Floor Area Ratio (FAR)

What is Floor Area Ratio (FAR)?

Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is functionally identical to Floor Space Index (FSI): it is the ratio of total built-up floor area of a building to the area of the plot. The difference is purely terminological — FAR is the standard term in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, and most North Indian cities, while FSI is used in Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and most South and West Indian cities.

FAR = Total Floor Area of All Floors ÷ Plot Area

A 10,000 sqft plot with FAR 3.0 permits 30,000 sqft of construction. This could be ten floors of 3,000 sqft each, or fifteen floors of 2,000 sqft each — the floor plate shape varies, but the total area is capped.

FAR in Delhi/NCR Context

The Delhi Master Plan 2041 (DMP 2041) sets FAR limits for different use zones:

• Residential plotted: FAR 1.2–2.0 depending on plot size; smaller plots get higher FAR
• Group housing: FAR 2.0–3.5 with incentives for green buildings, affordable housing component, and TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) proximity
• Mixed-use along transit corridors: FAR up to 4.0 within 500m of metro stations
• Noida: FAR 2.0–3.0 for residential sectors; Noida Authority has its own schedule
• Gurgaon/Gurugram: DTCP and HRERA govern; typical residential FAR 1.5–2.5

Why the Same Concept Has Two Names

The distinction traces to which country's planning frameworks influenced each state. South Indian states borrowed from British and post-independence Indian planning codes that adopted FSI. North India, including Delhi's planning through the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), borrowed more from American zoning practice which uses FAR. Both terms appear in the respective state's building bye-laws and town planning regulations.

Why It Matters for Buyers

Understanding FAR/FSI helps you assess whether a builder has room to add phases to a project (increasing density and potentially amenity-dilution) or has fully consumed the permitted FAR. Projects that launch Phase 1 with conservative FAR utilisation often add high-rise towers in Phase 2 that shade Phase 1 towers. The Phase 1 brochure rarely discloses this master-plan intent.

Checking the approved building plan FAR against the permissible FAR is straightforward: obtain the sanctioned building plans from the builder (required under RERA), note the total built-up area, divide by the plot area, and compare against the applicable regulation.

How Brickplot Uses This

Brickplot normalises all density metrics to FSI/FAR equivalents regardless of which term the local authority uses. Our project profiles display the consumed FAR/FSI and the maximum permissible, giving buyers a clear signal of how much additional development is possible within the project plot.

Related Terms

• Floor Space Index (FSI) — the South/West India equivalent term
• Building Plan Approval — sanction that fixes the FAR for a specific project