Convert Cubic Feet (ft³) to Liters (L)
1 cubic foot equals 28.3168 liters.
Cubic Foot to Liter Converter
What Is a Cubic Foot?
The cubic foot (ft³) is an imperial unit of volume equal to the space occupied by a cube with 1-foot sides. It is used in the US for room volume, HVAC airflow, refrigerator capacity, and natural gas measurement.
What Is a Liter?
The liter (L) is a metric unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimeter (dm³) or 1,000 milliliters. It is the standard worldwide for liquid capacity and container volume.
Cubic Feet to Liters Formula
The conversion formula is:
liters = ft³ × 28.3168
The exact value is 28.316846592 L/ft³, derived from 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, so 1 ft³ = 0.3048³ m³ = 0.028316846592 m³ = 28.316846592 L. exact
Worked Example
A refrigerator has a capacity of 20 ft³. What is that in liters?
- Multiply: 20 × 28.3168 = 566.3 L
Quick Estimation
Multiply cubic feet by 28 (or "almost 30"). 20 × 28 = 560 L (actual: 566.3 — within 1.1%). For rough estimates, 1 ft³ ≈ 28 L is easy to remember.
Common Use Cases
- Refrigerator capacity: US appliance specs list capacity in cubic feet. A 20 ft³ fridge = 566 L — useful when comparing with metric-labelled models.
- HVAC airflow: Airflow rated in CFM (cubic feet per minute) can be converted to liters per minute for metric engineering. 1 CFM = 28.32 L/min.
- Aquariums: US tank sizes in cubic feet converted to liters for water treatment chemical calculations.
- Natural gas: US billing in CCF (100 cubic feet). 1 CCF = 2,831.7 L ≈ 2.832 m³ of gas.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many liters are in 1 cubic foot?
Exactly 28.316846592 liters. For practical purposes, use 28.32 L. This comes from the exact definition of 1 foot = 0.3048 meters.
How do I convert cubic feet to gallons?
1 cubic foot = 7.48052 US gallons. Multiply ft³ by 7.48 for US gallons, or by 6.229 for imperial (UK) gallons.
What is the difference between cubic feet and liters?
Both measure volume. Cubic feet are imperial (used in the US); liters are metric (used globally). 1 cubic foot is much larger than 1 liter — about 28.3 times larger. Liters are typically used for liquids; cubic feet for larger spaces (rooms, appliances).
How big is 1 cubic foot in everyday terms?
A cube about 30 cm (12 inches) on each side. It holds about 28.3 liters of water — roughly the size of a microwave oven interior or a large moving box is about 4–5 cubic feet.
Common Cubic Foot to Liter Conversions
| Cubic Foot | Liter | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cubic foot | 28.3168 liters | |
| 5 cubic feet | 141.584 liters | |
| 10 cubic feet | 283.168 liters | |
| 25 cubic feet | 707.921 liters |
| Cubic Foot | Liter | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 50 cubic feet | 1415.84 liters | |
| 100 cubic feet | 2831.68 liters | |
| 500 cubic feet | 14158.4 liters | |
| 1000 cubic feet | 28316.8 liters |
Cubic feet to liters Conversion Table
Reference table with common cubic feet to liters conversions. All values calculated with high precision.
Cubic Feet to Liters Table
0.0001 to 12
Cubic Feet to Liters Table
1 to 100000
Liters to Cubic Feet Table
0.01 to 50
Liters to Cubic Feet Table
100 to 10000000
Looking for the reverse? Convert Liter to Cubic Foot
Related Volume & Capacity Converters
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Related in other categories:
- Feet to Meters — Volume = length³ — cube the conversion factor
- Bar to PSI — Pressure × volume in gas law (PV = nRT)
