An important skill for flooring, painting, or landscaping projects is the ability to calculate square meters. Once you get a grip of the basic idea behind how to work out square metres, it will be easy for you. Also, this tool can be useful in a variety of situations. This guide will explain how to calculate square meters step by step.
Understand what square meters are
A square metre is the area of a square where each side measures precisely one metre. The world uses this standard figure as an indicator of room sizes, floors areas or even flat surfaces like ceilings. By measuring something in this manner, you are determining its coverage space that is available in square meters’ form.
Have your tools ready
Before you take measurements, there are a few tools you will need:
- A Measuring Tape: It is best to use a measuring tape that shows meters and centimetres.
- Paper and Pen: For recording measurements.
- Calculator: Although it is possible to do this by hand, using a calculator will make it faster and more accurate.
Measure length and width
To calculate square metres, the first task is to determine the length and width of the given area. To do these:
Measure the length: Place the measuring tape at one end of the area (e.g., along one wall) and extend it to the opposite side in a straight line. Record this measurement in meters.
Measure the width: Position the tape perpendicular to the length measurement, spanning from one side to the other. Record this measurement in meters.
Multiply the width by the length
Multiply the length by the width to determine the area in square meters.
For example, if your room is 4 meters long and 6 meters vast, then
Area = Length × Width = 4 meters × 6 meters = 24 square meters
Handle irregular shapes
In most cases, rooms are rectangular or squared making calculations easy. However, sometimes there may be a need to measure an irregularly shaped area that is not a perfect rectangle as such like L-shaped rooms or gardens with odd shapes hence; in this case, one would have to calculate its area using smaller rectangles by summing up all their respective squares.
Example 1: L-Shaped Room
- Divide the room into two rectangles.
- Measure and calculate the area of each rectangle.
- Add the areas together.
If one section measures 3 meters × 4 meters (12 m²) and the other measures 2 meters × 3 meters (6 m²):
Total area=12m²+6m²=18 square meters
Example 2: Irregular area
Break the space into as many rectangles as possible. Measure each rectangle and calculate its area. Add all the areas together for the total square meters.
Convert centimeters to meters
Sometimes, your measurement could be in centimeters rather than meters, especially if the area is small. In this case, you’ll need to convert centimeters to meters before calculating the square meters.
To change centimeters to meters, just divide the centimeter value by 100. For Example:
350 cm = 350 ÷ 100 = 3.5 m
Once converted, you can use the same method of multiplying length by width to find the square meters.
Calculate large areas
If you are dealing with a large field or a parking area, it is difficult to measure the whole length and width at once. In this case, break the area into many sections because it is easy to measure the whole area. Measure each section one by one, calculate the square meters, and then add the results together for the total area.
Convert other units of measurement
In some cases, you could be dealing with different units of measurement, like feet or inches, especially if you are using imported material or tools. Remember that, if you need to convert from feet to meters, 1 foot is around about 0.3048 meters.
For example, if a room is 15 feet by 20 feet, the first thing converts the feet to meters.
15 feet = 15 × 0.3048 = 4.572 meters
20 feet = 20 × 0.3048 = 6.096 meters
Then, multiply the two numbers to determine the area in square meters:
Area = 4.572 meters × 6.096 meters = 27.87 square meters
Use calculators for accuracy
If you are comfortable doing calculations by hand, you can use the calculator to calculate all the values of meter, centimeter and feet. Just enter the width and length, and the calculator will provide the area in square meters. This is difficult to calculate if you’re dealing with complex shapes or multiple units of measurement.
Double-check your work
It is always a good idea to again check your measurements and calculations to ensure that you calculate the right amount, especially if you are buying materials like flooring, paints or tiles. Even a small mistake can cause trouble.
Conclusion
Calculating square meters is a straightforward process that can be applied to a variety of projects. Whether you’re measuring a simple rectangular room or an irregularly shaped garden, following these steps ensures precise results. By following these easy steps, measuring the width and length, find the area, and any irregular shape or different units. You can easily calculate square meters and apply this guidance to your projects.
