Square Feet to Square Meters
To convert square feet to square meters, divide by 10.7639, or multiply by 0.09290304:
To convert square feet to square meters, divide by 10.7639, or multiply by 0.09290304:
m² = ft² × 0.09290304
A 12 × 14 ft room is 168 sq ft, which is 168 × 0.09290304 ≈ 15.61 m².
The factor 0.09290304 is exact. A foot is defined as exactly 0.3048 m, and 0.3048 × 0.3048 = 0.09290304.
Why it isn't 3.28
A meter is about 3.28 feet, so it is tempting to divide square feet by 3.28. Doing that for the room gives 168 ÷ 3.28 ≈ 51.2 m², more than three times too big.
The reason: area has two dimensions, so the length factor applies twice. A square meter is a square 3.28 ft on each side, and 3.28 × 3.28 ≈ 10.76 sq ft fit inside it. The same rule gives 144 square inches in a square foot (12 × 12) and 9 square feet in a square yard (3 × 3). The general version of this idea is covered in the conversion-factor method.
Common conversions
| Square feet | Square meters |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.0929 |
| 10.7639 | 1 |
| 100 | 9.29 |
| 168 (12 × 14 ft room) | 15.61 |
| 500 | 46.45 |
| 1,000 | 92.90 |
| 2,000 | 185.81 |
Converting the other way
Square meters to square feet: multiply by 10.7639. A 20 m² room is about 215.3 sq ft. An 85 m² apartment is about 915 sq ft.
Convert the lengths first, or the area?
Both give the same answer if you are exact. 12 ft = 3.6576 m and 14 ft = 4.2672 m, and 3.6576 × 4.2672 ≈ 15.61 m². Converting the lengths first is a good check, but rounding them early adds error. 3.66 × 4.27 = 15.63 m². When you start from a measured area, convert the area once with the exact factor.
The same caution applies to feet and inches: a wall that is 12 ft 6 in long is 12.5 ft, not 12.6 ft. See feet and inches to centimeters for that conversion.
When precision matters
- Buying materials: flooring, paint and tile are often sold per square foot in the US and per square meter elsewhere. Convert the area, then add a waste allowance as described in how many tiles you need.
- Property listings: listed areas can follow different measurement standards (for example, whether walls or balconies are included), so a converted figure may not match another listing exactly even when the math is right.
- Rounding: report the result to the precision of your measurements. A room measured to the nearest foot does not justify more than one decimal place in square meters.
Converting with CalcTower
The Area Converter converts between square feet, square meters, square yards, acres, hectares and other area units using exact factors. Enter 168 sq ft and it gives about 15.61 m². If you are starting from room measurements rather than an area, the Room Area Calculator computes the floor area first, including L-shaped and triangular rooms.