Dimensions Guide

Acre is a unit of measurement that people commonly use to refer to area. The two most common types are the survey acre in the U.S. as well as the so-called international acre. Of course, there are other types but are less frequently used such as the Irish acre, the Scottish acre and the Roman acre. It is good to learn the different acre dimensions because it can help people measure huge areas and spaces more easily.

Dimensions and Equivalence

The equivalent of one acre is 4,840 square yards or 43,560 feet. In general, this unit of measurement has no particular length, width or shape. Under the metric system, an acre is equivalent to 40 percent of one hectare. Going back to the two most common types, the value of one international acre is 4,046.8564224 square meters. On the flip side, the value of one survey acre is 4,046.8726098 square meters.

In metric units, the value of one international acre is 0.40468564224 hectare. Meanwhile, one survey acre has a value of 0.404687261 hectare. In terms of square miles, its value is 0.0015625. Likewise, its value is equivalent to that of 10 square chains. Furthermore, the value of one acre is also equivalent to 160 perches, 43,560 square feet or 208.71 feet by 208.71 feet.

Other Important Facts and Additional Information

In Old English, people used the term ‘acre’ to refer to open field. Likewise, it was also used for a unit of land, which an individual can till within a single day with the help of an ox. Prior the use of the so-called metric system, the term ‘acre’ was used and interpreted differently. Many places in Europe have established their own values for this particular unit of measurement. In France, for instance, one acre was then equivalent to 4,221 square meters.

In England, different leaders assigned different values for one acre. During their tenure, Edward III, George IV as well as Henry VIII have set specific values for a single acre. Queen Victoria did the same thing some time in 1878, when she signed the so-called Weights and Measures Act of Great Britain. That particular rule defined the value of one acre as 4,840 square yards. Through the years, the term ‘acre’ has been used to describe sizes of farms and land estates.

Nowadays, the value of one acre is equivalent to 90.75 yards of a 53.33-yard wide American football field. If you are to include the end zones, the whole field measures an area equivalent to 1.32 acres. Additionally, the value of the so-called Roman acre is equivalent to 1,260 square meters.