Square Meter (m²) - Unit Information & Conversion
What is a Square Meter?
Definition
The square meter (symbol: m²) is the SI derived unit of area. It represents the area of a square with sides that are each one meter long.
History
Derived directly from the meter, which was defined during the French Revolution, the square meter became the standard unit of area within the International System of Units (SI) established in 1960. Its adoption provided a consistent, universally accepted measure for scientific, technical, and everyday area calculations.
Common Uses
- Real Estate & Construction (Metric): Standard unit for measuring floor space in buildings, room sizes, and land parcels in countries using the metric system.
- Science & Engineering: Used extensively in physics (e.g., calculating pressure = force/area), material science, and various engineering fields for surface area calculations.
- Textiles & Manufacturing: Measuring the area of fabrics, paper, or other sheet materials.
- Gardening & Landscaping: Estimating the area for planting, paving, or turfing small to medium-sized plots.
Unit FAQs
What is the base SI unit for area?
The square meter (m²) is the SI derived unit for area.
How big is a square meter?
It's the area of a square where each side is exactly one meter long. Imagine a square roughly the size of a large beach towel.
How many square feet are in a square meter?
One square meter is approximately 10.764 square feet.
Is the square meter used worldwide?
Yes, it is the standard unit of area in the vast majority of countries that use the metric system and is the standard in science and engineering globally.
Square Meter Conversion Formulas
To Square Kilometer:
To Square Centimeter:
To Square Millimeter:
To Square Inch:
To Square Foot:
To Square Yard:
To Square Mile:
To Acre:
To Hectare:
Convert Square Meter
Need to convert Square Meter to other area units? Use our conversion tool.