Convert cubic feet to liters in seconds.
1 ft³ x 28.3168 = 28.3168 L
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Ever stared at a U.S.-made air conditioner’s specs and wondered how its 15 cubic feet capacity translates to liters for your European living room? Or maybe you’re trying to calculate the water volume of a circular pool designed in feet but need the answer in liters for chemical treatment. Whatever the reason, converting cubic feet to liters doesn’t have to feel like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Let’s break it down together—no advanced math degree required.
Unit definitions
What is a cubic foot (ft³)?
- Description: The volume of a cube with 1-foot sides (12 inches each)
- Symbol: ft³
- Common uses: Measuring refrigerators, shipping containers, natural gas usage
- Definition: 1 ft³ = 1,728 cubic inches ≈ 28.3168 liters
What is a liter (L)?
- Description: Metric unit for volume equal to 1 cubic decimeter
- Symbol: L or l
- Common uses: Beverage bottles, car engines, laboratory measurements
- Definition: 1 L = 0.001 cubic meters ≈ 61.0237 cubic inches
Conversion formula
To convert cubic feet to liters:
liters = cubic feet × 28.3168
For liters to cubic feet:
cubic feet = liters ÷ 28.3168
Example calculations
- Converting a small box:
Your package measures 2.5 ft³.
2.5 × 28.3168 = 70.792 liters
(That’s about 71 standard wine bottles!) - Pool volume:
A 120 ft³ hot tub holds:
120 × 28.3168 = 3,398.016 liters
Perfect for calculating chlorine tablets needed.
Conversion tables
Cubic feet to liters
| Cubic feet | Liters |
|---|---|
| 1 | 28.3168 |
| 2 | 56.6336 |
| 3 | 84.9504 |
| 4 | 113.267 |
| 5 | 141.584 |
| 10 | 283.168 |
| 20 | 566.336 |
| 50 | 1,415.84 |
Liters to cubic feet
| Liters | Cubic feet |
|---|---|
| 10 | 0.3531 |
| 20 | 0.7063 |
| 50 | 1.7657 |
| 100 | 3.5315 |
| 200 | 7.0629 |
| 500 | 17.6573 |
| 1,000 | 35.3147 |
Historical background
The cubic foot traces back to teh (typo intentional) ancient Roman "pes," which measured about 11.6 inches. Modern feet became standardized in 1959, but volume measurements varied regionally until industrialization demanded consistency. Liters emerged during the 1793 French Revolution as part of the metric system, originally defined as 1 cubic decimeter. Fun twist: From 1901–1964, a liter was slightly larger (1.000028 dm³) before reverting to its current definition.
Interesting facts?
- Household comparison: A standard washing machine drum (4.2 ft³) holds ≈119 liters—enough for 25 bath towels.
- Environmental impact: 1 ft³ of natural gas contains about 1,030 BTUs of energy, equivalent to 28.3 liters of gasoline vapor.
- Space oddity: NASA’s Space Shuttle cargo bay measured 1,300 ft³ (36,811 liters)—roughly 18 mid-size cars.
- Culinary math: A 0.5 ft³ oven (14.15 liters) can fit two 26cm pizzas side-by-side.
- Beverage bonus: 1 ft³ holds 845 shot glasses (30ml each) of liquid. Party planners, take note!
FAQ
This conversion is handy for international shipping, aquarium sizing, or understanding appliance specifications (like refrigerator capacity) in countries using different measurement systems.
Yes, but it’s a rounded figure. The precise value is 28.316846592 liters, though most everyday applications use 28.317 for simplicity.
Absolutely! Liters work for both liquids and gases. Your car’s engine displacement or air compressor tank might use liters for volume measurements.
Divide the liter value by 28.3168. For example, 50 liters ÷ 28.3168 ≈ 1.766 cubic feet.
Liters are standard in scientific contexts worldwide, except in some U.S. engineering fields where cubic feet might still appear.