Carpet Area, Built-Up Area & Super Built-Up Area

Carpet Area, Built-Up Area & Super Built-Up Area

Are you a first-time property buyer? We are sure you will feel floored when you hear the terms and technical jargon like carpet area, built-up area, and super built-up area. In fact, these are three key terms that are frequently used in connection with real estate properties in India. 

Property buyers can often get confused by these terms, and scammers are ever ready to make it worse. This guide is an attempt at helping you understand these terms and find what exactly you are paying for.

What is Carpet Area? 

Carpet Area is also called the net usable area. Carpet area means the actual usage area within your property. The term carpet area is used because this is the area that you can cover with the carpet. It includes the functional living spaces that include bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and internal staircases. 

These are the spaces that are used to place the furniture and live comfortably. The carpet area of the property excludes the external walls, utility ducts, common areas, balconies, terraces, lifts, corridors, and other shared facilities. The measurement of carpet area can help you get the most realistic measure of your complete personal living space. 

Importance of Carpet Area

The carpet area is important for several reasons. 

• Accurate measurement of living area- Carpet area provides you with the complete and accurate measurement of the actual living space available to you. It gives you a clear idea of how much space you have for placing furniture. 
• Transparent pricing – It serves as an accurate measure for the pricing negotiations. It lets you know the actual usable space that you want to pay for. 
• Evaluation of functionality – It gives you a proper idea of the property layout. You can also have a complete idea of room sizes, storage capacity, and overall space efficiency before purchase.
• Legal and regulatory compliance – Regulations require disclosure of the actual carpet area. This will help protect the buyer’s interests. 
• Investment potential – The carpet area is essential for investors who want to evaluate the rental returns and resale value. The usable area directly impacts the choice of the tenants. 
• Fair comparison – The knowledge of carpet area helps in the fair comparison of different properties. 

You Can Also Read: How to Increase the Resale Value of Apartments?

How to calculate carpet area?

It is quite easy and straightforward to calculate the carpet area. 

• Measure the length and width of every room. 
• Multiple the length and width of each individual room 
• Sum up all the areas. 

Example: If your property has three rooms measuring 120 sq ft, 150 sq ft, and 80 sq ft respectively, your total carpet area would be 120 + 150 + 80 = 350 sq ft.

What is the Built Up Area?

The built-up area includes the carpet area and the thickness of all the internal and external walls. It includes everything that includes balconies, terraces, exclusive corridors, and exclusive staircase areas. 

The built-up area means the total area that is physically constructed and enclosed within the property. The built-up area includes the area that you do not use as such. 

Importance of built-up area 

The built-up area bears a lot of importance when it comes to real estate calculations and transactions. 

• Comprehensive assessment of space – It gives an estimate of the total enclosed space. It includes the rooms, balconies, and corridors. 
• Pricing and evaluation – It plays a crucial role in determining the property value. This will help you in accurate property comparisons. 
• Legal and regulatory compliance – Just as in the case of carpet area, the built-up area is also a part of legal compliance. It is mandatory to disclose the area in the legal documents. 
• Space planning and design – It assists the architects and interior designers in understanding the available space. You will be able to allocate the space for optimal functionality and usability.
• Investment analysis – It can help the investors in understanding the total constructed space and its impact on the returns on the investment. 
• Mortgage and loan calculation – The financial institutions use the built-up area for loan eligibility and EMI calculation. 

Read More: Home Loan Tax Benefits

How to calculate built-up area?

Here is how you can calculate the built-up area-

• Measure the length and width of the individual rooms. 
• Add the wall thickness to your measurements of length and width, respectively.
• Multiply the adjacent measurements 
• Sum all the areas 

Example: For a living room measuring 15 feet x 12 feet with 6-inch (0.5 feet) wall thickness on each side:

Adjusted dimensions: (15 + 0.5 + 0.5) x (12 + 0.5 + 0.5) = 16 x 13 = 208 sq ft

What is the Super Built Up Area?

