# Carpet, Built-Up and Super Built-Up Area: What You Actually Pay For

> Carpet area is the usable floor you can actually lay carpet on; built-up area adds the walls; super built-up (or chargeable) area adds a share of lobbies, lifts, staircases and services. Rent is usually quoted on super built-up, while fit-out is priced on carpet — which is why the two numbers must never be mixed up.

## Why it matters on a fit-out project

This is the most common source of budget confusion on Indian office projects,
and it usually surfaces at the worst moment — when a fit-out quote arrives and
appears far higher per square foot than expected.

Often nothing is wrong with the quote. The tenant is comparing a rate priced on
carpet area against a floor plate they think of in super built-up terms. On a
30% loading factor, the same total cost looks 30% more expensive per square foot
simply because of which denominator is used.

## How it is specified in practice

| Term | What it includes | Normally used for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Carpet area | Usable floor inside the walls | Fit-out pricing, furniture layout, seat counts |
| Built-up area | Carpet plus internal and external walls | Construction and structural discussion |
| Super built-up / chargeable | Built-up plus a share of common areas | Rent, maintenance charges, deposits |

**Loading factor** is the gap between carpet and chargeable area, expressed as a
percentage. A 10,000 sq ft chargeable floor at 30% loading gives roughly 7,700
sq ft of carpet — and that smaller number is what your fit-out, your workstation
count and your HVAC tonnage are all actually based on.

## Common mistakes

- **Comparing two fit-out quotes on different bases.** If one contractor prices
  on carpet and another on chargeable, the cheaper-looking rate can be the more
  expensive job. Always confirm the denominator before comparing.
- **Planning headcount from chargeable area.** Seat counts come from carpet
  area. Using the leased figure overstates capacity by the whole loading factor.
- **Assuming loading is standardised.** It is not. It varies building to
  building and is a negotiable lease term.
- **Sizing HVAC on the wrong number.** Cooling load follows the space you
  actually occupy and condition. Using chargeable area oversizes the plant and
  wastes both capital and running cost.
- **Not getting the definition written into the lease.** Terms vary between
  landlords. The lease should define exactly what is included, not rely on the
  common meaning.

## Standards referenced

**RERA 2016**, Section 2(k), gives the statutory definition of carpet area:
the net usable floor area within a unit, excluding external walls, service
shafts, balconies and verandas, but including internal partition walls.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a typical loading factor for a commercial office in India?

Grade-A commercial buildings commonly load somewhere between 25% and 40%, meaning carpet area is roughly 60-75% of the chargeable area you pay rent on. Older or more efficient buildings sit at the lower end; towers with large lobbies, deep cores and generous common areas sit at the upper end. It is a negotiable, building-specific number, not a standard.

### Which area should a fit-out contractor quote against?

Carpet area, always, and the quote should say so explicitly. Fit-out work happens inside your demised space — you do not fit out the lift lobby. A rate quoted per square foot of super built-up area is either a mistake or a way of making a number look lower than it is.

### Does RERA apply to commercial leases?

RERA 2016 defines carpet area precisely and applies to the sale of registered projects, including commercial ones. Ordinary commercial leasing is governed by the lease itself rather than RERA, which is exactly why the lease must define its own terms — a landlord's definition of built-up area is not automatically the RERA one.

## Sources

- [RERA 2016](https://www.legislative.gov.in/) — Section 2(k) — definition of carpet area

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Source: https://hagerstone.com/glossary/carpet-vs-built-up-area