Turkish Measurement Units: Conversions and Common Uses
Moving to Turkey brings many small surprises. You will handle shopping, cooking, house hunting, and local bureaucracy. Measurement units shape these daily tasks. This guide helps you convert units quickly and use them confidently. You will reduce mistakes, save time, and make better decisions.
Everyday metric units you will see
Turkey uses the metric system. You will see metres, litres, and kilograms in most places.
Below I list the most common units and quick conversions to familiar imperial measures. Keep these handy on your phone when you shop or measure a room.
- Length: 1 metre = 3.28 feet
- Distance: 1 kilometre = 0.621 miles
- Weight: 1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds
- Volume: 1 litre = 0.264 US gallons
- Area: 1 square metre (metrekare) = 10.764 square feet
- Mass: 1 metric ton (ton) = 1,000 kilograms ≈ 2,204.62 pounds
Tip: People shorten kilogram to “kilo” in markets and cafes. You will hear “1 kilo” for 1 kilogram.
Turkish-specific land and agricultural units
Real estate and agriculture use a few local terms. Learn them to understand property listings and field sizes.
Two terms appear often: dekar and dönüm. Both relate to 1,000 square metres in modern Turkish usage, and local speakers use them interchangeably in many regions.
- Dönüm / Dekar = 1,000 m² ≈ 0.2471 acres
- Hectare = 10,000 m² = 10 dekars = 2.471 acres
- Ada/Parsel appear in official cadastral records as plot identifiers rather than size units
Example: A 4 dönüm olive grove equals 4,000 m². You will visualize that as roughly 0.99 acres.
Cooking, groceries and kitchen conversions
Kitchen tasks rank among the most common conversion needs. Recipes use grams and millilitres, not cups. Ovens list temperatures in Celsius.
Memorize a few benchmarks. They make cooking faster and reduce waste.
- 100 grams sugar ≈ 3.53 ounces
- 250 millilitres = 1 cup ≈ 8.45 fluid ounces
- 180°C oven ≈ 356°F
- 1 teaspoon ≈ 5 millilitres
Example: A Turkish bakery recipe calls for 300 g flour. You will see that as about 10.6 ounces, so scale your mixers and containers correctly.
Rent, buying a home and measuring spaces
Real estate listings always state size in square metres. You will use these numbers to compare apartments and houses.
Translate area into units you know to judge value and comfort. Use quick mental math or your phone calculator when you tour places.
- Small studio: 30 m² ≈ 323 sq ft — compact but common in city centers
- Two-bedroom: 75 m² ≈ 807 sq ft — common family option
- Balcony and terrace sizes affect living comfort more than a few extra square metres
Example: A 90 m² apartment at the seaside sounds generous. You will picture it as roughly 970 sq ft and decide faster whether to arrange a second viewing.
Practical conversion tools and quick tips
Keep simple tricks and tools ready. They speed up shopping, cooking, and negotiating.
Benefits you will enjoy: avoid overbuying, estimate delivery costs correctly, and prevent miscommunication in contracts.
- Install a unit converter app for offline use
- Save common conversions as notes on your phone (kg→lb, m→ft, m²→sq ft)
- Carry a small tape measure with both metric and imperial marks
- Ask sellers for dimensions in metres and confirm with a quick photo and measurement
Example conversions you can copy now:
- 1 m = 3.28 ft
- 1 kg = 2.205 lb
- 1 L = 0.264 US gal
- 1 m² = 10.764 sq ft
- 1 dönüm = 1,000 m² ≈ 0.2471 acres
Final checklist for expats
Use this checklist before you shop, sign a lease, or cook a new recipe. It saves time and prevents mistakes.
- Always note units in listings and receipts
- Confirm oven temperatures in Celsius
- Verify land size in m², dönüm, or hectares when buying property
- Bring a tape measure to viewings and markets
- Keep a converter app or a short list of conversion numbers on your lock screen
You will handle measurements smoothly once you adopt a few habits. Use the conversions above, practice during routine tasks, and you will build confidence quickly. Living in Turkey will feel easier when numbers no longer surprise you.
