Convert Square Meter (m²) to Cuerda (cuerda) instantly.
About these units
Square Meter (m²)
The square meter is the SI unit of area and represents the area of a square with sides exactly one meter in length. It is used universally across science, engineering, architecture, real estate, agriculture, and virtually every discipline that deals with two-dimensional space. Because it is derived directly from the meter, it connects seamlessly to other SI units for volume (m³), density (kg/m³), and pressure (Pa = N/m²). In practical contexts, square meters are used to describe the size of rooms, building floor plans, land plots, insulation coverage, and materials such as flooring and roofing. Its intuitive scale makes it ideal for medium-sized spaces. Smaller areas (such as mechanical components) use cm² or mm², while larger geographical spaces use hectares or square kilometers. The square meter's universality and coherence with the metric system make it one of the most important area units in global use.
Cuerda (cuerda)
The cuerda is a traditional land unit used primarily in Puerto Rico, where it is legally defined as 3,930.395625 square meters—slightly smaller than a hectare and slightly larger than an acre. Cuerdas are widely used in real estate transactions, agriculture, and land management throughout the island. Farmland, forest preserves, and rural homesteads are typically measured in cuerdas rather than square meters or acreage. The cuerda's historical roots likely tie back to Spanish colonial surveying practices, but unlike many colonial units, the cuerda has been standardized, stabilized, and legally maintained well into the modern era. Its continued use reflects cultural identity as much as practicality; Puerto Ricans often conceptualize land parcels in cuerdas, making it a central part of the island's land-economy vocabulary.