to approximately 2.47 acres.
What is 50 feet by 100 feet in acres?
A plot of land that measures 50 feet by 100 feet is approximately 0.1148 acres in size.
What is half of 1 acre of land?
Half of an acre is approximately 21,780 square feet or 0.202 hectares.
How many square feet are in an acre?
There are 43,560 square feet in an acre.
Is hectare bigger than KM?
No, a hectare is not bigger than a kilometer. A hectare is a unit of area measurement equivalent to 10,000 square meters, while a kilometer is a linear measure equivalent to 1,000 meters.
How big is 12 acres in football fields?
On average, 12 acres is approximately equal to 9 international football fields.
What is 50x100 in hectares?
A plot of land that is 50m by 100m is 0.5 hectares in size.
Is a football field 1 hectare?
No, a football field is not 1 hectare. An international soccer field has an area of approximately 0.71 hectares.
What size is a hectare?
One hectare is a unit of area that is equivalent to 10,000 square meters.
What is the length of 1 acre?
An acre doesn't have a fixed length as it is a unit of area, not length. It represents a space that totals to 43,560 square feet or approximately 0.405 hectares, but the actual dimensions can vary.
What makes 1 acre?
One acre is made up of a land area that equals 4,840 square yards, 43,560 square feet, or about 0.405 hectares.
Is 100m by 100m a hectare?
Yes, an area that measures 100 meters by 100 meters is equal to one hectare.
Why use hectares instead of acres?
Hectares are used instead of acres in countries that use the metric system because they fit neatly into the system, being 10,000 square meters, and thus are easier to work with than acres.
How big is the acres?
An acre is a unit of area in the imperial and US customary systems. It's traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong, which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, 1⁄640 of a square mile, or 43,560 square feet.
Which is bigger acres or acre?
The terms "acre" and "acres" are the same measurement of area. The only difference is that "acres" is the plural form, meaning more than one acre. So, if you're comparing one acre to multiple acres, the multiple acres would be larger.
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Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
