# square meters

Physical unit
Unit name square meters
Unit symbol ${\ displaystyle \ mathrm {m ^ {2}}}$
Physical quantity (s) Area
Formula symbol ${\ displaystyle A}$
dimension ${\ displaystyle {\ mathsf {L ^ {2}}}}$
system International system of units
In SI units ${\ displaystyle \ mathrm {1 \, m ^ {2} = 1 \, m \ cdot 1 \, m}}$
In CGS units ${\ displaystyle \ mathrm {1 \, m ^ {2} = 10 \, 000 \, cm ^ {2}}}$
Derived from meter

Square meter is a unit of measurement for the area (→ area unit ), the coherent SI unit of the area . 1 square meter is the area of ​​a square with a side length of 1  meter .

The unit symbol for square meters is . The abbreviation qm, which is often to be read, is an outdated unit symbol that is no longer permitted in the SI system of units.

Colloquially, the square is also feet square or (obsolete) square meters called. In standard language , however , 6 meters squared does not mean 6 square meters, but a square of 6 × 6 meters, i.e. 36 square meters.

## Conversions

Square centimeters square inch square foot square meters Ar acre Hectares Square kilometre square mile
1 square mile 25,899,881,103.3600 4,014,489,600, 0000 27,878,400, 0000 2,589,988.1103 25,899.8811 640, 0000 258.9988 2.5900 1, 0000
1 square kilometer 10,000,000,000, 0000 1,550.003.100, 0000 10,763,910.4000 1,000,000, 0000 10,000, 0000 247.1054 100, 0000 1, 0000
1 hectare 100,000,000, 0000 15,500,031, 0000 107,639.1040 10,000, 0000 100, 0000 2.4711 1, 0000
1 acre 40,468,564.2240 6,272,640, 0000 43,560, 0000 4,046.8564 40.4685 1, 0000
1 ar 1,000,000, 0000 155,000.3100 1,076.3910 100, 0000 1, 0000
1 square meter 10,000, 0000 1,550.0031 10.7639 1, 0000
1 square foot 929.0304 144, 0000 1, 0000
1 square inch 6.4516 1, 0000
1 square centimeter 1, 0000

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, barn , ar and hectare are legal units in metrology with a limited scope . The barn may only be used in nuclear and atomic physics, ares and hectares may only be used when specifying the area for land and parcels.

Special rules apply to the specification of living space (percentage discounts for side rooms or under sloping ceilings, etc.) so that a legally correct specification can deviate from the measured floor area.

## Frequent variations of the unit square meter

By placing an appropriate SI prefix between square meters and meters , you can also define other dimensions for areas. The prefix is ​​placed directly in front of the base unit according to the international system of units (SI).

### Square millimeters

The square millimeter (unit symbol: mm²) is an SI unit of area. A square millimeter or "millimeter squared" is the area of ​​a square with 1 millimeter = 0.1 centimeter side length. The following applies: 100 mm² = 1 cm²

### Square centimeters

historical representation of the expression "18 square centimeters" in an execution by Wilhelm Hittorf in the Annalen der Physik from 1869

The square centimeter (unit symbol: cm²) is an SI unit for the area. A square centimeter or "centimeter to the square" is the area of ​​a square with 1  centimeter = 10 millimeters side length. With the spread of computers, the problem arose that the superscript "2" could not be displayed at first, so the makeshift spellings "cm2", "cm ^ 2" and "cm ** 2" were and are still used in some cases. The following applies: 100 cm² = 1 dm²

### Square decimeters

The square decimeter (unit symbol: dm²) is a measure of area. A square decimeter or "decimeter to the square" is the area of ​​a square with a side length of 1 decimeter . The paraphrases “qdm”, “dm ^ 2” and “dm ** 2” are also used, but are not permitted. The following applies: 10,000 cm² = 100 dm² = 1 m²

### Square kilometre

A square kilometer is the area of ​​a square 1 kilometer on a side. One square kilometer covers 100 hectares . The unit symbol for square kilometers is km² . The following applies: 1,000,000 m² = 1 km²

The abbreviation qkm , which is sometimes still used, does not correspond to the international system of units , the recommendations of the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) laid down in standards and the German legal provisions on legal units in metrology .