The Super Built Up area is also known as the saleable area. It represents the total area of the property that you pay for. It includes your exclusive built-up area plus a proportionate share of all common facilities and amenities in the building.

This measurement includes the built-up area and all the common areas of use. The Super Built Up area includes compound walls, open-to-sky swimming pools, parks, driveways, open sports facilities, underground water tanks, septic tanks, or inaccessible garden areas.

Importance of Super Built-Up Area

Here are a few important reasons that make Super Built Up Area essential. It plays a major role in real estate transactions. 

• Cost calculation and transparency – It serves as the basis for the final price of the property. It is important for understanding the total cost of the property.
• Inclusion of the shared amenities – The super built-up area gives you an idea of the proportionate share of the common spaces. This will help in the transparent distribution of maintenance costs.
• Legal and regulatory compliance – As with carpet area and built-up area, the super built-up area is also essential to comply with regulations 
• Investment considerations – For the investors, the super built-up area helps assess the rental income potential and resale value.
• Maintenance distribution – It clarifies the proper distribution of maintenance costs for the common use areas. 
• Complete property evaluation – It provides a comprehensive insight into the total value of the property. 

Read More: NRI Real Estate Investment in India

How to Calculate Super Built-up Area?

You will add the area of the common areas to the super built-up area to get the super built-up area. 

• Determine the built-up area as outlined in the above instructions. 
• Identify the proportionate share of the common areas of use. 
• Add the built-up area to get the super built-up area. 

Carpet Area vs Built-up Area

The table below should give you a clear idea of the difference between carpet area and built-up area

Aspect	Carpet Area	Built-up Area
Definition	Net usable space excluding walls	Carpet area plus wall thickness
Inclusions	Bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathrooms	All carpet area elements plus walls, balconies, and an exclusive terrace
Exclusions	Wall thickness, balconies, terraces, common areas	Common areas, shared facilities, lift, lobby
Size Comparison	Smaller (80-90% of built-up)	Larger by 10-20% than the carpet area
Calculation	Measure only usable rooms	Add wall thickness to the carpet area
Pricing Basis	Used for cost per sq ft comparison	Used for property valuation
Use Case	Actual living space assessment	Total constructed space assessment
RERA Requirement	Mandatory disclosure	Mandatory disclosure

Key differences – Built-up area is always larger than carpet area because it includes the thickness of walls and other structural elements that carpet area excludes.

Built-up Area vs Super Built-up Area

Here is a comparison between the built-up area and the super built-up area. 

Aspect	Built-up Area	Super Built-up Area
Definition	Exclusive enclosed space with walls	Exclusive space plus proportionate common areas
Inclusions	Carpet area, walls, balcony, and exclusive terrace	Built-up area plus lobby, lift, staircase, corridors, and amenities
Common Areas	Not included	Included (proportionate share)
Size Comparison	Smaller	Larger by 25-60% (loading factor)
Also Known As	Individual unit area	Saleable area
Pricing Impact	Used for partial cost calculation	Basis for final property price
Calculation Method	Add walls to the carpet area	Built-up area + common area share
Investment Relevance	Shows exclusive space	Shows total investment cost

Key differences – Super built-up area includes your share of common facilities and amenities, making it the largest of the three measurements.

Super Built-up Area vs Carpet Area

Let us now compare the difference between the super built-up area and carpet area.

Aspect	Carpet Area	Super Built-up Area
Scope	Usable living space only	Includes common facilities
Size Differential	Base measurement	Larger by 25-60% (loading factor)
Components	Rooms, kitchens, bathrooms	Everything in the carpet area + common spaces + walls
Shared Spaces	None	Included proportionately
Final Price Basis	Not used directly	Used for calculating the final property price
Importance for Buyers	Most important for space assessment	Important for understanding the total cost

What is the RERA Carpet Area and Loading Factor?

The RERA Carpet Area slightly differs from the carpet area that we calculate. Understanding it should help you get the best experience in handling the experience. 

