How to Calculate Square Meters

You might find yourself needing the area of a room or other space in square meters for a flooring, renovation, or landscaping project. To obtain such a measurement, you can measure the area of the space in square meters in a few simple steps. Follow along to learn how to calculate it yourself, or simply use the calculator above.

Step One: Measure Length and Width

To calculate the area of a space, you must know its dimensions. For example, if the shape of the space is a square or rectangle, then start by measuring the length and width of the space in meters using a tape measure or other measuring tool.

If your measurements are in another unit of measure, centimetres, for example, then you can either convert them to meters first, or you can find the area in another unit and convert them to square meters. We have some simple area conversion utilities, or you can convert yourself. If your length measurements are in centimetres, then divide by 100 to get meters.

If your area measurement is in square centimetres, then divide by 10,000 to get square meters.

If your space is not a square or rectangle, you may need to use a formula to calculate the area of a different shape. Or continue reading to see how to measure the area of oddly shaped rooms.

Step Two: Multiply Measurements Together

Once you have your measurements in meters, you can use the appropriate formula to calculate the area of the space in square meters. Continuing the example above for the square or rectangular room, now that you have a length and width measurement, you can find the area in square meters by multiplying the length and width together.

square meters = length × width

Measuring Oddly Shaped Rooms

Often, you’ll need to measure a space that’s not a perfect rectangle. It might be easiest to try to split up oddly shaped areas into separate shapes and measure the square meters of each of them separately.

Once that is complete, add up the individually calculated areas to find the total area of the space. You’ll also find that the formula above works great for rectangular areas. For other shapes, try our area calculator.

For example, see the formula below to see how to add two individually calculated areas of a complex space together.

total square meters = area 1 + area 2

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Square Metres and Metres The Same Thing?

What Does 1 Square Metre Look Like?

Are Square Metres and Metres The Same Thing?

A 9 m x 3 m room has an area of exactly 27 square meters, as shown by:
9 m × 3 m = 127 sq m

What Does “Per Square Metre” Mean?