1 kanal is 20 marla. That never changes. What changes is the size of a marla, so 1 kanal is 4,500 sq ft in most housing societies (225 sq ft marla), 5,000 sq ft on a 250 sq ft marla, and 5,445 sq ft in revenue records.
Half a kanal is 10 marla. Two kanal is 40 marla. Eight kanal make one acre on the revenue scale.
Kanal to marla and square feet
| Kanal | Marla | Sq ft (225 marla) | Sq ft (250 marla) | Sq ft (272.25 marla) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | 4,500 | 5,000 | 5,445 |
| 2 | 40 | 9,000 | 10,000 | 10,890 |
| 4 | 80 | 18,000 | 20,000 | 21,780 |
| 8 | 160 | 36,000 | 40,000 | 43,560 |
| 10 | 200 | 45,000 | 50,000 | 54,450 |
Only the revenue column makes 8 kanal equal to one acre of 43,560 sq ft. On the society scale, 8 kanal is 36,000 sq ft, which is short of an acre.
Worked example
A 1 kanal plot in a housing society and a 1 kanal plot in the revenue record are both "20 marla", but:
- Society: 20 × 225 = 4,500 sq ft = 500 sq yd
- Revenue: 20 × 272.25 = 5,445 sq ft = 605 sq yd
The revenue kanal is 945 sq ft larger, about 21% more land. If you are comparing prices, divide by square feet, not by kanal.
Marla to kanal
Divide the marla by 20. 25 marla is 1.25 kanal, which is written 1 kanal 5 marla. Choose marla in the "From" box above and the converter shows both forms.
| Marla | Kanal (decimal) | Kanal and marla | Sq ft at 225 | Sq ft at 272.25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0.75 | 15 marla | 3,375 | 4,083.75 |
| 25 | 1.25 | 1 kanal 5 marla | 5,625 | 6,806.25 |
| 30 | 1.5 | 1 kanal 10 marla | 6,750 | 8,167.5 |
| 50 | 2.5 | 2 kanal 10 marla | 11,250 | 13,612.5 |
| 100 | 5 | 5 kanal | 22,500 | 27,225 |
| 160 | 8 | 8 kanal | 36,000 | 43,560 |
Decimal kanal is not kanal and marla
The most common slip is reading 1.5 kanal as 1 kanal 5 marla. It is not. The part after the point is a share of a kanal, and a kanal has 20 marla, so 0.5 kanal is 10 marla. Likewise 1.25 kanal is 1 kanal 5 marla, 1.75 kanal is 1 kanal 15 marla and 2.1 kanal is 2 kanal 2 marla. Keep the whole number as kanal and multiply the decimal part by 20.
Worked example: 37 marla of land
- Kanal: 37 ÷ 20 = 1.85 kanal, so 1 kanal and 0.85 × 20 = 17 marla: 1 kanal 17 marla
- Revenue marla: 37 × 272.25 = 10,073.25 sq ft
- Society marla: 37 × 225 = 8,325 sq ft
The label is the same, but the revenue piece is 1,748.25 sq ft bigger. Land outside a housing scheme is normally measured on the revenue marla, so that is the figure to price. The Punjab Private Housing Schemes and Land Sub-division Rules 2010 and the DHA Lahore Construction and Development Regulations 2026 both define a kanal as twenty marla, so the 20 to 1 ratio holds even where the marla shrank to 225 sq ft.
Kanal in the land-record system
In Punjab's revenue units the chain goes:
- 9 sarsai = 1 marla
- 20 marla = 1 kanal
- 4 kanal = 1 bigha (Punjab)
- 8 kanal = 1 acre (killa)
- 25 acres = 1 murabba
On this scale 1 kanal is 5,445 sq ft or 605 sq yd. For acres, see kanal to acre. For single marla sizes, see marla to square feet.
Marla sizes compared
| Size | 225 sq ft marla | 250 sq ft marla | 272.25 sq ft marla |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 marla | 225 sq ft | 250 sq ft | 272.25 sq ft |
| 5 marla | 1,125 sq ft | 1,250 sq ft | 1,361.25 sq ft |
| 10 marla | 2,250 sq ft | 2,500 sq ft | 2,722.50 sq ft |
| 1 kanal (20 marla) | 4,500 sq ft | 5,000 sq ft | 5,445 sq ft |
Kanal questions
How many marla are in 1 kanal?
1 kanal is 20 marla. This is the same in every system. What differs is the size of a marla, so the kanal is 4,500 sq ft in most housing societies and 5,445 sq ft on the revenue scale.
How many marla in 8 kanal?
8 kanal is 160 marla. On the revenue scale that is exactly one acre, 43,560 sq ft. On the 225 sq ft society scale it is 36,000 sq ft, or 4,000 sq yd, which is a little over four fifths of an acre.
1 kanal ma kitna marla hota hai?
1 kanal mein 20 marla hotay hain. Society mein 1 kanal 4,500 sq ft hota hai, jabke fard (revenue) mein 5,445 sq ft. Is liye plot ke kaghzaat check karein ke kaun sa marla use hua hai.
How do I write 45 marla in kanal?
45 ÷ 20 = 2.25, so 45 marla is 2 kanal 5 marla. Take the whole kanal first (2 kanal is 40 marla) and the 5 marla left over stay as marla. Do not write it as 2.5 kanal, which would be 50 marla.
Last reviewed 2 October 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.