RRERA Carpet Area

According to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016, the RERA carpet area is defined as the net usable floor area of an apartment or house, including the area covered by internal partition walls but excluding:

• External walls
• Utility ducts
• Terraces
• Balconies (exclusive or otherwise)
• Open veranda areas
• Common areas

Key difference between the RERA carpet area and the General carpet area

The only difference between the RERA carpet area and the regular carpet area is the inclusion of the internal partition wall thickness in the RERA calculation. RERA carpet area is typically 5% more than the general carpet area.

Loading Factor

The loading factor is a crucial concept representing the proportionate share of common areas added to your carpet area to calculate the super built-up area. It’s expressed as a percentage or decimal multiplier.

The loading factor determines how much extra area (beyond your exclusive built-up area) you’re paying for to cover shared facilities and amenities. Generally, it ranges from 25% to 60%, though luxury apartments typically maintain it below 60%.

Key Considerations for Buyers

When purchasing properties, it is advisable to pay special attention to a few specific areas. 

• Focus on the carpet area – Prioritise the carpet area as the primary metric. It represents the actual usable living space. This is where you would spend most of the time and the space where the furniture would be kept. 
• Compare the property based on the carpet area – If you are evaluating multiple properties, compare based on the carpet areas. 
• Understand all three measurements – Be aware of all three measurements. It can be helpful in understanding the total cost considerations. 
• Check loading factor – Request the loading factor percentage from the builder. A lower loading factor (25-40%) means better value than a higher one (50-60%), as it indicates more of your payment goes toward exclusive space.

Also, pay attention to the RERA compliance. It may also be a good idea to check the resale value. 

Wrapping Up

Understanding the difference between the carpet area, built-up area, and super built-up area is quite essential in understanding the worthiness of real estate investment decisions. 

When buying a property, use carpet area as your basis for comparison, calculate the cost per square foot using only the carpet area, and ensure you’re comfortable with the loading factor percentage. Always request proper documentation from the developer showing all three measurements, verified according to RERA guidelines.

FAQs

How do you calculate carpet area from built-up area?

For the carpet area, you should take the length and breadth of each room and calculate the area individually. Summing up all the areas will give you the total carpet area.

What does the built-up area not include?

The built-up area includes the carpet area plus the wall thicknesses. You should consider both external and internal walls. It does not include the common use areas such as lobbies, staircases, lifts, common corridors, elevators, clubs, security areas, or any shared amenities.

What is a built-up area as per RERA?

As per RERA, the built-up area includes the carpet area plus the thickness of all walls (internal and external), exclusive balconies, exclusive terraces, and exclusive corridors. 

How do developers use Super Built-up Area?

Developers use the super built-up area to calculate the final property price that buyers pay. They distribute the cost of common areas, amenities, lifts, staircases, and other shared facilities among all property owners proportionally based on their carpet area or built-up area.

Should I focus more on Carpet Area, Built-up Area, or Super Built-up Area when buying a property?

Carpet area should be your prime focus. This is the area that you would actually be using. However, all three are important from the cost considerations. 

Why is the super built-up area always higher than the carpet area?

Super built-up area is always higher because it includes not only the carpet area and wall thickness (from built-up area) but also a proportionate share of all common areas and amenities like lifts, lobbies, staircases, corridors, gyms, and clubhouses.

What is a loading factor, and how does it affect the super built-up area?

The loading factor is a percentage or multiplier applied to the carpet area to calculate the super built-up area. The loading factor accounts for the proportionate share of common areas.

What is included in the super-built area?

Super-built area includes: the entire built-up area (carpet area, walls, exclusive balconies, exclusive terraces), plus a proportionate share of all common facilities such as lifts, elevators, common staircases, lobbies, common corridors, passages, clubhouses, gyms, swimming pools, security rooms, common gardens, and other shared amenities specified in the developer’s plans.

What is the difference between floor area and carpet area?

Floor area typically refers to the total area of a floor or building level, which is broader than carpet area.  Floor area is a term used in the construction documents.