Area & Measurement
What is Super Built-Up Area?
The number on the brochure. The number you pay for. And the reason a 1,200 sq ft flat feels like 850 — because it is.
The short answer
Super built-up area is your flat plus a share of the building's common areas — the lobby, the staircase, the lifts, the corridors, the clubhouse. It is the figure most Indian builders advertise and price against.
It typically runs 25% to 40% larger than the carpet area. So a flat sold as 1,200 sq ft may give you around 850 sq ft to live in. Nothing illegal is happening — the number is simply measuring something other than your home.
What super built-up area includes
Start with your built-up area — your flat, its walls, its balcony. Now add a proportionate share of everything the building has that you don't own but do use:
- Lift lobbies and corridors
- Staircases and fire escapes
- Lift shafts and machine rooms
- Clubhouse, gym, swimming pool
- Security cabin, generator room, electrical room
- Sometimes: the entrance plaza, the landscaped garden
"Proportionate" means your flat's share is calculated against the total. Own a bigger flat, carry a bigger share of the lobby.
How it's calculated
Super built-up area
Super built-up = Built-up area + (your proportionate share of common areas)
- Carpet area
- 840 sq ft
- + walls and balcony
- 170 sq ft
- = Built-up area
- 1,010 sq ft
- + share of common areas
- 190 sq ft
- Super built-up area
- 1,200 sq ft
RERA defines carpet area. It says nothing about how a builder should calculate your share of the common areas.
Which means the loading factor — the gap between 840 and 1,200 — is a commercial decision, not a regulated one. Two builders on the same street can load the same flat by 28% and 44%. Both are legal.
How it compares to the other area figures
| Term | What it measures | Internal walls | External walls | Balcony | Common areas | Typical size* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpet area (literal) | Floor you can lay a carpet on | No | No | No | No | ~810 sq ft |
| RERA carpet area (the legal one) | Net usable floor area per Section 2(k) | Yes | No | No | No | ~840 sq ft |
| Built-up area | Carpet + all walls + balcony | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ~1,010 sq ft |
| Super built-up area | Built-up + share of lobbies, lifts, stairs, clubhouse | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1,200 sq ft |
| Saleable area | The number the builder prices against. Usually identical to super built-up. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1,200 sq ft |
*On a flat advertised as 1,200 sq ft at a typical 30% loading factor. Actual figures vary by project and must be taken from the RERA-registered agreement, never from a brochure.
What it actually costs you
Here is the calculation that matters, and almost nobody does it.
Two flats. Same brochure. Not the same flat.
Both advertised at 1,200 sq ft, ₹8,000 per sq ft. Both cost ₹96 lakh.
- Project A — loading 30%
- Carpet area
- 923 sq ft
- Real rate per usable sq ft
- ₹10,401
- Project B — loading 45%
- Carpet area
- 828 sq ft
- Real rate per usable sq ft
- ₹11,594
- You get 95 sq ft less in Project B
- for the same ₹96 lakh
The brochures are identical. The flats are not. On a purchase this size, 95 square feet is a study.
Is selling on super built-up area legal?
Yes. This surprises people, but RERA did not ban it.
What RERA banned was hiding the carpet area. A builder may advertise 1,200 sq ft and price against 1,200 sq ft, provided the agreement for sale states the carpet area. The information asymmetry is gone; the pricing convention is not.
Maharashtra has gone further than most — MahaRERA pushes builders to quote carpet area in advertising, and many Mumbai projects now do. Elsewhere, super built-up remains the norm.
If a project requires RERA registration and the agreement for sale does not disclose the carpet area, the builder is in breach.
That is not a negotiating point. That is a reason to walk away.
How to compare two projects properly
- Get the RERA carpet area for each — from the state RERA portal, not the sales office.
- Divide the total price by the carpet area. That is your real rate per usable square foot.
- Compare those two numbers. Not the brochure rates. Never the brochure rates.
- Then decide whether the loading is worth it. A 45% loading might buy you a genuinely excellent clubhouse and a double-height lobby. That's a legitimate choice — as long as you're making it knowingly.
A high loading factor is not a scam. It's a trade: less flat, more building. The problem was never the trade. It was that buyers were making it without being told.
Frequently asked questions
Why is super built-up area larger than carpet area?
Because it adds two things. First the walls and balcony of your flat, which gives built-up area. Then a proportionate share of the building's common areas — lobbies, lifts, staircases, clubhouse. Together these typically add 25% to 40% on top of carpet area.
Can builders still sell on super built-up area?
Yes. RERA did not ban pricing or advertising on super built-up area. It only made disclosure of the carpet area in the agreement mandatory. So the brochure rate and the real rate remain two different numbers — but now you can find out what the real one is.
What is a normal loading factor?
Between 25% and 40% in most Indian projects. Below 30% is efficient. Above 40% usually means large lobbies, extensive amenities or a low-density tower. Neither is objectively better — what matters is that you know the figure and compare like with like.
Is super built-up area the same as saleable area?
In practice, almost always yes. Saleable area is the figure the builder prices against, and for most Indian projects that is the super built-up area. But 'saleable area' has no statutory definition, so confirm what a specific builder means by it.
How do I find the real price per square foot?
Divide the total price by the RERA carpet area, not by the super built-up area. A Rs 96 lakh flat with 840 sq ft of carpet costs Rs 11,428 per usable square foot — not the Rs 8,000 on the brochure.