There you are, looking to buy an office space in Bangalore, comparing carpet areas and super built-up areas trying to figure out what they mean and denote. Understanding nuanced terms in real estate becomes essential for buyers and sellers alike.

But carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area hold particular significance since they relate to the usable space in commercial and residential properties. In Bangalore, as space becomes a premium need, having a detailed understanding of these areas gives insight into the value of money for property you are looking to buy/ sell.

Let us dive right into the details.

What is a Carpet Area?

The actual useable area of any property, excluding the wall thickness, is its carpet area. The term comes originally from the concept of carpeting the house or office floor. The carpet area includes the bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathrooms and balconies within the home.

If you own a residential property in Bangalore with stairs or a lift inside the house, the area will not be included in the total carpet area. Apart from this, the internal and external walls, corridors, terraces, lifts, utility ducts, etc. are also excluded.

How To Calculate Carpet Area?

Carpet Area = Total Inner Area (i.e. Area of Bedroom + Washroom + Kitchen + Balconies + Living Room+ Store Room) – The Thickness of The Inner Walls.

Note that in most cases, carpet area accounts for 70% of the built-up area. Thus if your total built-up area is 1000 sq. ft. the carpet area would be 700 sq. ft.

What is the RERA Carpet Area?

Per The RERA Act 2016, The RERA Carpet Area is the net usable area of a house that excludes all common areas and exclusive balcony/ terrace areas. With the introduction of RERA, the discrepancies in the calculation of carpet area can now be avoided. With the standardisation of calculation, RERA brings in a wave of transparency across the real estate sector. Here is the RERA Carpet Area calculation formula:

RERA Carpet Area = Net Usable Area of the Apartment (exclude external walls, Terrace Area, Balcony area, & Verandah Area) + Areas of the Internal Partition Wall

What is a Built-up Area?

Take the total carpet area and the thickness of the wall, you get the built-up area. For commercial property in Bangalore or any other city in India, the built-up area will be the area of the office/ store and the total area of common spaces in the commercial tower. 

This includes the exterior staircase, the exterior and interior walls, and other spaces on the property like rooms, balconies, corridors, lobby, and terrace. Sections excluded in the built-up area are parking, gymnasiums, clubhouses,  electrical rooms, security rooms and more.

Getting the right built-up area helps you with the right evaluation of the property.

How To Calculate Built-Up Area?

Built-up Area = Carpet area + Inner and Exterior wall areas + Exclusive terrace and balcony + Exclusive corridor

In general cases, the built-up area accounts for 10-15% more than the carpet area.

What is a Super Built-up Area?

Super built-up area is the complete saleable area of a commercial or residential property. It includes common spaces like clubhouses and cafes, amenities, and shared facilities like staircases, lobbies, parking and gardens.

The super built-up area does not count water tanks, compound walls, walkways, sports facilities and areas under inaccessible flower beds.

Knowing super built-up areas brings transparency to cost calculation and ensures the builders meet RERA compliance.

How To Calculate Super Built-Up Area

Super Built-up Area = Built-up area + Share of common area

Here is the difference between carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area at a glance: