How do you convert Liter to Cubic foot?

Multiply the value in Liter by the conversion factor 0.03531466672148859 to obtain the result in Cubic foot.

Convert Liter to Cubic foot (L to ft³)

Reference ID: EC-VOLU-LFT | EngConverter Calculation Guide

Convert From (Liter):

Result To (Cubic foot):

ft³

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Overview of Volume Measurement: Liters and Cubic Feet

In process engineering, fluid dynamics, HVAC design, and international trade, volumetric calculations routinely span both the SI (metric) system and the Imperial/US Customary systems. Converting from liters \((L)\) to cubic feet \((\text{ft}^3)\) is a common requirement when evaluating liquid capacities, gas volumes, material bulk, or container specs across international boundaries.

What is a Liter?

A liter (symbol: \(L\) or \(l\)) is a metric unit of volume equal to one cubic decimeter \((1 \text{ dm}^3 = 10^{-3} \text{ m}^3)\). It is defined as the volume contained within a cube measuring 10 centimeters on each side. The liter is widely accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI) and is used globally for expressing liquid capacity, chemical solution volumes, engine displacements, and consumer packaging volumes.

What is a Cubic Foot?

A cubic foot (symbol: \(\text{ft}^3\)) is an Imperial and US Customary unit of volume representing the space enclosed within a cube with sides of exactly 1 foot (12 inches or 0.3048 meters). It is a standard unit in North America and parts of the UK for HVAC airflow capacity (expressed in CFM, cubic feet per minute), compressed gas cylinder capacity, natural gas metering, refrigerator internal storage, shipping container dimensions, and bulk construction materials like sand or gravel.

Mathematical Derivation of the Conversion Factor

The exact conversion relies on the definition of the standard foot in terms of meters, where \(1 \text{ ft} = 0.3048 \text{ m}\) exactly.

First, calculate the exact metric volume of one cubic foot:

\(1 \text{ ft}^3 = (0.3048 \text{ m})^3 = 0.028316846592 \text{ m}^3\)

Since \(1 \text{ m}^3 = 1000 \text{ L}\), one cubic foot equals exactly:

\(1 \text{ ft}^3 = 28.316846592 \text{ L}\)

To convert from liters to cubic feet, we invert this exact relationship:

\(1 \text{ L} = \frac{1}{28.316846592} \text{ ft}^3 \approx 0.03531466672148859 \text{ ft}^3\)

Practical Applications

Gas Storage and Distribution: Translating industrial gas tank capacities specified in liters to standard compressed cubic feet.
HVAC Systems: Converting building ventilation exchange requirements between liters per second \((L/s)\) and cubic feet per minute \((\text{CFM})\).
Equipment Sizing: Designing process vessels, mixing tanks, and expansion tanks when pump specifications use Imperial flow units while vessel dimensions are metric.

Liter to Cubic foot Conversion Reference Table

Liter (L)	Cubic foot (ft³)
0.1	0.0035
0.5	0.0177
1.0	0.0353
2.0	0.0706
5.0	0.1766
10.0	0.3531
20.0	0.7063
50.0	1.7657
100.0	3.5315
500.0	17.6573
1000.0	35.3147

Step-by-Step Example: Converting 10 Liters to Cubic Feet

To convert a volume from liters to cubic feet, multiply the volume in liters by the standard conversion factor \(0.03531466672148859\).

Calculation Formula

\[ V_{\text{ft}^3} = V_{\text{L}} \times 0.03531466672148859 \text{ ft}^3/\text{L} \]

Step 1: Identify the volume in liters.

\(V_{\text{L}} = 10 \text{ L}\)

Step 2: Apply the multiplication factor.

\[ V_{\text{ft}^3} = 10 \text{ L} \times 0.03531466672148859 \frac{\text{ft}^3}{\text{L}} = 0.3531466672148859 \text{ ft}^3 \]

Final Result: 10 liters is equal to approximately 0.35315 cubic feet (rounded to 5 decimal places for practical engineering use).

The conversion factor is a repeating non-terminating decimal because the metric system (based on power-of-10 subdivisions of the meter) and the Imperial system (based on the foot defined as exactly 0.3048 meters) do not share a common base-10 fractional divisor when cubed. Cubing 0.3048 yields 0.028316846592, and taking its reciprocal results in 0.03531466672148859...

A common mental engineering approximation is using the factor 0.035 (or dividing by 28.3). For instance, 100 liters divided by 28.3 gives approximately 3.53 cubic feet, which is accurate to within 0.1% of the exact calculation.

"On fait la science avec des faits, comme on fait une maison avec des pierres ; mais une accumulation de faits n'est pas plus une science qu'un tas de pierres n'est une maison."
"Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house."
— Henri Poincaré (French Mathematician, Theoretical Physicist & Mining Engineer)