Bangladesh land measurement: katha, bigha, decimal, shotok

For land measurement Bangladesh uses its own units: the decimal (also called shotok, শতক, or shotangsho, শতাংশ), the katha (কাঠা) and the bigha (বিঘা), alongside acres and square feet. The standard values are: 1 decimal = 435.6 sq ft, 1 katha = 720 sq ft (about 1.65 decimal), 1 bigha = 20 katha = 14,400 sq ft (about 33 decimal), and 1 acre = 100 decimal = 43,560 sq ft. Kani and gonda are also used, but their size changes from region to region. Below are the full tables, worked examples, and how to convert any of these with our Unit Converter.

Land measurement Bangladesh: the standard units

These are the values most people, developers and land offices use across the country. They are also exactly the values our Unit Converter uses.

Unit	Square feet	Square metres	Decimal (shotok)
1 chhatak (ছটাক)	45	4.18	0.103
1 decimal / shotok (শতক)	435.6	40.47	1
1 katha (কাঠা)	720	66.89	1.653
1 bigha (বিঘা)	14,400	1,337.8	33.06
1 acre (একর)	43,560	4,046.86	100
1 hectare	107,639	10,000	247.1

And how they fit together:

• 1 katha = 16 chhatak = 720 sq ft
• 1 bigha = 20 katha
• 1 acre = 100 decimal = 60.5 katha ≈ 3 bigha 0.5 katha
• 1 decimal = 100 ojutangsho (অযুতাংশ), so 1 ojutangsho = 4.356 sq ft

The decimal is simply one hundredth of an acre. That is why it is the unit used in most official land records (khatian, dolil and mouza maps): areas are written in acres and decimals, such as "0.0825 acre" (8.25 decimal).

Decimal, shotok and shotangsho: one unit, three names

People often ask whether shotok and decimal are different. They are not:

• Decimal is the English name used in documents.
• Shotok (শতক) and shotangsho (শতাংশ) both mean "one hundredth" in Bangla.

All three are 435.6 sq ft. If a seller quotes a price "per shotok" and the deed says "per decimal", it is the same unit.

Katha and bigha

The katha is the everyday unit for house plots and flats' land share, especially in Dhaka and other cities. A "5 katha plot" is 5 × 720 = 3,600 sq ft.

The bigha is more common for farmland. The standard bigha is 20 katha, which is 14,400 sq ft or about 33 decimal. You will often hear "3 bigha is about 1 acre", which is close: 3 bigha is 99.2 decimal.

Where it differs: some districts use a larger local bigha. Figures quoted for parts of the north, such as Rangpur and Dinajpur, are well above 33 decimal. If a document or a seller uses "bigha" outside the standard meaning, ask how many decimal it is before agreeing on anything.

Kani and gonda: local units that vary

Gonda (গণ্ডা) and kani (কানি) are older units still used in many villages, especially in the south-east and in Sylhet. Their sizes are not the same everywhere.

A common reckoning is:

Unit	Value	Square feet	Decimal
1 kora (কড়া)	1/4 gonda	216	about 0.5
1 gonda (গণ্ডা)	4 kora	864	about 2 (1.98)
1 kani (কানি)	20 gonda	17,280	about 40 (39.67)

Where it differs: in parts of Chattogram, Noakhali, Cumilla and Sylhet, a kani is reckoned much larger; figures around 120 decimal are commonly quoted, and the exact size can change from one area to the next. We could not find a single official national value for the kani, so treat any kani figure as local.

Because of this, our Unit Converter does not include kani or gonda. Ask the local land office (AC Land office) or check the records for that mouza how many decimal one kani is there, then convert from decimal.

Worked examples

Here are a few conversions people ask for often. All use the standard values above.

You have	Square feet	Decimal	Square metres
3 katha plot	2,160	4.96	200.7
5 katha plot	3,600	8.26	334.5
10 decimal	4,356	10	404.7
1 bigha	14,400	33.06	1,337.8
2.5 acres	108,900	250	10,117

Price per unit. If land costs Tk 20 lakh per katha and you want the price per decimal: 1 decimal is 435.6 / 720 = 0.605 katha, so the price is about Tk 12.1 lakh per decimal.

Adding up plots. If you own three plots of 4.5, 6.25 and 12 decimal, the total is 22.75 decimal. A running total on our Tape Calculator keeps every plot on the list so you can check it later. Then convert 22.75 decimal to katha in the Unit Converter (about 13.76 katha).

How to convert land units with our tool

1. Open the Unit Converter and, under "What to convert", choose Area & land.
2. Pick the unit you have in the first box, such as Katha (কাঠা), and the unit you want in the second, such as Decimal (শতাংশ).
3. Type the number. The other box follows as you type, and it works both ways; the ⇄ button swaps the units.
4. Look at the table below the boxes to see the same area in every unit at once: square feet, square metres, bigha, acres and more.

The converter includes chhatak, decimal, katha, bigha and acre, along with square feet, square metres, square yards and hectares, all using the standard values in the first table.

Tips before you buy, sell or measure

• Write areas in decimal in any agreement. It is the unit in the official records and it has one fixed meaning.
• If someone uses bigha, kani or gonda, write down how many decimal they mean.
• Check the area on the khatian and dolil against the actual measurement. A survey by a licensed surveyor (amin) is worth it for any large purchase.
• Remember that a flat's "land share" is usually given in katha or decimal of the whole plot, not the floor area.
• Round only at the end. Converting back and forth with rounded numbers adds errors.

Quick reference

• 1 decimal (shotok) = 435.6 sq ft = 40.47 m²
• 1 katha = 720 sq ft = 66.89 m² = 1.65 decimal
• 1 bigha = 20 katha = 14,400 sq ft = 33 decimal
• 1 acre = 100 decimal = 43,560 sq ft
• Kani and gonda: local, check the area's own value

Need to write a land price in words for a deed or a cheque? Our guide on how to write a cheque in Bangladesh shows how to write amounts in lakh and crore.