Square Meters Calculator
Enter the length and width to find the area in square meters. Optionally estimate cost by adding the price per sq m.
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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
In order 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, centimeters, for example, then you can either convert them to meters first, or you can find the area in another unit and convert to square meters. We have some simple area conversion utilities, or you can convert yourself. If your length measurements are in centimeters, then divide by 100 to get meters.
If your area measurement is in square centimeters, 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
If you’re interested in calculating square footage, give our square feet area calculator a shot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are square meters and meters the same?
No, square meters are a two-dimensional unit of area, whereas meters are a one-dimensional unit of length.
What does 1 square meter look like?
One square meter is equal to a square that is 1 meter in width by 1 meter in height. For visual reference, a guitar is about 1 meter in length, so 1 square meter is approximately the area inside of a square made with guitars for edges.
When do you use square meters?
You can use square meters anytime you wish to know the area of a space. Square meters are typically used for flooring, landscaping, and agricultural purposes.
How many square meters is a 10x10 room?
A 10 m x 10 m room has an area of exactly 100 square meters, as shown by:
10 m × 10 m = 100 sq m
What does “per square meter” mean?
“Per square meter” is used whenever you are dividing some quantity by a total area, measured in square meters, for instance to find a unit price. For example, if you want to resurface a 10 square meter room and the total cost is $5,000, then the price per square meter is $500:
$5,000/10 sq m = $500 per square meter