Short answer. India's Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 set the usual minimums: a home's main habitable room must be at least 9.5 m² (102 sq ft) and 2.4 m (7 ft 10) wide, and a second room at least 7.5 m² (81 sq ft) and 2.1 m (6 ft 11) wide. A kitchen needs 5 m² (54 sq ft), a bathroom 1.8 m² (19 sq ft), a WC 1.1 m² (12 sq ft), and habitable rooms must be 2.75 m (9 ft) high. These are model rules: your state or city's own bye-laws decide, so check with the local authority. When you buy a flat, compare carpet areas, the figure defined in the RERA Act.
Will a queen bed fit your bedroom?
A 5 ft queen in a room at the 2.4 m minimum width leaves about 44 cm (1 ft 5) on each side. Shops suggest about 10 × 10 ft for a queen. Try your own room below.
| Bed | Size in cm | Size in feet and inches | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 91.4 × 198.1 | 3 × 6.5 ft (36 × 78 in) | Also sold 72 or 75 in long |
| Double (diwan) | 121.9 × 198.1 | 4 × 6.5 ft (48 × 78 in) | Also sold 72 or 75 in long |
| Double, 54 in | 137.2 × 198.1 | 4.5 × 6.5 ft (54 × 78 in) | Some brands' double: Nectar lists 54 × 78, Kurlon 54 × 75 |
| Queen | 152.4 × 198.1 | 5 × 6.5 ft (60 × 78 in) | Brands call it the most popular for couples |
| King | 182.9 × 198.1 | 6 × 6.5 ft (72 × 78 in) | Also 72 × 72 in, a square 6 × 6 ft |
Room sizes in India
| Room | Size in feet | Minimum in the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016 | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main bedroom or living room | At least 102 sq ft, for example 7 ft 10 × 13 ft (2.4 × 3.96 m) | 9.5 m² and 2.4 m wide, for the first habitable room | A 10 × 10 ft room is 100 sq ft (9.29 m²), just under it; 10 × 11 ft (10.2 m²) clears it. |
| Second bedroom | At least 81 sq ft, for example 6 ft 11 × 11 ft 9 (2.1 × 3.57 m) | 7.5 m² and 2.1 m wide | Takes a 4 ft diwan against one wall with about 88 cm (2 ft 11) beside it. |
| Rooms in low-income housing | 97 sq ft and 70 sq ft | First room 9 m² and 2.5 m (8 ft 2) wide, second 6.5 m² and 2.1 m wide, 15.5 m² (167 sq ft) together | A separate, smaller rule for low-income housing. |
| Kitchen | At least 54 sq ft | 5 m² and 1.8 m (5 ft 11) wide with a separate dining area; 4.5 m² (48 sq ft) with a separate store; 7.5 m² (81 sq ft) and 2.1 m wide if you eat in it | A kitchen used as a living room counts as a habitable room. |
| Bathroom | At least 19 sq ft | 1.8 m² and 1.2 m (3 ft 11) wide | It needs a wall on outside air and a window or vent of at least 0.3 m² (3.2 sq ft). |
| WC (toilet) | At least 12 sq ft | 1.1 m² and 0.9 m (2 ft 11) wide | It may not open straight into the kitchen. |
| Bathroom with WC | At least 30 sq ft | 2.8 m² and 1.2 m wide | |
| Ceiling height | 9 ft (2.75 m) in rooms and kitchens | 2.75 m to the bottom of the slab; 2.4 m (7 ft 10) clear under a beam, and to a false ceiling in an air-conditioned room; bathroom and WC 2.1 m (6 ft 11) | A loft needs 2.2 m (7 ft 3) of headroom below and may cover at most a quarter of the room. |
| Government-aided home | 323 to 484 sq ft carpet | At least 30 m² of carpet area, up to 45 m² under PMAY-U 2.0 (BLC and AHP) | Up to 120 m² (1,292 sq ft) for the interest subsidy scheme. |
We found no official source for typical room or flat sizes in India, so the table gives the minimums. A 2BHK in one building can be much bigger than in the next: compare carpet areas, then measure the rooms.
