While hunting for properties, you will frequently come across terms like carpet area, built-up area, and super built-up area. Being aware of these terms and understanding the differences between them can help you make better decisions. 

When comparing covered area vs carpet area, note that the covered area includes all spaces under a roof within the property’s boundaries, including both living spaces and other spaces like balconies or corridors. On the other hand, carpet area specifically refers to the usable space within the walls, excluding areas covered by walls and balconies. 

Details on carpet area 

A carpet area is a space within the walls of your apartment or home that can be covered by a carpet. It is the actual usable area where you can place your furniture, walk around comfortably, and essentially live within your space. This area includes the living room, bedrooms, kitchen, and bathrooms. 

Per the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act introduced in 2016, the carpet area includes the actual usable floor area within the apartment’s walls, excluding what is covered by the external walls, balconies, open areas for terraces, verandas, and other utility spaces like ducts and shafts. 

What is the built-up area? 

The built-up area includes the carpet and excluded areas, such as the thickness of the walls and balcony spaces within the apartment. This measurement gives a broader perspective on spaces in an apartment that contribute to the structure but are not specifically usable. 

What is a super built-up area? 

The super built-up area refers to the total area that includes your individual living space and a proportionate share of the common areas in a housing complex or building. This measurement includes your complete built-up area along with shared amenities such as staircases, lifts, lobby areas, and more. 

How do you calculate these areas? 

When you hire an architect near me for house plans, they will measure the carpet area minus the walls, balconies, and utility areas from the measurements. They add up the individual usable areas to get the total carpet area. The formula to calculate the carpet area is Carpet area = size of bedroom + size of living room. 

Similarly, the built-up area calculation involves the carpet area and the thickness of walls, balconies, and common areas shared among multiple units. The formula for calculating it is Built-up area = Carpet area + (2 × length × width × wall thickness). 

Another difference between the covered area vs carpet area is the wall-to-wall dimension of the entire flat vs the distance between the inner walls. Super built-up area = Built-up area + proportionate common area. 

Ask the builder about the property’s carpet area and negotiate the price. For accuracy, compare properties based on the carpet area and not the built-up or super-built-up areas.