An acre is a unit of land area commonly used in the United States and the UK, defined as exactly 43,560 square feet. It is traditionally described as the area of one chain by one furlong, which measures 66 feet by 660 feet, totaling 43,560 square feet or 4,840 square yards (about 4,047 square meters or 0.4047 hectares)
. To visualize an acre, it is roughly 90% the size of a standard American football field (which is about 48,000 square feet without end zones). A square acre would measure approximately 208.7 feet on each side
. Historically, an acre was considered the amount of land that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in one day, and its dimensions were standardized in the 13th century as 4 rods (66 feet) wide by 40 rods (660 feet) long
. In summary:
- 1 acre = 43,560 square feet
- Dimensions: 66 feet by 660 feet (one chain by one furlong)
- Approximately 0.405 hectares or 4,047 square meters
- Roughly 90% the size of a football field
- Square acre side length: about 208.7 feet
This makes the acre a practical and widely used land measurement for farms, real estate, and land management
