Land: Everything You Should Know About Plot Sizes and Measurements

Property, Real Estate, Real Estate Advice!

In a country like Nigeria, the major measurements of lands are Hectares, Acres, Feet, and Meters. As a new or existing investor in real estate, the ability to master these types of measurements will help make informed decisions about the size and measurements of land you should know.

According to Land division in Nigeria, the desired plot for house construction is 100 x 50ft. A hectare is a land measuring 328ft x 328ft or 100m x 100m which is about two and a half acres of Land. Acre is a rectangular plot of land with 4,046sqm or 43,560 square ft.

A Plot of land is a marked out piece of land for the purpose of farming or building. The word “plot” is an arbitrary term used to describe a land division carved out for property development.

The size of a plot can vary based on economic or societal development such as human migrations, environmental disaster, land scarcity and the availability of lands meant for development.

1. Square Metres (SQM)

This is often the most popular land measurement everyone is familiar with in Nigeria. A Land is measured by the square meter from 1sqm and above. A plot of land according to some real estate developers could either be 600sqm or 648sqm. However, a real estate developer can decide to use 450sqm as a residential plot and 648sqm as a commercial plot. Using square meters has become the new trend in major real estate developments across the country.

600 square meter/648 square meter = 1 Plot of Land
450 square meter = half & quarter plot or residential 1 plot.
300 square meter = Half plot.

2. Plot

A popular term in the real estate industry is 60 by 120 which equally means a plot of land. According to Nigeria’s land divisions, the appropriate plot for house construction is 100 x 50ft which can conveniently accommodate a standard living house.

100 x 50ft = 1 plot.
120 x 60ft = 1 plot.
600sqm or 648sqm or 667sqm = 1 plot.

3. Acre

Acre is another popular unit of land measurement in Nigeria. An Acre of land is a rectangular shaped 6 plots of land combined together.

6 plots of land = 1 Acre.
100 x 50ft in 6 places = 1 Acre.
600sqm x 6 = 3600sqm (1 Acre).

4. Hectare

This is not a common unit of land measurement in Nigeria due to its complexity, however a hectare of land measures about 2.5 acres totaling 328 x 328ft (100m x 100m). It is the least used land measurement even within real estate developers across Nigeria.

100m x 100m = 1 Hectare
328ft x 328ft = 1 Hectare
2 acres and half = 1 Hectare
15 plots = 1 Hectare
600sqm x 15 = 9000sqm (1 hectare)

Whether you are investing in real estate for commercial or residential purposes, having a fair understanding of land measurement is a good preparation towards making the right decision in your real estate investment. However, the ability to master the land measurement as it should be is not too easy, hence hiring a real estate agent to work with remains the best decision.