Can I print this conversion chart?

Yes. Use your browser’s print function (Ctrl + P or Cmd + P). The page is laid out so the tables fit a single sheet of US letter or A4.

Why are there two gallon factors?

A US gallon (3.785 L) and an Imperial / UK gallon (4.546 L) are different units. We list both so you can pick the right one. Most US calculators and recipes use the US gallon by default.

How accurate are these factors?

They are accurate to four or five significant figures, which is enough for any household, construction, or shipping project. For lab work, use the exact definition: 1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly, so 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³ exactly.

Which unit should I order materials in?

Bagged concrete is sold by cubic feet (or pounds). Soil, mulch, and gravel are sold by cubic yards in the US, and cubic meters everywhere else. Tanks and pools are usually sized in gallons or liters.

Cubic Feet Unit Conversion Chart

A printable reference for every common cubic feet conversion. Length units to feet, cubic feet to other volume units, common volumes back to cubic feet, plus material weight factors. Designed to print on a single page.

Print this page

Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print or save as a PDF. The tables are formatted to fit standard letter or A4 paper.

Quick reference

The five conversions you will use most often
Unit	Conversion factor	Worked example
1 cubic foot	equals	1,728 in³ • 0.0283 m³ • 28.32 L • 7.48 US gal
1 cubic yard	equals	27 ft³ • 0.7646 m³ • 202 US gal
1 cubic meter	equals	35.31 ft³ • 1.308 yd³ • 1,000 L • 264 US gal
1 US gallon	equals	0.1337 ft³ • 3.785 L • 231 in³
1 liter	equals	0.0353 ft³ • 0.264 US gal
1 acre-foot	equals	43,560 ft³ • 325,851 US gal • 1,233.5 m³

Length units → feet

Always convert length measurements to feet before calculating cubic feet. These factors handle every common unit you will see in product packaging, blueprints, or international specs.

Multiply or divide to get feet
Length unit	Conversion factor	Worked example
Inches	÷ 12	36 in = 3 ft
Yards	× 3	4 yd = 12 ft
Centimeters	× 0.0328084	100 cm = 3.281 ft
Meters	× 3.28084	2 m = 6.562 ft
Millimeters	× 0.00328084	500 mm = 1.640 ft

Cubic feet → other volume units

Multiply your cubic feet result by these factors. Cubic yards is the standard for landscape materials. Cubic meters and liters dominate outside the US. Gallons are right for tanks and pools.

From cubic feet to common volume units
From cubic feet	Conversion factor	Worked example
Cubic inches	× 1,728	1 ft³ = 1,728 in³
Cubic yards	÷ 27	1 ft³ = 0.037 yd³
Cubic meters	× 0.0283168	1 ft³ = 0.0283 m³
Cubic centimeters	× 28,316.8	1 ft³ = 28,317 cm³
Liters	× 28.3168	1 ft³ = 28.32 L
Milliliters	× 28,316.8	1 ft³ = 28,317 mL
US gallons	× 7.48052	1 ft³ = 7.48 gal
UK / Imperial gallons	× 6.2288	1 ft³ = 6.23 imp gal
US quarts	× 29.9221	1 ft³ = 29.92 qt
US pints	× 59.844	1 ft³ = 59.84 pt
US fluid ounces	× 957.51	1 ft³ = 957.5 fl oz
Board feet	× 12	1 ft³ = 12 board ft
Acre-feet	÷ 43,560	1 ft³ = 0.0000230 ac-ft
Barrels (oil, US)	÷ 5.6146	1 ft³ = 0.178 bbl
Bushels (US)	× 0.8036	1 ft³ = 0.804 bu

Other volume units → cubic feet

Use these when a spec sheet gives you something other than cubic feet and you need to compare against a US capacity rating.

Convert other units to cubic feet
From	Conversion factor	Worked example
Cubic inches	÷ 1,728	1,728 in³ = 1 ft³
Cubic yards	× 27	1 yd³ = 27 ft³
Cubic meters	× 35.3147	1 m³ = 35.31 ft³
Cubic centimeters	÷ 28,316.8	28,317 cm³ = 1 ft³
Liters	÷ 28.3168	28.32 L = 1 ft³
US gallons	÷ 7.48052	7.48 gal = 1 ft³
UK gallons	÷ 6.2288	6.23 imp gal = 1 ft³
Acre-feet	× 43,560	1 ac-ft = 43,560 ft³

Cubic feet → weight by material

Multiply cubic feet by the density (pounds per cubic foot) to estimate weight. Use these values for shipping, vehicle load planning, and floor-load checks. Densities vary with moisture and compaction, so treat them as planning numbers and add a 5–10% buffer.

Common density factors
Material	Conversion factor	Worked example
Water (fresh, 39°F)	× 62.43 lb	10 ft³ = 624 lb
Water (sea)	× 64.0 lb	10 ft³ = 640 lb
Concrete (cured)	× 150 lb	5 ft³ = 750 lb
Asphalt	× 145 lb	5 ft³ = 725 lb
Topsoil (loose)	× 75 lb	4 ft³ = 300 lb
Topsoil (compacted)	× 100 lb	4 ft³ = 400 lb
Mulch (bark)	× 18 lb	20 ft³ = 360 lb
Compost	× 45 lb	10 ft³ = 450 lb
Gravel (dry)	× 105 lb	8 ft³ = 840 lb
Sand (dry)	× 100 lb	8 ft³ = 800 lb
Sand (wet)	× 120 lb	8 ft³ = 960 lb
Brick (common)	× 120 lb	5 ft³ = 600 lb
Oak (seasoned)	× 47 lb	3 ft³ = 141 lb
Pine (dry)	× 30 lb	3 ft³ = 90 lb
Snow (fresh)	× 7 lb	20 ft³ = 140 lb
Snow (packed)	× 30 lb	20 ft³ = 600 lb

Common pre-calculated conversions

Cubic feet to cubic yards

27 ft³ = 1 yd³
54 ft³ = 2 yd³
108 ft³ = 4 yd³
270 ft³ = 10 yd³

Cubic feet to gallons (US)

1 ft³ = 7.48 gal
10 ft³ = 74.8 gal
100 ft³ = 748 gal
1,000 ft³ = 7,480 gal

Cubic feet to liters

1 ft³ = 28.32 L
10 ft³ = 283.2 L
100 ft³ = 2,832 L
1,000 ft³ = 28,317 L

Cubic feet to cubic meters

1 ft³ = 0.0283 m³
35.3 ft³ = 1 m³
100 ft³ = 2.83 m³
1,000 ft³ = 28.32 m³

How the conversions are derived

One foot is exactly 0.3048 meters by international agreement. Cubing both sides gives 1 ft³ = 0.028316846592 m³, which most charts round to 0.0283168. From there:

1 m³ = 1,000 L → 1 ft³ × (1,000 ÷ 35.3147) = 28.317 L
1 US gal = 231 in³ exactly → 1 ft³ ÷ (231 ÷ 1,728) = 7.4805 gal
1 yd = 3 ft → 1 yd³ = 27 ft³
1 in = 1/12 ft → 1 in³ = 1/1,728 ft³

For more conversions, try our pages on cubic feet to cubic yards, cubic feet to gallons, or cubic feet to liters.