Buyer Guides
Carpet area, built-up, super built-up: reading a price sheet honestly
The same apartment can be advertised at three very different sizes. Here is how to compare two projects on equal terms.
Two projects quote ₹9,000 per sq ft. One is meaningfully more expensive than the other. The difference is which area they are quoting on.
The three measurements
Carpet area is the usable floor space inside your walls — what you can actually put furniture on. Since RERA, this is the figure that must legally appear in your agreement.
Built-up area adds the thickness of your walls and your balcony, typically 10–15% more than carpet.
Super built-up area adds your share of lobbies, staircases, lifts and the clubhouse. This "loading" ranges from 20% to well over 40%, and it is entirely at the developer's discretion.
Why this matters more than the rate
Consider two apartments both quoted at ₹9,000 per sq ft:
- Project A: 1,800 sq ft super built-up, 25% loading → 1,440 sq ft carpet → ₹1.62 Cr for 1,440 usable sq ft = ₹11,250 per carpet sq ft
- Project B: 1,800 sq ft super built-up, 40% loading → 1,286 sq ft carpet → ₹1.62 Cr for 1,286 usable sq ft = ₹12,600 per carpet sq ft
Same headline rate. Project B is 12% more expensive for the space you will actually live in.
The only comparison worth making
Divide the total price by the carpet area. Every time, for every project. It is the one number that lets you compare a Whitefield apartment to a Sarjapur one without the loading percentage quietly distorting the picture.
Ask for carpet area in writing. Under RERA the developer must provide it, and any hesitation to do so tells you something.
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