Square Klafter to m² – Old Land Units
Quick answer: 1 square klafter (čhv) = 3.5966 m²; 1 cadastral yoke = 1,600 čhv = 5,754.64 m²; 1 ral = 1 cadastral yoke = 5,754.64 m²; 1 ha ≈ 2,780.4 čhv.
Square klafter (čhv), cadastral yoke (Joch), ral, motika, lanac, Hungarian yoke and dunam in square metres and hectares – for land registers and the cadastre.
Old land units in m², ha and square klafters
| Unit | Region / system | m² | ha | square klafters (čhv) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| square klafter (čhv) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 3.596651 | 0.0003596651 | 1 |
| cadastral yoke (Katastraljoch) | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 5,754.642 | 0.5754642 | 1,600 |
| ral (= cadastral yoke) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 5,754.642 | 0.5754642 | 1,600 |
| motika (200 square klafters) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 719.3302 | 0.07193302 | 200 |
| lanac (2000 square klafters) | Croatian and Slavonian | ≈ 7,193.302 | 0.7193302 | 2,000 |
| Hungarian yoke (kishold) | Hungarian (Pressburg) | 4,315.981 | 0.4315981 | 1,200 |
| Viennese square foot | Viennese (Austro-Hungarian) | 0.09990697 | 0.000009990697 | 0.02777778 |
| dunam (metric, 1000 m²) | Ottoman (Turkish) | 1,000 | 0.1 | 278.0364 |
| Ottoman dunam | Ottoman (Turkish) | ≈ 919.3 | 0.09193 | 255.5989 |
| desyatina | Russian | 10,925.4 | 1.09254 | 3,037.659 |
| square sazhen | Russian | 4.552249 | 0.0004552249 | 1.265691 |
| Prussian morgen | German (Prussian, customs union) | ≈ 2,553.22 | 0.255322 | 709.8882 |
| Old Polish morgen | Old Polish | ≈ 5,985 | 0.5985 | 1,664.048 |
| Bohemian korec (land area) | Czech (Bohemian) | ≈ 2,878 | 0.2878 | 800.1889 |
≈ The value varied by region and period; the usual value for the stated region or variant is shown.
Sources
Values of the old units in SI units are taken from these sources:
- en.wikipedia.org › Hvat
- hrcak.srce.hr › 420468
- erdeszetilapok.oszk.hu › 00573 186-192.pdf
- mek.oszk.hu › 0002-268.html
- ksh.hu › teruletatszamitasi segedlet.pdf
- mek.oszk.hu › 2-1344.html
- geodetski-vestnik.com › gv49-1 138-142.pdf
- en.wikipedia.org › Morgen
- hrcak.srce.hr › 124491
- en.wikipedia.org › Hungarian units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Dunam
- godisnjak.anubih.ba › 316
- en.wikipedia.org › Ottoman units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Historical Russian units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Polish units of measurement
- en.wikipedia.org › Czech units of measurement
How the calculation works
Enter an area in square klafters (čhv) – the converter shows it in m², ares and hectares straight away. In the “From unit” list you can also pick the cadastral yoke, ral, motika, lanac, Hungarian yoke, dunam, Russian desyatina or Prussian morgen. The table below the converter gives each old land unit in m², ha and čhv, with sources.
Formula and assumptions
A square klafter is the square of the Viennese klafter: 1.89648384² = 3.596650955 m². A cadastral yoke = 1,600 čhv (40 × 40 klafters) = 5,754.64 m², and surveyors treat the ral as equal to the yoke. Motika = 200 čhv, lanac = 2,000 čhv, Hungarian yoke = 1,200 čhv. Conversion: m² = čhv × 3.5966, čhv = m² ÷ 3.5966.
More worked examples
- A garden plot of 250 čhv: 250 × 3.5966 = 899.2 m² ≈ 9 ares.
- A field of 2 yokes and 400 čhv: (2 × 1,600 + 400) × 3.5966 = 12,947.9 m² ≈ 1.29 ha.
- A building plot of 600 m²: 600 ÷ 3.5966 ≈ 166.8 čhv.
- A meadow of 3 motikas: 3 × 200 čhv = 600 čhv ≈ 2,158 m².
Square klafters in m² and hectares
| čhv | m² | ha |
|---|---|---|
| 1 čhv | 3.5966 | 0.00036 |
| 100 čhv | 359.67 | 0.036 |
| 200 čhv (motika) | 719.33 | 0.072 |
| 500 čhv | 1,798.33 | 0.180 |
| 1,000 čhv | 3,596.65 | 0.360 |
| 1,200 čhv (Hungarian yoke) | 4,315.98 | 0.432 |
| 1,600 čhv (cadastral yoke, ral) | 5,754.64 | 0.575 |
| 2,000 čhv (lanac) | 7,193.30 | 0.719 |
| 2,780.4 čhv | 10,000 | 1 |
Common mistakes
- Using 3.6 m² instead of 3.5966 m² per čhv: on one yoke the difference is about 5.4 m², and more on larger plots.
- Confusing the cadastral yoke (1,600 čhv) with the Hungarian yoke (1,200 čhv) – both were used in Slavonia and Vojvodina.
- Confusing the cadastral yoke (5754.64 m²) with the German morgen: the Prussian morgen was only about 2553 m², other German morgens 2500–3600 m².
- Converting klafters (length, 1.896 m) to m² without squaring – areas are measured in square klafters.
Frequently asked questions
How many m² is 1 square klafter (čhv)?
One square klafter (čhv) is 3.5966 m² (exactly 1.89648384² = 3.596650955 m²). 100 čhv is about 359.67 m².
How many m² is a ral?
Surveyors treat the ral as equal to the cadastral yoke: 1,600 čhv = 5,754.64 m², or about 0.575 ha. Other local values are mentioned too, so check the land register.
How many square klafters are in a yoke?
A cadastral yoke has 1,600 square klafters (40 × 40 klafters). The Hungarian (small) yoke has 1,200 čhv = 4,315.98 m².
How many square klafters are in a hectare?
One hectare has about 2,780.4 čhv and one are about 27.8 čhv. To convert square metres to klafters, divide by 3.5966.
How many square metres is a dunam?
Today's (metric) dunam is 1,000 m² and is still used in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; the old Ottoman dunam was about 919 m².
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