Carpet area, built-up area and super built-up area
- Carpet area (RERA). Since the RERA Act 2016, carpet area means the net usable floor area of a flat. It leaves out the external walls, service shafts, your own balcony or verandah and your own open terrace, but it includes the internal partition walls.
- Carpet area (bye-laws). The Model Building Bye-Laws define it as the covered area of the usable rooms, excluding the walls. So a bye-law "carpet area" can be a little smaller than a RERA one for the same flat.
- Built-up or plinth area. The bye-laws' plinth area is the built-up covered area of a floor, walls included.
- Super built-up (super) area. Not defined in the RERA Act. Gurugram's RERA calls the super area definitions in builder-buyer agreements vague, with wide variations, and there a sale agreement must be on carpet area.
- Square feet. If a figure is in square feet, divide by 10.76 to get square metres.
Common mistakes
- Comparing a carpet area with a super area. The same flat has a bigger super area than carpet area. Ask for the RERA carpet area of every flat you compare.
- Taking the minimum for a good size. A 9.5 m² room meets the model bye-laws, but with a queen bed it leaves about 44 cm each side.
- Assuming the model bye-laws apply. States and cities set their own rules; the model text is guidance for them.
- Forgetting the beam. A room 9 ft high can have only 2.4 m (7 ft 10) under a beam, which decides whether a tall wardrobe fits.
See your rooms in 3D
In Flatwalk you draw or photograph your flat's plan and walk through it in 3D. Furniture from real shops stands at its true size, so you can see whether a queen bed leaves room for the wardrobe door, and the tape measure reads any gap in centimetres or in feet and inches.
What it does not do: Flatwalk does not check your plan against the bye-laws or RERA, or tell you what the rules require, and your plan is only as true as the numbers you gave it. Measure the real room with a tape measure.
Also for India: bed sizes.
What Flatwalk does that older planners skip
Lights
Add ceiling lights, lamps and LED strips and see each room in the evening, not only by day.
Your flat in its city
Give the address and the street and buildings around you appear in 3D where the map has them.
Sun for your address
See where the sun falls by date and hour, before a new piece sits in it all summer.
One piece, in your own room
Through the live camera or in a photo of the room, stand it on your own floor at its true size before you buy.
Detail
Doors, windows, kitchens, wardrobes and bathrooms built piece by piece, so new furniture meets what is really there.
Made for a thumb
Tap a piece and its choices appear: move it, turn it, replace it with another.
Swipe for more. Every picture is the app itself.
One flat, free
Most people plan one home. For that, Flatwalk costs nothing: no trial clock and no card. Drawing your flat, furniture at its true size, the tape measure, lights, sun and walking are all part of it, and each AI tool gives one free try. A membership is for people who want more flats or more AI.
Questions people ask
What is the minimum room size in India? Under the Model Building Bye-Laws 2016, a home's first habitable room must be at least 9.5 m² (102 sq ft) and 2.4 m wide, and a second room 7.5 m² (81 sq ft) and 2.1 m wide. Your state or city bye-laws decide the exact figures.
What is a good bedroom size in feet? For a queen bed, shops suggest about 10 × 10 ft; for a king, about 12 × 12 ft. Note that 10 × 10 ft (9.29 m²) is just under the 9.5 m² model minimum for a home's first room.
What is the minimum kitchen size in India? 5 m² (54 sq ft) and 1.8 m wide with a separate dining area, 4.5 m² with a separate store, or 7.5 m² and 2.1 m wide if you eat in it.
What is the minimum bathroom size in India? 1.8 m² (19 sq ft) and 1.2 m wide for a bathroom, 1.1 m² (12 sq ft) for a WC, and 2.8 m² (30 sq ft) for the two together, under the model bye-laws.
What is the difference between carpet area and super built-up area? Carpet area, as the RERA Act defines it, is the flat's net usable floor area including internal walls but not external walls, shafts, your balcony or your terrace. Super built-up area is a builder's figure with no definition in the Act, and it is bigger.
Flatwalk lets you place real furniture at its true size in a 3D plan of your own flat, free for one flat. It is coming soon to Google Play; join the waiting list at flatwalk.app.
Join the waiting list