What this calculator does
Converting hectares to acres comes up constantly in farming, real estate and land surveying, since a property listing, a council record or a farm map can use either unit depending on the country and the era it was drawn up in.
The conversion runs on one fixed number: one hectare equals 2.4710538 acres. Enter a value in either unit, choose the direction, and the other unit comes out immediately, along with the equivalent in square metres for a metric cross-check.
The formula
To convert hectares to acres, multiply by 2.4710538. To convert acres to hectares, divide by the same figure. The hectare is defined as exactly 10,000 square metres; the acre is an older unit, originally the area a team of oxen could plough in a day, now fixed at exactly 4,046.8564224 square metres.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hectare | A metric unit of area equal to exactly 10,000 square metres, or 100 metres by 100 metres. |
| Acre | An imperial and US customary unit of area, historically based on a day's ploughing, now fixed at 4,046.8564224 square metres. |
| Conversion factor | The fixed ratio between the two units: 1 hectare = 2.4710538 acres. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Value | The value to convert. |
| Convert | Choose whether to convert hectares to acres, or acres to hectares. |
When to use it
Reading an international property listing
A farm or block of land listed in hectares outside the US, or in acres within it, needs converting before the size means anything to a buyer used to the other unit.
Checking 2 hectares in acres for a farm plan
A small parcel like 2 hectares converts to just under 5 acres, a size worth converting exactly rather than rounding, since a rough estimate can be off by a meaningful fraction of an acre.
Comparing land size across old and new records
Older UK and Commonwealth land records often use acres, while modern metric surveys use hectares; converting between the two keeps a long-running record consistent.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
Hectares to acres, at a range of sizes
A range of hectare values, each converted to acres.
| Hectares | Acres | Square metres |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 1.236 | 5,000 |
| 1 | 2.471 | 10,000 |
| 2 | 4.942 | 20,000 |
| 5 | 12.355 | 50,000 |
| 10 | 24.711 | 100,000 |
| 100 | 247.105 | 1,000,000 |
Acres to hectares, at a range of sizes
A range of acre values, each converted to hectares.
| Acres | Hectares | Square metres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.4047 | 4,047 |
| 5 | 2.023 | 20,234 |
| 10 | 4.047 | 40,469 |
| 40 | 16.187 | 161,874 |
| 100 | 40.469 | 404,686 |
| 640 | 258.999 | 2,589,988 |
Questions
How many acres are in a hectare?
Exactly 2.4710538 acres. This comes from the hectare being defined as 10,000 square metres and the acre as 4,046.8564224 square metres; dividing one by the other gives the fixed conversion factor.
How do I convert acres to hectares?
Divide the number of acres by 2.4710538, or equivalently multiply by 0.4046856. Either way gives the same result: one acre is a little over 0.4 of a hectare.
What is 2 hectares in acres?
2 hectares converts to about 4.94 acres, using the exact factor of 2.4710538 acres per hectare.
Why do hectares and acres both still get used?
The hectare is the standard metric unit for land area worldwide, while the acre remains common in the US, and in older records and some real estate contexts elsewhere, particularly the UK, Ireland and parts of the Commonwealth. Neither has fully displaced the other.
For the full metric and imperial area ladder, square metres, square feet, square miles and more, see the area converter. For length units rather than area, see the length converter.