Carpet area refers to the net usable floor area within an apartment — the space where you can literally lay a carpet. It is measured from the inner surfaces of the walls and excludes the area covered by external walls, internal walls, balconies, terraces, and common areas like lobbies and staircases.
Under RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development Act, 2016), developers in India are required to sell properties based on carpet area. This was a landmark change that brought transparency to real estate transactions, as earlier developers would quote super built-up area, inflating the apparent size significantly.
How carpet area is calculated: Carpet Area = Net usable area of the apartment (measured from inner wall to inner wall)
What is included: Living room, bedrooms, kitchen, bathrooms, store rooms, and internal corridors. What is excluded: External walls, internal partition walls, balconies, terraces, common areas, and utility shafts.
Typical carpet area efficiency: In most apartments, carpet area is roughly 65-75% of the super built-up area. A project advertising higher carpet area efficiency (above 70%) is generally considered better value for money.
For a 1,500 sq.ft. super built-up apartment, the carpet area would typically be around 975-1,125 sq.ft. depending on the builder's design efficiency.