RERA Carpet Area vs Builder Carpet Area: Convert It Yourself

"Carpet area" has one legal meaning and several marketing ones. Here is the statutory definition, and how to work out which meaning your document is actually using.

RERA carpet area is the net usable floor area of a flat, excluding external walls, service shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah and exclusive open terrace, but including internal partition walls. Brochures often use "carpet" loosely. Your sale agreement must state RERA carpet area.

Members often compare two offers, see the word "carpet" in both, and assume they are comparing like with like. Very often they are not.

What exactly does RERA say carpet area is?

Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, carpet area is the net usable floor area of an apartment. It excludes the area covered by external walls, areas under service shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah area, and exclusive open terrace area. It includes the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment. DCPR 2034 uses the same meaning — net usable floor area, excluding walls and areas exempted from FSI computation.

That is the whole definition. There is nothing else in it.

Why does "carpet" in a brochure mean something different?

Because a brochure is not a statute. Built-up area adds wall thickness and features such as balconies, and is commonly around 10-20% more than carpet. Super built-up or "saleable" area additionally loads a share of lobbies, staircases, lifts and passages, and is commonly 25-40% more than carpet. Those ranges are typical market practice — they are not statutory, and no law fixes a loading percentage. Older society agreements, drafted long before 2016, also used "carpet" in whatever sense the parties then intended, so the word alone settles nothing. Our carpet to built-up converter lets you see the effect of a stated loading, using 1 sq m = 10.7639 sq ft.

How do I tell which figure my document means?

Look for the exclusions. If the document does not list external walls, shafts, balcony and open terrace as excluded, it is probably not the RERA figure.
Check the balcony. If balcony area is added into the number, it is not RERA carpet.
Read the agreement wording. Every sale agreement must state the flat in carpet area.

If a developer quotes one figure in the offer letter and another in the draft agreement, ask in writing which definition applies before signing. Then compare offers on the same basis using our offer comparison tool, and read the FAQ and glossary for the related terms. On anything fact-specific, take your own chartered accountant's and advocate's view on the actual documents.

Work it out for your own society

Enter the figure in your document and see how carpet, built-up and saleable area relate at any stated loading — so you can compare two offers on the same basis.

Open the Carpet to Built-Up Area Converter

Common questions

Is balcony area included in RERA carpet area?

No. Exclusive balcony or verandah area is expressly excluded from carpet area under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, as is exclusive open terrace area. If a quoted "carpet" figure includes the balcony, it is not the RERA figure.

Do internal walls count in carpet area?

Yes. The area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment is included in carpet area. External walls and areas under service shafts are excluded. This is one of the quickest ways to check whether a document is using the statutory meaning.

Is there a legal loading percentage for built-up or saleable area?

No. There is no statutory loading percentage. Built-up is commonly around 10-20% more than carpet and super built-up commonly 25-40% more, but those are typical market practice only. The sale agreement must still state the flat in carpet area.