Carpet Area Vs Built up Area Vs Super Built up Area

Carpet Area Vs Built up Area Vs Super Built up Area

Everyone dreams of having their own home at least once in their lifetime and then starts working to achieve these goals and turn their dream into reality. But when it actually boils down to buying a property, there are a lot of factors that have to be considered and if you are new in this field then it just gets too overwhelming and you might end up making the wrong decisions that cannot be undone in the foreseeable future. Investing in a house comes with a huge responsibility and you have to make sure that you are making the right decisions.

During multiple waves of the pandemic, real estate has been one of the preferred classes amongst investors as it is non-volatile and provides a safer bet.

Points of Discussion:

1. What is Carpet Area


2. What is Built up Area


3. What is Super Built up Area


4. Difference between Carpet Area, Super Built Up Area and Built up Area


5. Carpet Area Calculation


6. How to calculate Built up Area


7. Super Built up Area Calculation

Especially in India, buying your own house provides to be one of the safest forms of investment which gives high returns in a short span of time as the value of real estate increases exponentially. No matter how big or small the area of your property is.

So, when you start your house hunt, the first and foremost thing that you should know about the property you are interested in is the area of the property that will be provided to you which consists of a built up area, carpet area and super built up area.

To put it in simple language, let us just say that you have made a confirmed decision about the locality that you want to invest in, so the next thing you would look for in the area in square footage that you will be receiving.

Now, this is where the most confusing part lies in, i.e., the area in square footage, which is further divided into three different types. They are carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area. These three major areas are divided in such a way that it is easier to understand and adapt by anyone who has no prior knowledge in this field especially when it comes to the terms and jargon used by builders.

Carpet Area:

The actual definition of a carpet area by the RERA (Real Estate Regulation Act) is "The net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by the external walls, areas under services shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah area and exclusive open terrace area, but includes the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment."

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So, this basically means the area in your house which can be covered using the carpet is called the carpet area of an apartment. That means the net usable floor in your house which includes your bedroom, dining room, dressing room, kitchen, study, store room, any extra rooms, bathroom, and balconies and staircase within your house. The carpet area excludes any internal and external walls, common areas, and the terrace.

Built Up Area:

The built up area is the sum of the carpet area of your house and the space taken by the walls of your house. So, the built up area also considers the thickness of your walls along with the other usable spaces in your house. Built up area includes the internal and external walls which are avoided in the carpet area and also the utility ducts if any. The built up area excludes anything which is a common area and can be utilized by the other neighbours like fountain, stairs or lifts, garden, lobby, etc. This is a sum total of the carpet area and the walls of your house. When compared with the carpet area, the built up area is larger than the carpet area but smaller than the super built up area.

Difference between carpet area and built up area

Built up area = Carpet area + area of walls (thickness) + area of the balcony

Super Built Up Area:

The super built up area is the one that considers all the aspects which are exclusive to the home buyers as well as common to the home buyers. It is also known as a saleable area. This is a sum total of the built up area of a house and other common amenities or utilities available for use. Thus, the super built up area also includes all the amenities provided such as terrace, garden, lift, elevator, swimming pool, clubhouses, staircases, gymnasium etc. which can be accessed by all the people living in your society or your neighborhood. The square footage of your house will thus seem larger when it is expressed in terms of super built up area than the carpet area or built up area.

Difference between built up area and super built up area

Super built up area = Built up area + useable common area

The next time when you plan on investing in your house, these three major terms have to be discussed with your agent or builder. If you do not know the difference between these three, there is a high chance that you might be closing a wrong deal thus making a loss.

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The builders/agents always talk to you in terms of the built up area and not the carpet area. As the built up area is larger than the carpet area, they try to include the area which is unusable when quoting a price for the house. In India, the carpet area accounts for roughly 70% of the total built-up area.

When it comes to the built up area and the super built up area too, you have to be clear-headed and not get confused between the two terms as again, the builders or agents might have an upper hand and state the super built up area while quoting the price which will, in turn, put a false impression that you are paying less and getting huge square footage in return.

The seller benefits from the lack of clarity in the measurements of the space units, and you suffer a loss as a result.