American Land Measurement Converter

Convert between traditional American land measurements and international units

Square Feet (ft²)

Square Yards (yd²)

Square Meters (m²)

Acre

Rood

Section

Township

The American land measurement system evolved from English systems but developed its own unique units during westward expansion.
The Public Land Survey System (PLSS), established by the Land Ordinance of 1785, introduced sections and townships as standardized units.
The rood, an old English unit equal to ¼ acre, was commonly used in early American colonies.
Townships were designed as 6x6 mile squares containing 36 sections, making land division and sales more systematic.

A section (640 acres) was considered an appropriate size for a family farm in the 1800s.
Township boundaries often show slight variations due to the Earth's curvature, leading to "correction lines" in surveys.
An acre was historically defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in one day.
The word "acre" comes from Old English "aecer" meaning "open field" or "plowed land".
A township (36 square miles) was large enough to support a new community or small town in frontier America.