Land Measurement Units in Sri Lanka: Perch, Rood, Acre

"How many perches in an acre?"

If you failed math, land buying is confusing. Sri Lanka officially uses Metric (Square Meters) but the real estate market deals exclusively in Imperial (Perches/Acres).

Here is the cheat sheet.

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1. The Basics

• Perch (P): The standard unit for small residential plots.
• Rood (R): An older unit, rarely used now except in deeds.
• Acre (A): The standard unit for large estates/farms.

2. The Conversion Table

Unit	Perches	Square Feet	Square Meters
1 Perch	1	272.25	25.29
1 Rood	40	10,890	1,011
1 Acre	160	43,560	4,046
1 Hectare	395	107,639	10,000

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3. Common Questions

Q: How big is a "Standard" plot? A: In Colombo suburbs, 6 to 10 Perches is standard. In rural areas, 15 to 20 Perches.

Q: Is 6 Perches enough for a house? A: Yes. 6 Perches = 1,633 sq ft of land. You can build a 2,500 sq ft two-story house comfortably with parking.

Q: Why does the Deed say "Hectares"? A: The Survey Dept uses Metric. Your plan will show Hectares/Sq Meters. You must convert it to check the "Perches" the broker promised.

• Formula: Sq Meters / 25.29 = Perches.

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