Built-up Area vs. Carpet Area vs. Super Built-up area: The Differences

21 Jun 2025
360propguide

Table of content:

    • Frequently Asked Questions

    Built-up Area vs Carpet Area: A Savvy Homebuyer's Dictionary to Real Space

    What is a Carpet Area?

    The carpet area is your living space. It's only for the flooring spaces of your bedroom, kitchen, living room, and bathroom – the spaces where you walk around, live, cook, sleep, and shower.

    • Not covered are balconies and walls.

    • This is the place where you live.

    If you're buying a house, this is the figure that will be most important to you.

    Calculate Carpet Area: It’s done by the total area of the home - the area of the walls.

    Carpet area = Used area in the apartment 

    What is Built-Up Area?

    • Built-up area is the carpet area plus walls.

    • Built-up area is carpet area + walls + balconies. It has outer walls and a component of unusable space, like ducts or shafts.

    Calculate built-up area:

    Built-up area = Carpet area + thickness of walls + balcony area

    What's Actually Different:

    Carpet Area: Your functional area on a day-to-day basis

    Built-up Area: Carpet area plus thickness of the walls plus balconies

    What is a Built-Up Area?

    The built-up area refers to the carpet area along with the area of walls and balconies. In other words, you're paying for unused walls and areas you may rarely visit.

    How to find the built-up area:

    Built-up area = Carpet area plus Thickness of the walls plus area of the balcony

    This is typically the measurement employed by builders to exaggerate the area of a house. If a flat measures 1,200 sq ft built-up, the carpet area can be as little as 800–900 sq ft.

    What is Super Built-Up Area?

    The super built-up area (also referred to as saleable area) takes the built-up area and adds some of the common areas — lifts, corridors, staircases, and amenities such as clubhouses and swimming pools.

    How to compute super built-up area:

    Super built-up area = Built-up area + Proportionate share of common amenities

    It is usually the most deceptive figure in a property transaction. Builders employ it in order to display to you a larger size at a reduced rate—but your usable space continues to be significantly less than advertised.

    built area vs carpet area

    Carpet Area vs Built-Up Area vs Super Built-Up Area: Quick Comparison

    Type of Area

    Includes

    Excludes

    Carpet Area

    Usable floor space

    Walls, balconies, and common areas

    Built-Up Area


    Carpet + walls + balconies

    Common areas

    Super Built-Up Area

    Built-up + share of common amenities

    N/A (includes almost everything possible)

    Super Built-Up Area: The Expensive Illusion

    Why should you care about super area vs carpet area?

    Because most of the time, you’re paying for amenities you might never use. Gyms, pools, and lobbies seem luxurious, but they’re shared—and often not maintained well.

    In many cities, super built-up areas can be 45–60% higher than the carpet area.

    Example:

    If Carpet Area = 700 sq ft Built-up Area = 800 sq ft Super Built-Up Area = 1,050 sq ft

    You’re effectively paying for 350 sq ft of shared space.

    built area vs carpet area

    Smart Buyer Checklist: Avoid Getting Duped

    • Inquire about the carpet range in composing and guarantee it's stated in your deal agreement.

    • Utilize the carpet range to calculate the genuine toll taken per square foot.

    • Maintain a strategic distance from ventures where super built-up is more than 30% higher than carpet.

    • Degree of genuine level measure with a tape amid location visits.

    • Confirm through RERA that all engineers must uncover the carpet zone as per RERA norms

    Red Banners You Ought Never to Ignore

    • Builders who delay sharing the carpet area

    • Brochures with, as it were, super-built-up figures

    • Test pads that are greater than real flats

    • Records with unclear terms like approximate area

    • Weight to book without a clear square film breakdown

    Built Region vs Carpet Range: Which One Ought You to Trust?

    In a genuine bequest bargain, continuously prioritize carpet zones. It reflects your genuine usable space.

    The contrast between carpet and built-up zone or between built-up and super built-up region isn't fairly specialized; it's a device that numerous builders utilize to veil tall costs and shrink your living area.

    built area vs carpet area

    Conclusion: Carpet Range is Ruler

    • difference between carpet area and built-up area

    • Understand the definition of super built-up area and its financial impact

    • Use carpet area when comparing property prices

    • Be skeptical of offers with large super area vs carpet area discrepancies

    If you're investing in your dream home, make sure your square feet work for your life, not your builder’s profit margins.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q

    What is the carpet area of a 2 BHK?

    The carpet area for 2 BHK apartments varies from 800 sq ft to 1200 sq ft
    Q

    What could be a reasonable carpet region for 3 BHK flats?

    The carpet area of 3 bhk is 1,200 to 1,800 sq ft.
    Q

    Why is my 1100 sq ft flat looking smaller?

    Since it’s a super built-up region, your real carpet zone is much lower, regularly 60–65%.
    Q

    How do I know if I’m overpaying?

    You should check the cost per carpet sq ft, not super area, to know your genuine cost.
    Q

    Am I supposed to pay for the carpet area or the built-up area?

    It is presently required for all builders to offer property based as it were on carpet range. In this way, domestic buyers can make educated choices when choosing their dream loft. A carpet range is an accessible range inside the dividers of a property.