What is a Hectare?

The hectare equals exactly 10,000 square meters (100 m × 100 m) and is the international standard area unit for agricultural land, forestry, and large land development. Adopted as part of the metric system in 1795, the hectare's name combines 'hect-' (one hundred) with 'are' (the basic metric land unit of 100 m²) — meaning 100 ares. A standard FIFA football pitch covers about 0.7 hectares, and Central Park in New York is approximately 341 hectares. Farms across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia are sized in hectares (a small family farm might be 5–20 ha). The hectare relates to the square meter (1 ha = 10,000 m²), the square kilometer (100 ha = 1 km²), the acre (1 ha ≈ 2.471 acres), and the square mile (1 ha ≈ 0.00386 mi²). It is one of the few non-SI units accepted for use with SI for legal land measurement.

Visual reference for how the hectare relates to other area units. Each row links to the full converter for that pair.

• European farm, vineyard and orchard size
• Forestry and conservation land
• Large construction projects and urban development

• ✓1 ha = 10,000 m² = 100 m × 100 m.
• ✓1 ha ≈ 2.47 acres — quick check for US/UK comparison.
• ✓Agricultural yields quoted as tonnes/hectare are standard worldwide.

• ✗Using hectares for very small plots — m² is clearer.
• ✗Converting acres to hectares with 2.5 factor — correct is 2.47 (1.2% error).
• ✗Treating "a few hectares" as an exact figure in contracts — always specify.