Morgen sizes by region
| Region | m² | sq ft | acres | hectares |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa (title deeds before metrication)default | 8,565.32 | 92,196.34 | 2.1165 | 0.856532 |
| Prussia (1816–1869) | 2,553.22 | 27,482.63 | 0.630914 | 0.255322 |
| Germany (20th-century usage) | 2,500 | 26,909.78 | 0.617763 | 0.25 |
- South Africa (title deeds before metrication): 1 morgen = 0.856532 ha (conversion factor for deeds and diagrams)
- Prussia (1816–1869): = 180 square Prussian rods ≈ 2,553.22 m²
- Germany (20th-century usage): = 1/4 hectare = 25 ares
About the morgen
Morgen is the German and Dutch word for morning, and the unit started as the land one plough team could work before noon. Its size varied from region to region, so the name alone does not tell you the area.
In South Africa the morgen was the legal land unit of the Cape, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal until metrication in the 1970s, and many older title deeds and diagrams still use it. For converting those, the Law Society of South Africa published a factor of 1 morgen = 0.856532 hectare (about 2.117 acres). Rowlett’s dictionary gives 10,246 sq yd (about 0.8567 ha); the difference is 0.02%, and the published factor is the one to use when converting deeds and diagrams.
In Germany the Prussian morgen was 2,553.22 m² in the 19th century, and in the 20th century a quarter hectare (2,500 m²) became the usual informal morgen. Values vary by place and period; use the figure that matches the document you are reading.
Related measures
- South Africa: 1 morgen = 0.856532 ha ≈ 2.117 acres
- Germany: 4 morgen = 1 hectare (20th-century usage)
Quick table
Using the South Africa (title deeds before metrication) value.
| Morgen | Square feet | Square meters | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92,196.34 | 8,565.32 | 2.1165 |
| 2 | 184,392.67 | 17,130.64 | 4.2331 |
| 5 | 460,981.69 | 42,826.6 | 10.5827 |
| 10 | 921,963.37 | 85,653.2 | 21.1654 |
| 20 | 1,843,926.74 | 171,306.4 | 42.3307 |
| 50 | 4,609,816.86 | 428,266 | 105.8268 |
| 100 | 9,219,633.72 | 856,532 | 211.6537 |
Sources
- Law Society of South Africa: Instructions for the Conversion of Areas to Metric (2007) (South Africa (title deeds before metrication))
- Russ Rowlett, How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement (UNC Chapel Hill), “M” (Prussia (1816–1869))
- Wikipedia: Morgen (quarter-hectare morgen) (Germany (20th-century usage))
Spotted a value that’s wrong for your area, or a regional value we should add? Email support@landmeasure.app with a source.