Calculate cubic feet from dimensions or convert between volume units
Last updated: April 2026 | By Patchworkr Team
V = L × W × H
1 ft³ = 1,728 in³ = 0.037037 yd³
1 ft³ = 0.0283168 m³ = 28.3168 L
1 ft³ = 7.48052 US gallons
A cubic foot (ft³) is a unit of volume in the Imperial and US customary measurement systems. It represents the volume of a cube with edges that are exactly one foot in length. One cubic foot equals 1,728 cubic inches, since a foot contains 12 inches and 12³ = 1,728.
Cubic feet are commonly used in the United States for measuring volumes of rooms, storage spaces, cargo capacity, concrete and soil quantities, water tanks, HVAC air flow rates, and shipping containers. It's particularly useful for construction, landscaping, moving, and storage industries where large volumes need to be quantified in familiar units.
Understanding cubic feet is essential for practical tasks like determining how much mulch to buy for a garden bed, calculating the capacity of a moving truck, sizing heating and cooling systems (which are rated in BTU per cubic foot), or estimating concrete needs for a foundation. The calculator helps convert between cubic feet and other common volume units for international or scientific contexts.
Step 1: Choose your calculation mode. Select "From Dimensions" if you have the length, width, and height of a rectangular space. Select "Unit Conversion" if you already have a volume measurement and want to convert it to or from cubic feet.
Step 2 (Dimensions Mode): Select your measurement unit (feet, inches, yards, or meters), then enter the length, width, and height of your space. The calculator will convert everything to feet and compute the cubic feet.
Step 2 (Conversion Mode): Select the unit you're converting from (cubic feet, cubic inches, cubic yards, cubic meters, liters, or gallons), then enter the value you want to convert.
Technical Details: The calculator automatically converts all measurements to cubic feet as a base unit, then provides conversions to all other common volume units. For dimensions mode, it first converts all linear measurements to feet (1 yard = 3 feet, 1 meter = 3.28084 feet, 12 inches = 1 foot), then multiplies length × width × height. The results show equivalent volumes in six different units for maximum utility.
Scenario: A homeowner is ordering concrete for a new patio foundation. The patio dimensions are 12 feet long, 10 feet wide, and will be 8 inches thick (0.667 feet).
Volume: 80 cubic feet
Cubic Yards: 2.963 yd³ (concrete is ordered by the cubic yard)
Recommendation: Order 3 cubic yards to account for waste and ensure complete coverage
Cost Estimate: At $120 per cubic yard, total cost ≈ $360
Knowing the cubic feet allows the homeowner to accurately order concrete in the standard unit (cubic yards), avoiding both shortages (requiring an expensive second delivery) and excessive waste (costing extra money for unused concrete).
There are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard, since 1 yard = 3 feet, and 3³ = 27. Cubic yards are commonly used for ordering bulk materials like concrete, mulch, and soil.
For cylindrical volumes (tanks, pipes), use V = πr²h where r is radius in feet and h is height in feet. This calculator handles rectangular volumes; use a cylinder calculator for round shapes.
Square feet (ft²) measures area (2D surface), while cubic feet (ft³) measures volume (3D space). Square feet for floors/walls, cubic feet for rooms/containers.
One cubic foot holds approximately 7.48 US gallons of water. This is useful for calculating aquarium sizes, water tank capacities, and liquid storage volumes.
HVAC systems are rated in BTU (heating/cooling power) per cubic foot of space. Calculating your room's cubic feet helps determine the appropriate system size for efficient heating and cooling.
This calculator works for rectangular/box-shaped volumes. For irregular shapes, break them into smaller rectangles and sum the cubic feet, or use shape-specific formulas.
Weight depends on the material: water ≈ 62.4 lbs/ft³, concrete ≈ 150 lbs/ft³, soil ≈ 75-100 lbs/ft³, wood ≈ 25-50 lbs/ft³. Cubic feet measures volume, not weight.
One cubic foot equals 0.0283168 cubic meters or 28.3168 liters. The calculator automatically provides these conversions. Most scientific contexts use cubic meters (m³).