Be smart about property purchase and sale by knowing what carpet area vs built-up area vs super built-up area means
The cost of property is linked to its area, and the larger the area, the more the cost. If you plan on purchasing or selling a property, it is essential to know about carpet area vs built-up area vs super built-up area.
These measurements determine the usable space in a home and its associated cost. Understanding the distinctions between these terms can guide you in making well-informed decisions.
Simply put, the carpet area means the total area of a house that you can cover with a carpet. Essentially, it is the area of the dwelling that you can utilise.
The carpet area excludes balconies and terraces but includes any internal walls. The carpet area of your home will also include the staircase, provided it is inside the house itself.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act of 2016 has established a standardised definition for carpet area.
Under this Act, carpet area refers to the actual usable floor space within the property’s walls. This excludes areas occupied by external walls, balconies, terraces, verandas, and utility spaces, such as ducts and service shafts. This was done to promote transparency and fairness in real estate transactions.
Here is the formula through which you can calculate the carpet area of a property:
Carpet Area = Area of Bedroom(s) + Area of Living Room(s) + Area of the Toilet(s) + Thickness of Internal Walls
If we compare super built-up area vs carpet area, the carpet area of a property does not include the thickness of external walls, lifts, verandah/s, balcony, and more. On the other hand, the super built-up area includes all of these.
The built-up area of a dwelling is the total space available in a home inclusive of its internal walls and balcony.
If you consider the built-up area vs carpet area, the former is the total space available in a dwelling. On the other hand, the latter refers to the total space in a dwelling that you can use.
It is very easy to calculate the built-up area of any property if you already have the carpet area measured. The formula is:
Built-up Area = Carpet Area + Area of Balconies + Area of the Open Terrace + Area of the Exclusive Corridor + Thickness of the Exterior Walls
It means the summation of the built-up area of a home and the common areas you have access to. It includes the areas you can use within the confines of the building that houses the flat. These common areas include corridors, lifts, and staircases in a building.
You can calculate the super built-up area of a property if you know the carpet area and the loading factor of the property.
The loading factor is the difference between the super built-up area and the carpet area of the property and is usually expressed in percentage. In most cases, the loading factor is 25% to 30% of the carpet area.
For example, consider that the carpet area of a property is 10,000 square feet, and the loading factor is 25%. The super built-up area would be:
Super Built-up Area = Carpet Area + Loading Factor
10,000 + 2,500 (25% of 10,000) = 12,500 square feet
The car parking space, which the property owner exclusively owns, is not included in the super built-up area or built-up area.
You can also get the carpet area of the property if you have the super built-up area with you. To obtain the carpet area using a super built-up area, the formula used is:
Super Built-up Area - Super Built-up Area * Loading Factor/100 = Carpet Area
For example, say that the super built-up area of a property is 1,200 square feet and the loading factor is 30%.
Carpet Area = 1,200 - 1,200*30/100
Carpet Area = 1,200 - 360 = 840
It represents the difference between the carpet area and the super built-up area. To calculate the loading factor percentage, use the following formula:
Carpet area * (1-loading factor) = Super Built-up area
It accounts for constructed spaces that are not exclusively allocated to you. These include shared areas like lifts, lobbies, staircases, amenities, and portions of your terrace and balcony.
When buying a property, understanding the different area measurements is crucial. Check out carpet area vs built-up area vs super built-up area in the table below to understand what is included and excluded in these calculations:
Highlights |
Carpet Area |
Built-up Area |
Super Built-up Area |
Meaning |
Distance between the inner walls of the property that the carpet can cover |
The area is measured from the outer wall surfaces, including the wall thickness |
It includes the built-up area and the area of all other common spaces |
Living room |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Bedroom |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Dining Room |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Kitchen |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Bathroom |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Pooja Room |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Study Room |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Balcony |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Utility Area |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Outer Staircase |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Inner Staircase |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Terrace |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Verandah |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Lift |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Lobby |
No |
No |
Yes |
Garden |
No |
No |
Yes |
Swimming Pool |
No |
No |
Yes |
Before buying a property, it is essential to understand its carpet area, built-up area, and super built-up area. This allows you to determine if it meets your requirements for space.
If you are looking to buy a home and need funds, compare and apply for a housing loan on Bajaj Markets.
The difference between the carpet area and the super built-up area is called the loading factor of the property. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the carpet area.
If the super built-up area and carpet area of a flat are 1,200 and 1 000 square feet, respectively, the loading factor would be 20%.
As per the RERA’s definition of carpet area, it is the sum of the areas of the bedroom(s), living room(s), toilets and the thickness of the internal walls.
When the term ‘carpet area’ is used, it usually means the area on which a carpet can be laid. This includes the area of all the rooms and toilets, excluding the thickness of the walls.
However, as per the RERA’s definition, the carpet area also includes the thickness of all the internal walls, while the thickness of all the external walls of the property is excluded.
The carpet area of a property (as per RERA’s definition) is the sum of the total floor area and the thickness of the internal walls. The floor area is the total size of the floors between walls.
Yes, the area of the toilets is included in the carpet area of the property.