Converters
Convert volumes between cubic feet, cubic meters, liters, and cubic yards.
Enter your numbers to see the answer.
Volume converter guide
The volume converter links cubic feet, cubic meters, liters, and cubic yards, the units used for shipping space, concrete and soil orders, aquariums, and appliance capacity. Volume scales with the cube of length, so the metric–imperial link is the cube of the exact foot: 1 ft³ = 0.3048³ = 0.028316846592 m³ exactly, which makes 1 m³ = 35.3147 ft³. The liter has been defined as exactly one cubic decimeter (0.001 m³) since 1964, so a cubic meter holds exactly 1,000 L, and a cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet. The tool converts through cubic feet and lists all four units for every entry. Use it when a freight quote is in cubic meters but your boxes are measured in inches and feet, or when a landscaper quotes cubic yards and the bag label says liters. Gallons, cubic inches, and milliliters are not listed; the units section shows how to enter them.
Volume (to) = volume (from) × cubic feet per from-unit ÷ cubic feet per to-unit. Factors (ft³): cubic foot 1, cubic meter 35.3146667215, liter 0.0353146667215, cubic yard 27. Equivalent: 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³ exactly.
Worked example with the defaults: 1 cubic foot to cubic meters. Divide by the cubic feet in a cubic meter: 1 ÷ 35.3146667215 = 0.0283168 m³. The headline rounds to two decimals and reads 0.03 m³, while the detail row keeps four decimals and shows 0.0283 m³. The same cubic foot is 1 ÷ 0.0353146667215 = 28.32 L and 1 ÷ 27 = 0.037 yd³. For a fuller figure, a 20-foot shipping container’s 33.2 m³ is 33.2 × 35.3146667215 = 1,172.45 ft³, and 2 m³ of topsoil is 70.63 ft³ ÷ 27 = 2.62 yd³.
Type the volume as a decimal in the From unit. Multiply length × width × height in feet before entering cubic feet; a box 2 ft × 1.5 ft × 1 ft is 3 ft³. For milliliters divide by 1,000 to get liters. A U.S. gallon is 3.785411784 L (0.13368 ft³) and a UK gallon is 4.54609 L; enter either as liters. Cubic inches divide by 1,728 to give cubic feet. Cubic meters and cubic yards show four decimals in the detail rows because one cubic foot is a small fraction of each.
Unit conversion is exact when the conversion factor is exact, so the only real uncertainty here is rounding and the precision of your input. Where a unit has more than one definition — US versus imperial measures, or short versus metric tons — the wrong variant produces a plausible-looking but wrong answer. The units note above states which definition this page uses. On this page the figure rests entirely on value, from and to, so start there if the volume converter returns something you did not expect.
Good to know: the headline 0.03 m³ for one cubic foot is a rounding artefact; use the four-decimal row or convert to liters (28.32 L) when the volume is small. Cubing the wrong factor is the other trap: 1 m is 3.28 ft, so 1 m³ is 3.28³ = 35.31 ft³, not 3.28 or 10.76. Liquid volumes on labels are not masses; a liter of water is about 1 kg, but a liter of soil or gravel is not. Sellers of mulch and soil often use “yard” to mean cubic yard.
Conversion results use stated mathematical factors and display precision. For regulated, medical, engineering, or contractual work, confirm the required standard and precision.
Sources
How it works
Convert volumes between cubic feet, cubic meters, liters, and cubic yards. This tool explains the calculation so you can adjust the assumptions to match your situation.
Worked example
With Value = 1 · From = ft³ · To = m³ → 0.03 m³ (1 ft³ converted to m³). Change an input above and this example updates with your numbers.
Common questions
35.3147 cubic feet, the cube of 3.2808 ft. A cubic meter also holds exactly 1,000 liters and is 1.308 cubic yards. Ten cubic meters is 353.15 ft³, and a 40-foot shipping container of about 67 m³ is roughly 2,366 ft³.
28.3168 liters, from 0.028316846592 m³ × 1,000. A 55-gallon drum is 208 L or 7.35 ft³, and a 100 L bin is 3.53 ft³. For a rough check, a cubic foot is a little more than 7 U.S. gallons.
Exactly 27, because a yard is 3 feet and 3³ = 27. One cubic yard is 0.7646 m³ or 764.55 L. Landscaping suppliers usually quote soil, gravel, and mulch by the cubic yard and often just say “yard.”
Multiply by 7.4805 for U.S. gallons (1 ft³ = 28.3168 L ÷ 3.7854 L) or by 6.2288 for UK gallons. The converter does not list gallons directly, so convert to liters first and divide by 3.785 or 4.546.
1.308 cubic yards, from 35.3147 ÷ 27. Two cubic meters of concrete is 2.62 yd³ and 5 m³ is 6.54 yd³. Ready-mix in North America is sold by the cubic yard, so round up to the supplier’s minimum increment.