How Many Perches Are There in an Acre?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 31, 2020

In land area measurement, there are 160 perches in one acre. The perch is a unit of measurement used in the English system, while the acre is used in the U.S. customary and imperial systems.

The word “perch” comes from “perche,” a French word referring to a pole or staff. Other than areas, this unit is also used for measuring lengths and volumes. When measuring lengths, one perch is equal to 16.5 feet. In terms of volume, a perch of masonry is the occupied space of a stone wall one perch long, 18 inches high and 12 inches thick. As of 2013, the perch is still used in Jamaica for measuring land areas in government surveys.