Convert Homestead (homestead) to Square Mil (mil²) instantly.
About these units
Homestead (homestead)
A homestead is not a strictly fixed area unit but historically referred to land parcels granted under the U.S. Homestead Act of 1862, typically 160 acres, or 1/4 of a section. These homesteads were offered to settlers willing to cultivate and improve the land. The 160-acre parcel was chosen to be large enough to sustain a family farm in many regions, though this proved inadequate in drier western areas. While no longer an official area unit, "homestead" is deeply embedded in American cultural memory and historical land-use patterns. In legal and historical contexts, it often implicitly means a quarter-section, preserving its measurement-like nature.
Square Mil (mil²)
A square mil equals the area of a square one mil (0.001 inch) on each side, producing an area of one-millionth of a square inch. This tiny unit appears in microfabrication, thin-film manufacturing, and fine electronic component design. Engineers rely on mils and mil² for PCB trace design, wire bonding pads, and micro-mechanical parts. Despite modern efforts to shift toward metric units, mils remain deeply embedded in American electronics manufacturing due to legacy tooling and engineering standards.