Carpet Area vs Built-up vs Super Built-up Area: What You Actually Pay For
Since RERA, flats in Maharashtra must be sold on carpet area. Here is what carpet, built-up and super built-up area mean, how balconies are counted, and how to compare prices fairly.
By Elegant Home Advisors · Updated 2026-10-16
Two flats advertised as "1,000 sq ft" can have very different amounts of usable floor. The difference is which area the number describes. Since the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA), developers in Maharashtra have to state and sell flats on carpet area, but older listings, resale flats and some advertisements still quote built-up or super built-up figures.
Carpet area (the RERA definition)
RERA defines carpet area as the net usable floor area of a flat, excluding the area under the external walls, service shafts, an exclusive balcony or verandah and an exclusive open terrace, but including the area under internal partition walls.
In plain words: carpet area is the floor inside your flat's outer walls that you can actually use, room by room, including the thin walls between rooms. It is the number on your MahaRERA-registered agreement for sale, and the number every price comparison should use.
Balconies, decks and terraces
An exclusive balcony, deck or open terrace is not part of RERA carpet area. Developers list it separately, and many Maharashtra brochures quote "carpet + balcony" or "usable area". That is allowed as long as the RERA carpet area is also stated clearly. When you compare two projects, make sure you are comparing carpet with carpet, not one project's carpet with another's carpet-plus-balcony.
Built-up area
Built-up area is carpet area plus the thickness of the external walls, plus the balcony in many calculations. It is usually about 10–20% more than carpet area. You will mostly see it in resale listings and older agreements.
Super built-up area (saleable area)
Super built-up area adds your share of the building's common areas: lobbies, staircases, lift wells, corridors, and sometimes the clubhouse. The extra over carpet area is called the "loading", and it is often 25–40% or more. Before RERA, many flats were priced on super built-up area, which made the price per sq ft look lower than it really was.
A quick example
| Area | What it includes | |
|---|---|---|
| RERA carpet area | 700 sq ft | Usable floor inside the flat, including internal walls |
| Built-up area | about 790 sq ft | Carpet area + external walls (+ balcony in many calculations) |
| Super built-up area | about 950 sq ft | Built-up area + share of lobbies, lifts, staircases, amenities |
If the flat costs ₹1.12 Cr, that is ₹16,000 per sq ft of carpet area but only about ₹11,800 per sq ft of super built-up area. Same flat, same price. Always convert to carpet area before comparing.
How to check the area before you pay
- Ask for the RERA carpet area of the exact flat (not the unit type), in sq ft or sq m, in writing.
- Check it against the project's MahaRERA registration, which lists the carpet area of each apartment type. How to check a project on MahaRERA
- Read the area clause of the draft agreement for sale: it should state the carpet area, the balcony or terrace area separately, and what happens if the final measured area differs.
- Compare projects on price per sq ft of carpet area. Our area pages, such as new projects in Kharghar, do this for every listing.
1 square metre = 10.764 square feet. MahaRERA documents usually give areas in square metres.
Questions buyers ask
Is the price of a new flat in Maharashtra based on carpet area?
Yes. Under RERA, developers of registered projects must state the carpet area of each flat and sell on that basis. Balconies and terraces may be mentioned and priced separately, but the carpet area must be clear in the agreement.
Is balcony area included in RERA carpet area?
No. An exclusive balcony, verandah or open terrace is excluded from RERA carpet area. Many brochures quote 'carpet + balcony' as usable area; compare projects on RERA carpet area alone.
How much bigger is super built-up area than carpet area?
It depends on the building, but the loading over carpet area is often 25–40% or more, because it includes your share of lobbies, lifts, staircases and amenities.