This article will show you how big an acre is along with some examples of how an acre compares in size to other well-known things.
Acres is a unit of measurement used when measuring land.
Some people may think an acre is huge in size but when you compare it to other things, it puts the size into perspective so you can visualize it better.
The following 7 items are equal to 1 acre in size.
Table of contents
How big is an acre?
1 Acre is equal to 4840 square yards, 43,560 square feet, or 0.404 hectares.
An acre can be any dimensions providing they equal 43,560 square feet. For example, 66 feet x 660 feet equals 43,560 square feet or 1 acre.
The size of a football field including the end zones is 360 feet long x 160 feet wide. This is equal to 57,600 square feet. As mentioned, an acre can be any dimensions providing they equal 43,560 square feet.
Therefore a football field is slightly larger than an acre. 1.32 times larger.
#2. Semi Tractor-Trailer Truck
A standard tractor-trailer truck will have dimensions of 53 feet long x 8 feet wide which equals 424 square feet.
If you can picture 103 of these trucks lined up side by side, it would be approximately 43,672 square feet which is just shy of 1 acre.
#3. King Size Bed
A standard king-size bed has the dimensions of 76 inches x 80 inches. This is equal to 6080 square inches or 42.2 square feet.
If you can imagine 1032 king-size beds placed side by side, it would equal 43,550 which is almost exactly the same size as an acre.
#4. Volleyball Court
The regulation size of a volleyball court is 60 feet long x 30 feet wide. This equals 1800 square feet.
If you could place 24 volleyball courts side by side it would be equal to 43,200 square feet which is just under the size of 1 acre.
#5. 2 Car Garage
One of the most common sizes for a 2-car garage is 20 feet wide x 24 feet long. This is 480 square feet.
If you build 90 of these garages and placed them together, it would be very close to equalling 1 acre in size which is 43,560 square feet.
#6. NHL Ice Hockey Rink
An ice hockey rink can vary in size but professional leagues like the NHL use a standard size of 200 feet long x 85 feet wide.
The square footage of the ice surface equals 17,000. You could place 2.56 ice hockey rinks inside of an acre. An ice hockey rink is also 40% of the size of 1 acre.
#7. Tennis Courts
Tennis courts can be slightly different in size depending on if it is being used as a singles or doubles court.
Dimensions for doubles play are larger and measure 78 feet long x 36 feet wide. This is equal to 2808 square feet. You would need 15.5 doubles tennis courts to equal 1 acre in size.
1 acre converted to other units of measurements
1 acre is equal to:
- 43,560 square feet
- 4,046 square meters
- 4,840 square yards
- 0.404 hectares
How long does it take to walk 1 acre?
Not all people walk at the same speed and therefore you may cover more or less distance in a given amount of time compared to someone else.
However, on average, a person walks at a speed of 3 to 4 miles per hour. To walk across 1 acre of land, it should take you around 35 seconds which is about half (1/2) of one minute.
If you are a slower walker, it could take you closer to 60 seconds or 1 minute to walk a full acre of land.
How many houses can you fit on an acre of land?
Not all houses are the same size in terms of square footage so the number of houses that can fit on an acre can vary. However, in the USA, most new homes are constructed on lot sizes that are 1/5th of an acre. Therefore, 5 houses can fit on 1 acre of land.
How many acres of land are in the USA?
The USA has 50 states and covers 2.43 Billion acres of land. The largest state is Alaska which covers 365,000,000 acres of land.
