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Unit conversion for quantity surveyors

The conversions that come up in a Malaysian QS office, where the drawings are metric, the client thinks in square feet and the land title is in acres.

EXACT FACTORS ROUNDED TO FOUR DECIMALS · UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2026

Length

Length
From To
1 inch25.4 mm
1 foot0.3048 m
1 metre3.2808 ft
1 yard0.9144 m
1 chain (old land titles)20.1168 m = 66 ft
1 mile1.6093 km

Area

Area
From To
1 ft²0.0929 m²
1 m²10.7639 ft²
1 acre4,046.86 m² = 43,560 ft²
1 hectare10,000 m² = 2.4711 acres
1 rood (old land titles)1,011.71 m² = ¼ acre
1 pole / perch (old land titles)25.29 m² = 1/40 rood

Volume

Volume
From To
1 ft³0.02832 m³
1 m³35.3147 ft³ = 1,000 litres
1 yd³0.7646 m³
1 imperial gallon4.5461 litres
1 US gallon3.7854 litres

Mass

Mass
From To
1 lb0.45359 kg
1 kg2.2046 lb
1 tonne1,000 kg = 2,204.6 lb
1 ton (imperial, long)1,016.05 kg

Strength and pressure

Strength and pressure
From To
1 N/mm²1 MPa = 145.04 psi
1 psi0.006895 N/mm²
Concrete grade G3030 N/mm² cube strength at 28 days
1 bar100 kPa = 14.504 psi

Rates

Rates
From To
RM per m² to RM per ft²divide by 10.7639
RM per ft² to RM per m²multiply by 10.7639
RM per m³ to RM per ft³divide by 35.3147
RM per m to RM per ftdivide by 3.2808
RM per tonne to RM per kgdivide by 1,000

Typical densities of building materials

For converting volumes to tonnes: ordering, lorry loads and the weight on a floor. Typical values; the supplier's figure governs where it matters.

Typical densities, kg per m³
Material kg/m³
Reinforced concrete2,400
Plain concrete2,300
Cement (bulk)1,440
Sand, dry1,600
Crusher run / aggregate, loose1,600 – 1,800
Earth, compacted1,800 – 2,000
Clay brickwork1,800 – 1,900
Steel7,850
Aluminium2,700
Glass2,500
Hardwood timber800 – 1,000
Asphaltic concrete2,300
Water1,000

Questions we get asked

How do I convert RM per square foot to RM per square metre?
Multiply by 10.7639. RM 300 per ft² is RM 3,229 per m². Going the other way, divide: RM 3,000 per m² is RM 279 per ft².
How many square feet in an acre, and how many acres in a hectare?
43,560 square feet in an acre, which is 4,046.86 square metres. A hectare is 10,000 square metres, or 2.4711 acres. Older Malaysian land titles are in acres, roods and poles: 4 roods to the acre, 40 poles to the rood.

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