Short answer
Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls. Built-up area is carpet area plus the walls and balconies, usually 10 to 20 percent more. Super built-up area adds a share of common areas such as lobbies, lifts and staircases, commonly 20 to 40 percent on top of built-up. Under RERA a residential sale must state carpet area, because that is the only one of the three a buyer can verify by measuring.
LenoreTech Real Estate Team · Jaipur · Updated October 2026
The short answer
Three numbers describe the same flat and they can differ by 40 percent. The one you live in is the smallest and the one you pay for is the largest.
The three areas on one 1,000 sq ft carpet flat
| Term | What it includes | Example |
|---|
| Carpet area | Usable floor inside the internal walls | 1,000 sq ft |
|---|
| Built-up area | Carpet plus internal and external walls, plus balconies | 1,150 sq ft at a 15% wall factor |
|---|
| Super built-up area | Built-up plus your share of lobby, lift, stairs, clubhouse | 1,495 sq ft at 30% loading |
|---|
In that example the buyer pays for 1,495 sq ft and gets 1,000 sq ft of floor. That is a 67 percent uplift on the number that matters, and nothing about it is illegal or unusual. It only becomes a problem when the buyer compares a carpet-area price against a super-built-up price without noticing.
What each term actually measures
- Carpet area. The floor you could physically lay a carpet on. Excludes the thickness of walls. Under RERA it excludes the external walls, shaft, exclusive balcony and open terrace, but includes internal partition walls.
- Built-up area. Carpet plus the walls themselves plus balconies and utility areas. The wall factor is typically 10 to 20 percent and depends on construction type.
- Super built-up area. Built-up plus a proportionate share of everything common: lobbies, staircases, lifts, generator room, clubhouse, sometimes even the swimming pool. This is the "saleable area".
The loading factor
Loading is the single number that decides how much of what you buy you actually get. It is the percentage added to built-up area to arrive at super built-up.
There is no legal cap on it. A project with few amenities might load 20 percent. A project with a clubhouse, pool, gym and wide lobbies might load 40 percent or more. Neither is wrong, but the second one gives you materially less flat for the same quoted area.
What loading does to a 1,000 sq ft carpet flat
| Loading | Super built-up | Carpet as share of what you pay for |
|---|
| 20% | 1,380 sq ft | 72% |
|---|
| 25% | 1,437 sq ft | 70% |
|---|
| 30% | 1,495 sq ft | 67% |
|---|
| 40% | 1,610 sq ft | 62% |
|---|
The question that cuts through all of it: ask for the carpet area in square feet and the total price. Divide one by the other. That is your real price per usable square foot, and it is the only number that compares cleanly between two projects.
Why RERA made carpet area mandatory
Before RERA, builders could quote whichever area made the price look best, and the buyer had no fixed reference. RERA requires that a residential unit be sold on carpet area, with carpet area defined in the Act itself.
Super built-up is still quoted in marketing and still used in conversation, and that is allowed. What is not allowed is for the agreement to price the unit on an area the buyer cannot verify. If your agreement does not state carpet area, that is a problem to raise before signing, not after.
How to compare two flats honestly
- Get the carpet area of both, in writing, in the same unit.
- Get the all-in price of both, including floor rise, PLC, parking and anything else that is not optional.
- Divide price by carpet area for each. Now they are comparable.
- Then look at the loading as a quality signal: very high loading can mean real amenities, or it can mean inefficient design. Walk the common areas and decide which.
- Check the balcony treatment. Balconies are counted differently across projects and can move the built-up figure noticeably.
What to ask before you book
- What is the carpet area as defined under RERA, in square feet?
- What is the loading factor, as a percentage?
- Is the quoted price on carpet or super built-up?
- What exactly is included in the common area I am paying a share of?
- Are balconies inside the carpet figure or outside it?
- Will the agreement state the carpet area?
FAQs
What is the difference between carpet area and built-up area?
Carpet area is the usable floor inside the walls. Built-up area is carpet area plus the walls themselves and the balconies, which typically adds 10 to 20 percent. Built-up is always larger than carpet for the same flat.
What is super built-up area?
Built-up area plus a proportionate share of common areas such as lobbies, staircases, lifts and the clubhouse. It is the largest of the three figures and the one a price is often quoted against, which is why it is also called saleable area.
What is a good loading factor?
There is no legal limit. Around 20 to 25 percent is low, 30 percent is common, and 40 percent or more is high. High loading is not automatically bad if the amenities are real, but it does mean less usable flat for the same quoted area.
Is carpet area or super built-up used in a RERA agreement?
Carpet area. RERA requires residential units to be sold on carpet area and defines the term in the Act, because it is the only one of the three a buyer can verify by measuring. If an agreement does not state carpet area, raise it before signing.
How do I calculate carpet area from super built-up area?
Divide the super built-up area by one plus the loading factor to get built-up, then divide by one plus the wall factor to get carpet. On a 1,495 sq ft super built-up flat at 30 percent loading and a 15 percent wall factor, carpet works out to about 1,000 sq ft.
Does carpet area include balcony?
Under the RERA definition an exclusive balcony or open terrace is excluded from carpet area, though internal partition walls are included. Projects vary in how they present this, so ask for the treatment in writing.
