Acres to Perimeter Calculator

To calculate the perimeter of a rectangular property given only the acreage, you need to make assumptions about the shape of the property. Here are the key points:

• An acre is a unit of area, equal to 43,560 square feet. Knowing only the acreage does not give you enough information to determine the perimeter, since the perimeter depends on the shape of the land.
• If you assume the property is a perfect square, then the side length (in feet) is the square root of the acreage in square feet. The perimeter is 4 times this side length. 
  • For example, for 1 acre (43,560 sq ft), the side length is √43,560 = 208.71 ft. The perimeter is 4 * 208.71 = 834.84 ft.
• If you assume the property is a rectangle with one side twice as long as the other, a common assumption, then:
  • The short side length is the square root of (acreage * 43,560 / 2)
  • The long side length is twice the short side
  • The perimeter is 2 * (short side + long side)
  • For example, for 1 acre, the short side is √(43,560/2) = 147.57 ft, the long side is 295.14 ft, and the perimeter is 2 * (147.57 + 295.14) = 885.42 ft. 
• For small residential lots that are a fraction of an acre, some typical perimeter lengths are provided in reference tables, assuming a rectangular shape. For example, a 1/4 acre lot has a typical perimeter of 417 feet. 

However, the actual perimeter can vary significantly depending on the true shape of the property boundaries. The calculations above provide approximations based on simplifying assumptions about the geometry.  To get an accurate perimeter length, you need to measure the actual property lines or have a survey done.