One acre is about 6 plots in Nigeria. An acre is 4,046.86 square metres (43,560 square feet), and the most widely used standard plot, the one usually described as 60 × 120 ft, is about 648 square metres, so 4,046.86 ÷ 648 = 6.2. Where plots are smaller, at about 465 square metres (50 × 100 ft), an acre is 8 to 9 plots. The answer changes with the plot size because a “plot” has no fixed national size, which is why the table below works it out for every common size.
How many plots in one acre, by plot size
This is pure arithmetic: 4,046.86 square metres divided by the size of the plot, and 10,000 square metres divided by the same size for a hectare.
| Plot size | Plots in 1 acre | Plots in 1 hectare |
|---|---|---|
| 450 sq m | 8.99 (about 9) | 22.2 |
| 465 sq m (50 × 100 ft) | 8.70 (8–9) | 21.5 |
| 500 sq m | 8.09 (about 8) | 20.0 |
| 600 sq m | 6.74 (6–7) | 16.7 |
| 648 sq m (standard plot) | 6.25 (about 6) | 15.4 |
| 900 sq m | 4.50 (4–5) | 11.1 |
| 1,000 sq m | 4.05 (about 4) | 10.0 |
A note on the standard plot. It is commonly called “60 by 120”, but 60 × 120 ft measured exactly is 7,200 square feet, or about 669 square metres, slightly more than the 648 square metres that the standard is usually taken to be. Either way the answer rounds to 6 plots per acre: 43,560 ÷ 7,200 = 6.05. All the units and their conversions are explained in land sizes in Nigeria.
Acres to plots: quick reference
Using the 648 square metre standard plot:
- Half an acre (about 2,023 sq m): about 3 plots
- 1 acre (about 4,047 sq m): about 6 plots
- 2 acres (about 8,094 sq m): 12–13 plots
- 5 acres (about 20,234 sq m): about 31 plots
- 10 acres (about 40,469 sq m): 62–63 plots
Hectares to plots
A hectare is 10,000 square metres, or about 2.47 acres, and it is the unit preferred in government surveys and agricultural records. One hectare is about 15 standard plots of 648 square metres, 2 hectares is about 30, and 5 hectares is about 77. With 50 × 100 ft plots, a hectare is 21 to 22 plots. If a seller quotes hectares and you think in plots, multiply the hectares by 15 for a first estimate, then check the survey plan.
The theoretical number is not the buildable number
Six plots of 648 square metres take up 3,888 square metres, leaving only about 159 square metres of the acre for everything else. A real layout needs an access road, drainage and setbacks, and an irregular boundary wastes more. Anyone buying an acre to subdivide should expect fewer full-size plots than the table suggests, and should ask a licensed surveyor to prepare a layout before agreeing a price based on “six plots”.
The same point works in reverse. When a developer advertises an estate carved out of several acres, the roads and common areas have already come out of the land, and the plots offered may be 300, 450 or 500 square metres rather than a full standard plot.
Why sellers' “plots” differ from state to state
- No national standard. Nigeria has never fixed the size of a plot in law. Each state's survey practice, and each layout within it, sets its own.
- Government schemes versus private estates. The 648 square metre plot is the most widely used standard in Lagos State government surveys and much of the South-West. Private estates frequently sell smaller plots to keep the ticket price down.
- Feet versus metres. Sizes are quoted loosely in feet (50 × 100, 60 × 120, 100 × 100) and recorded in square metres, and the two do not always agree exactly.
- Half plots and corner pieces. In areas that use the standard plot, 60 × 60 ft is often sold as a half plot, and irregular corner pieces are sold as “a plot” whatever they measure.
- Farmland is different again. Agricultural land is normally quoted in acres or hectares, and sometimes in local “plots” that bear no relation to the residential standard.
Always buy by the square metres on the survey plan
Two offers of “one plot for ₦6,000,000” are not the same price if one plot is 648 square metres and the other is 465. Divide the price by the area: the first is about ₦9,259 per square metre and the second about ₦12,903. Price per square metre is the only comparison that holds across sellers, estates and states.
- Ask for the survey plan before you discuss price. It states the length of each side and the total area.
- Check that the area on the survey plan matches the area in the title document and the sale agreement.
- Have a licensed surveyor confirm the beacons on the ground; rural boundaries in particular are often encroached.
- Have the plan checked against government records for acquisition before you pay.
What a survey plan contains and how it is verified is in survey plans in Nigeria; the title documents that go with it are in land document types in Nigeria. If you are buying by the acre for farming, read agricultural land for sale in Nigeria and agricultural land prices per acre.
Ready to compare real plots? Search land for sale across Nigeria, or go straight to land for sale in Lagos. Owners can list land on Cabans with the exact square metres stated, which is what serious buyers look for first.
Frequently asked questions
1 acre is how many plots in Nigeria?
One acre is 4,046.86 square metres, which is about 6 standard plots of 648 square metres (the plot usually described as 60 by 120 feet). With smaller plots of about 465 square metres (50 by 100 feet), an acre is between 8 and 9 plots.
How many square metres is one plot of land in Nigeria?
There is no single national size. The most widely used standard in Lagos and much of the South-West is about 648 square metres. Plots of about 465 square metres (50 by 100 feet) are common in private estates, and plots of 450, 500, 600, 900 and 1,000 square metres are all sold as one plot in different places.
How many plots make one hectare?
One hectare is 10,000 square metres, which is about 15 plots of 648 square metres, 20 plots of 500 square metres or 10 plots of 1,000 square metres. One hectare is also about 2.47 acres.
How many plots are in half an acre?
Half an acre is about 2,023 square metres, which is roughly 3 plots of 648 square metres or between 4 and 5 plots of 450 to 500 square metres.
Can I get 6 buildable plots out of one acre?
Usually not. Six plots of 648 square metres use 3,888 of the 4,047 square metres in an acre, which leaves almost nothing for an access road, drainage and setbacks. Once a road is taken out, an acre laid out as an estate normally yields fewer full-size plots than the arithmetic suggests.
How many feet is an acre?
An acre is 43,560 square feet. It is a measure of area, so it has no fixed length and width: a square acre is roughly 209 feet on each side, but an acre can be any shape.
Is a plot the same size in Lagos and Abuja?
No. Plot sizes differ between states, between government schemes and private estates, and between layouts in the same city. Always take the area in square metres from the survey plan rather than relying on the word plot.
Related guides
Land sizes in Nigeria · Survey plans in Nigeria · Buying land in Lagos · Agricultural land for sale in Nigeria
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