Ground to cents
1 ground = 2,400 sq ft = 5.51 cents = 222.97 sq m. 2,400 sq ft — the unit Chennai residential land is sold in, and close enough to a 40 × 60 ft plot that the two are used almost interchangeably. Ask for a plot's actual dimensions anyway: a ground of frontage 20 ft and depth 120 ft is the same area and a very different house.
Typical plots this size
An area does not fix a shape — these are the common frontage × depth pairs that come to about this much. Open one to see what the rules let you build on it.
Grounds to cents
| ground | cent |
|---|---|
| 1 ground | 5.51 cents |
| 2 grounds | 11.02 cents |
| 5 grounds | 27.55 cents |
| 10 grounds | 55.1 cents |
| 20 grounds | 110.19 cents |
| 50 grounds | 275.48 cents |
| 100 grounds | 550.96 cents |
Cents to grounds
| cent | ground |
|---|---|
| 1 cent | 0.1815 grounds |
| 2 cents | 0.363 grounds |
| 5 cents | 0.9075 grounds |
| 10 cents | 1.81 grounds |
| 20 cents | 3.63 grounds |
| 50 cents | 9.07 grounds |
| 100 cents | 18.15 grounds |
What 1 ground looks like as a plot
1 ground is 2,400 sq ft. That is an area, not a shape — and the shape is what decides whether it is a comfortable house or a corridor, because setbacks take a fixed strip off every boundary whatever the frontage.
- 40 × 60 ft — 2,400 sq ft
- 50 × 48 ft — 2,400 sq ft
- 60 × 40 ft — 2,400 sq ft
Generate a floor plan for any of them and the rule engine computes the setbacks, FSI and floor count first, then draws a layout inside what is left.
Where these units are used
Ground — Chennai and the rest of Tamil Nadu. 2,400 sq ft — the unit Chennai residential land is sold in, and close enough to a 40 × 60 ft plot that the two are used almost interchangeably. Ask for a plot's actual dimensions anyway: a ground of frontage 20 ft and depth 120 ft is the same area and a very different house.
Cent — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka. One hundredth of an acre, so 435.6 sq ft exactly. The default unit for land outside the Chennai city limits — suburban and semi-urban plots are almost always advertised in cents.
Other conversions
- Ground to sq ft — 1 ground = 2,400 sq ft — the Chennai land unit.
- Cent to sq ft — 1 cent = 435.6 sq ft — Tamil Nadu and Kerala land.
- Ankanam to sq ft — 1 ankanam = 72 sq ft — Nellore and Tirupati.
- Sq yard to sq ft — 1 sq yard (gaj) = 9 sq ft exactly.
- Guntha to sq ft — 1 guntha = 1,089 sq ft — 40 to the acre.
- Acre to cent — 1 acre = 100 cents, exactly by definition.
- Sq ft to sq m — Sale figures in feet, approval figures in metres.
Common questions
How many cents in 1 ground?
1 ground = 5.51 cents. It is a definition rather than a measurement, so the figure is the same everywhere the unit is used.
How many grounds in 1 cent?
1 cent = 0.1815 grounds. A cent is smaller than a ground, so it takes more than one to make it up.
Where is the ground used?
Chennai and the rest of Tamil Nadu. 2,400 sq ft — the unit Chennai residential land is sold in, and close enough to a 40 × 60 ft plot that the two are used almost interchangeably. Ask for a plot's actual dimensions anyway: a ground of frontage 20 ft and depth 120 ft is the same area and a very different house.
Does an area tell me the plot's shape?
No — and this is where buyers get caught. The same area is a comfortable plot or an unbuildable ribbon depending on its frontage: setbacks eat a fixed strip off every side, so a narrow deep plot loses far more of its area than a square one. Always ask for the frontage and depth in feet, then check what the rules actually let you build on those dimensions.
These are unit definitions, not a survey. The area on a sale deed comes from the surveyed extent, which can differ from what a listing quotes — check the patta, the FMB sketch and the deed before you pay anything.