This is the conversion that turns an American listing into a European one. An apartment advertised at 1,000 square feet is 92.9 square meters (metres); one advertised at 90 square meters is 969 square feet.
The factor is exact rather than rounded, because both units are defined against the meter: a foot is exactly 0.3048 m, so a square foot is exactly 0.09290304 m². Nothing is approximated here — the rounding you see is only in the display.
Where it matters most is ordering materials. Flooring in the United States is priced per square foot and sold in boxes covering 15 to 25 square feet; in Europe the same product is priced per square meter and sold in packs of 1.5 to 2.5 m². Convert the room once, then shop in the unit the supplier uses, and you avoid the classic mistake of ordering a tenth of what you need. Measuring a room in meters to begin with? Use the square meter calculator.
Where each unit is used
In the United States floor area is in square feet, from the listing to the box of flooring. The United Kingdom uses both: estate agents often give square feet, while a home’s energy performance certificate gives its total floor area in square meters, so a flat whose certificate says 65 m² is 700 sq ft. Australia measures in square meters, but builders still quote houses in squares: one square is 100 sq ft, or 9.29 m², so a 25-square house is 232 m² (Henley).
The smallest new homes in England
England’s nationally described space standard (2015) sets minimum floor areas that councils can apply to new homes. Here they are in both units:
| Home | Minimum floor area | In square feet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom flat for 1 person | 39 m² (37 m² with a shower room) | 420 sq ft (398) |
| 1 bedroom flat for 2 people | 50 m² | 538 sq ft |
| 2 bedroom flat for 4 people | 70 m² | 753 sq ft |
| 2 bedroom house for 4 people, two stories | 79 m² | 850 sq ft |
| 3 bedroom house for 5 people, two stories | 93 m² | 1,001 sq ft |
| 4 bedroom house for 6 people, two stories | 106 m² | 1,141 sq ft |
| Single bedroom | 7.5 m² | 81 sq ft |
| Double bedroom | 11.5 m² | 124 sq ft |