How big is a ground-floor shop? 22x75, mezzanine and half units

A ground-floor shop in a Klang Valley shoplot row is usually 20 to 24 feet wide and 70 to 80 feet deep. "22x75" is shorthand for 22 ft of frontage by 75 ft of depth, which is about 1,650 sq ft of floor area. In our prime hubs, the middle half of rental adverts sits at roughly 1,540 to 2,500 sq ft. For most shops, frontage decides more than depth.

The first number is the frontage, the width of the shopfront facing the road. The second is the depth, from the shopfront to the back wall at the rear lane. Multiply them for the gross floor area of one floor:

Two cautions. First, the advert usually describes the lot, so the usable space inside is smaller after walls, the staircase to the upper floors and any toilet at the back. Second, end and corner units are often wider or irregular, so the simple multiplication does not always hold. Ask for the floor plan, or measure it yourself on the viewing.

MCE analysis of recent portal adverts, Nov 2026: last 6 months, shop types only, bait and duplicate adverts removed, middle half of asking prices.

The 1,540 and 1,650 figures that appear again and again are simply 22x70 and 22x75 units. Larger numbers usually mean a corner, an extended rear or two units already joined. Compare all hubs on the shop rent index.

It can be, mainly as storage or a small office for the owner, which frees the ground floor for customers. Before you count on it, check three things:

• Approval. A mezzanine added without approved plans is a building done without council approval. Under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974, the council can serve a notice on the owner to stop work or demolish unapproved structures. Ask the landlord whether the mezzanine is on the approved plan.
• Fire and licence. A mezzanine affects escape routes and fire load. Your contractor and the council's licensing team will look at it when you apply for the premise licence, and an unapproved one can hold up your licence.
• Rent. In our experience landlords price the shop on the ground-floor area, so a mezzanine is a bonus rather than extra rent. Do not pay more per month for it unless it is approved and actually usable.

Where a mezzanine is approved and safe, it suits a bakery, a pharmacy or a retailer that needs stock close to the counter. For F&B, the kitchen extraction and staircase usually matter more.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check building approvals with the council (DBKL, MBPJ or MBSJ) and your lawyer.

Rarely in a prime row. Landlords in hubs such as SS2, Sri Hartamas or Kuchai Lama can let the whole ground floor easily, so they have little reason to split it. Splitting also needs a partition, a second entrance or shared frontage, separate meters and, for each business, its own premise licence. Councils may ask for approval of partitions when you apply for a licence.

Half units do exist where a landlord has already partitioned the floor, often in older rows. If you see one, check that the partition is approved, that you have your own meter and that your half has real frontage on the road rather than a door behind someone else's counter. For small formats such as bubble tea, a small standard unit in a slightly cheaper hub is often a better answer than half a prime unit. See our guide to main road vs inner street for that trade-off.

Not always. A wide frontage gives you a bigger signboard and more window, and corner units add a second face. Published SS15 adverts show how much the market pays for that: an 1,800 sq ft corner ground floor asked RM 24,000 a month (about RM 13.33 psf) while an intermediate unit was listed at RM 6,500 (about RM 3.69 psf), with different sizes and fit-out (PropertyGuru listings).

Weigh it against cost:

• Does your trade sell on impulse (drinks, pharmacy, convenience)? Frontage pays.
• Is your trade booked or destination (salon, clinic, specialist restaurant)? Depth and layout matter more.
• A wider shopfront costs more to fit out, glaze and air-condition.
• Compare rent per sq ft, not per month, using the PSF calculator.

Our post on corner lot vs intermediate shop goes deeper on the corner premium.

• Clear frontage between columns, not the lot width on paper
• Depth to the back wall and the position of the staircase
• Ceiling height, if you need ducting or a mezzanine
• Rear lane access for deliveries and bins
• Meter board and water point positions

If you tell us your trade and the size you need, MCE will shortlist suitable ground floors before they are advertised. Start on the tenants page.

Written by Tok Ginstee (REN 37505), CID Realtors Sdn Bhd (E (1) 1855). Updated November 2026.