On the revenue scale used for farm land, 8 kanal make 1 acre, so divide the kanal by 8. 1 kanal is 0.125 acre, 4 kanal is half an acre and 40 kanal is 5 acres.
Housing societies use a smaller kanal of 4,500 sq ft. An acre of 43,560 sq ft holds 9.68 of those, so 1 society kanal is 0.1033 acre. Pick the marla size above to switch.
Kanal to acre table
| Kanal | Acre (revenue kanal, 5,445 sq ft) | Acre (society kanal, 4,500 sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.125 | 0.1033 |
| 2 | 0.25 | 0.2066 |
| 4 | 0.5 | 0.4132 |
| 5 | 0.625 | 0.5165 |
| 8 | 1 | 0.8264 |
| 10 | 1.25 | 1.0331 |
| 16 | 2 | 1.6529 |
| 20 | 2.5 | 2.0661 |
| 40 | 5 | 4.1322 |
| 80 | 10 | 8.2645 |
| 100 | 12.5 | 10.3306 |
| 200 | 25 | 20.6612 |
200 revenue kanal is 25 acres, the size of one murabba. See murabba to acre for canal colony land.
Which kanal to use
Farm land and revenue records
The fard, jamabandi and registry deeds outside housing schemes use the revenue chain: 1 marla is 272.25 sq ft, 1 kanal is 5,445 sq ft (605 square yards) and 8 kanal is exactly one acre. In canal colony areas an acre is also called a killa. When you convert farm land, keep the 272.25 setting.
Housing societies
DHA Lahore defines a kanal as 20 marla, 500 square yards or 4,500 sq ft in its Construction and Development Regulations 2026. On that kanal an acre is 43,560 ÷ 4,500 = 9.68 kanal. Society brochures sometimes quote the total scheme area in acres and the plots in kanal, so the two scales end up on the same page.
Worked example: land bought by the acre, sold by the kanal
A developer buys 100 acres of farm land and plans 1 kanal plots.
- Revenue kanal: 100 × 8 = 800 kanal on the fard.
- Square feet: 100 × 43,560 = 4,356,000 sq ft.
- Society kanal of 4,500 sq ft: 4,356,000 ÷ 4,500 = 968 kanal of gross area.
The same land holds 168 more kanal once the kanal is redefined. Roads, parks, graveyards and other public uses then take a large share of the gross area, so the number of saleable 1 kanal plots is far lower than 968. A buyer comparing rates per kanal between farm land and society plots should convert both to sq ft or to acres first.
An acre is 43,560 sq ft everywhere. Only the kanal changes. If a document gives both kanal and acres, divide the square feet by 43,560 to check which kanal it uses.
Kanal and acre questions
How many kanal make 1 acre?
8 kanal on the revenue scale used in land records, where a kanal is 5,445 sq ft. On the 4,500 sq ft kanal used by DHA and most housing societies, an acre is 9.68 kanal.
How many acres is 8 kanal?
Exactly 1 acre on the revenue scale. On the society kanal of 4,500 sq ft, 8 kanal is 36,000 sq ft, which is 0.8264 acre.
How much is 1 kanal in acres?
1 revenue kanal is 0.125 acre, one eighth. 1 society kanal of 4,500 sq ft is 0.1033 acre. A kanal on the 250 sq ft marla (5,000 sq ft) is 0.1148 acre.
How many kanal are in 5 acres?
40 kanal on the revenue scale. If the land is later cut into society plots of 4,500 sq ft per kanal, the same 217,800 sq ft is 48.4 kanal before roads and open spaces are taken out.
Is a killa the same as an acre?
Yes. In the canal colonies of Punjab a killa is one acre, so it also holds 8 revenue kanal. 25 killa make one murabba.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026. Results are estimates; official notices always take precedence.