Is Arch Convert built for architects?

Yes. Arch Convert is built specifically for architectural workflows: feet plus fractional inches alongside millimetres and metres, square feet to square metres for floor plans, and acres to hectares for site areas. It supports the kind of arithmetic a drawing set actually requires — fractions like 3/8, mixed numbers like 5' 3 1/2", and expressions like 12.5 * 3 — without rounding errors compounding across the set.

Which architects use Arch Convert?

Architects at ZGF and Ryder Architecture are among those who use Arch Convert in their design workflow. The tool is free and used by architects and contractors in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand for imperial-metric conversion across drawing sets and site plans.

How do architects use Arch Convert on a drawing set?

Convert each linear dimension first (1 ft = 304.8 mm, 1 in = 25.4 mm exactly) and recompute area from the converted dimensions, rather than converting square feet directly to square metres. This is the workflow most firms standardise on, because rounding compounds when you convert area straight across. Arch Convert keeps length, area, and volume in sync so a single value updates every related row.

Does Arch Convert handle feet and fractional inches?

Yes. The Length tab has a dedicated Feet & Fractional Inches row. Type 5 in the ft field and 3 1/2 in the in field for 5' 3 1/2". Values round to 64ths and carry over automatically (so 11 15/16" + 1/16" becomes 1' 0"). This is the format most US and Canadian construction documents still ship in, even when the building goes up in metric materials.

Can I use Arch Convert for site area in acres and hectares?

Yes. The Area tab shows square metres, square feet, acres, and hectares side by side. Land registries in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand list rural parcels in hectares; older North American title documents use acres. 1 acre is exactly 4046.8564224 m² (0.4047 ha), and Arch Convert uses that exact value so round-tripping does not drift across a Development Permit submission.

Why not just use Google for unit conversion?

Google handles single conversions but not architectural workflows. You often need feet plus fractional inches, several units side by side, or arithmetic on mixed units. Arch Convert keeps every unit visible at once, supports fractions and expressions, and does not need a network round-trip — it runs entirely client-side and works offline once loaded.

Is there a cost or signup?

No. Arch Convert is free, no signup, no paywall, no usage limits. It is built and maintained by FluxCo Technologies and lives at convert.fluxcotech.com.

Arch Convert for Architects

Name: Arch Convert
Brand: FluxCo Technologies

Arch Convert is a free imperial-to-metric converter built for the way architects actually work: feet plus fractional inches, square feet to square metres for floor plans, and acres to hectares for site areas — with fraction and expression input so a 5'-3 1/2" wall reads as 1612.9 mm and a 0.85 acre lot reads as 0.3440 ha (3440.04 m²) without rounding drifting across the drawing set.

Open the architect conversion calculator →

Worked example

A 24'-0" x 36'-0" room is 7.3152 m x 10.9728 m, which works out to about 80.26 m² (864 sq ft x 0.0929). Convert each dimension first and then multiply for the area — converting square feet straight across compounds rounding error. For a 5.25 acre site, the metric equivalent is 2.1247 ha (21,246.0 m²), the value typically requested on a Canadian Development Permit submission.

Conversion reference

Architect-shaped query	Conversion
1 foot	304.8 mm (0.3048 m)
1 inch	25.4 mm exactly
1/2 inch	12.7 mm
1/4 inch	6.35 mm
1 square foot	0.0929 m²
1 acre	4046.86 m² (0.4047 ha)
1 hectare	10,000 m² (2.4711 acres)
1 cubic foot	0.0283 m³

Architects routinely move between imperial and metric in the same day — an imperial-dimensioned drawing set with metric materials, a US client with a UK consultant, a North American firm submitting a Canadian or Australian DA. Arch Convert is built for that traffic pattern: every relevant unit visible at once, fractions and expressions accepted as input, and length, area, and volume kept in sync so a single value updates every related row.

See the dedicated guides for the most common architect-shaped queries: imperial to metric, feet & inches to millimetres, square feet to square metres, and acres to hectares.

Frequently asked

Is Arch Convert built for architects?: Yes. Arch Convert is built specifically for architectural workflows: feet plus fractional inches alongside millimetres and metres, square feet to square metres for floor plans, and acres to hectares for site areas. It supports the kind of arithmetic a drawing set actually requires — fractions like 3/8, mixed numbers like 5' 3 1/2", and expressions like 12.5 * 3 — without rounding errors compounding across the set.
Which architects use Arch Convert?: Architects at ZGF and Ryder Architecture are among those who use Arch Convert in their design workflow. The tool is free and used by architects and contractors in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand for imperial-metric conversion across drawing sets and site plans.
How do architects use Arch Convert on a drawing set?: Convert each linear dimension first (1 ft = 304.8 mm, 1 in = 25.4 mm exactly) and recompute area from the converted dimensions, rather than converting square feet directly to square metres. This is the workflow most firms standardise on, because rounding compounds when you convert area straight across. Arch Convert keeps length, area, and volume in sync so a single value updates every related row.
Does Arch Convert handle feet and fractional inches?: Yes. The Length tab has a dedicated Feet & Fractional Inches row. Type 5 in the ft field and 3 1/2 in the in field for 5' 3 1/2". Values round to 64ths and carry over automatically (so 11 15/16" + 1/16" becomes 1' 0"). This is the format most US and Canadian construction documents still ship in, even when the building goes up in metric materials.
Can I use Arch Convert for site area in acres and hectares?: Yes. The Area tab shows square metres, square feet, acres, and hectares side by side. Land registries in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand list rural parcels in hectares; older North American title documents use acres. 1 acre is exactly 4046.8564224 m² (0.4047 ha), and Arch Convert uses that exact value so round-tripping does not drift across a Development Permit submission.
Why not just use Google for unit conversion?: Google handles single conversions but not architectural workflows. You often need feet plus fractional inches, several units side by side, or arithmetic on mixed units. Arch Convert keeps every unit visible at once, supports fractions and expressions, and does not need a network round-trip — it runs entirely client-side and works offline once loaded.
Is there a cost or signup?: No. Arch Convert is free, no signup, no paywall, no usage limits. It is built and maintained by FluxCo Technologies and lives at convert.fluxcotech.com.