Units. Area is measured in square units. The area of a figure is the number of squares required to cover it completely, like tiles on a floor. Area of a square = side times side. Since each side of a square is the same, it can simply be the length of one side squared.If a square has one side of 4 inches, the area would be 4 inches times 4 inches, or 16 square inches.(Square inches can also be written in2.) Be sure to use the same units for all measurements.nits. Area is measured in square units. The area of a figure is the number of squares required to cover it completely, like tiles on a floor. Area of a square = side times side. Since each side of a square is the same, it can simply be the length of one side squared.