Cubic feet to liters (ft³ to L) converter

What is a cubic feet to liters converter?

A cubic feet to liters converter is an online tool that translates a volume expressed in cubic feet into its equivalent in liters, and back again. Cubic feet (ft³) belong to the imperial and US customary systems and are widely used in construction, shipping, HVAC sizing, and appliance specifications, while the liter (L) is the everyday metric unit of volume. Because these two units come from different measurement systems, a quick conversion is often needed whenever a value crosses between metric and imperial contexts.

This converter also accepts related imperial volume units on the input side, such as cubic inches (in³) and cubic yards (yd³), and lets you read the result in milliliters (mL), liters (L), or centiliters (cl).

How does the converter work?

The converter is bidirectional: type a value into either field and the other side updates automatically. Internally every unit is referenced to a common base (the cubic meter), so any supported input unit can be turned into any supported output unit without losing precision.

To convert cubic feet to liters, the tool multiplies your value by the number of liters in one cubic foot. To go the other way, it divides the liter value by the same factor. Switching the unit on either side recalculates the result instantly, which makes it easy to compare cubic inches, cubic feet, and cubic yards against metric volumes.

Formula for conversion

One cubic foot equals exactly 0.0283168 cubic meters, and one cubic meter equals 1000 liters. Combining these gives the working factors used by the converter.

For cubic feet to liters:

$\text{Liters} = \text{ft}^3 \times 28.3168$

For liters to cubic feet:

$\text{ft}^3 = \text{Liters} \times 0.0353147$

For cubic inches to liters:

$\text{Liters} = \text{in}^3 \times 0.0163871$

For cubic yards to liters:

$\text{Liters} = \text{yd}^3 \times 764.555$

Conversion table

The table below lists common cubic-foot values alongside their equivalents in liters, plus reference rows for cubic inches and cubic yards.

Examples

Example 1: One cubic foot to liters

Convert 1 cubic foot to liters using the factor 28.3168:

$1 \text{ ft}^3 \times 28.3168 = 28.3168 \text{ L}$

So a single cubic foot holds about 28.32 liters.

Example 2: Two cubic feet to liters

Convert 2 cubic feet, for instance a small shipping carton:

$2 \text{ ft}^3 \times 28.3168 = 56.6336 \text{ L}$

Example 3: Liters back to cubic feet

Suppose a tank holds 28.3168 liters and you need that figure in cubic feet:

$28.3168 \text{ L} \times 0.0353147 = 1 \text{ ft}^3$

The result returns cleanly to 1 cubic foot, confirming the two factors are reciprocals.

Example 4: One cubic yard to liters

For larger volumes, such as a load of soil measured in cubic yards, convert 1 cubic yard to liters:

$1 \text{ yd}^3 \times 764.555 = 764.555 \text{ L}$

Notes

• One cubic foot is exactly 0.0283168 cubic meters, which is why the cubic-foot-to-liter factor is 28.3168.
• The reverse factor, 0.0353147 liters to cubic feet, is simply the reciprocal of 28.3168.
• Cubic inches, cubic feet, and cubic yards scale by 12 and 3 in length, so their volume factors differ by 12³ = 1728 and 3³ = 27.
• Keep your measurement system consistent within a single calculation to avoid mixing US customary and metric values by mistake.

Frequently asked questions

How many liters are in one cubic foot?

One cubic foot equals approximately 28.3168 liters. Multiply any cubic-foot value by 28.3168 to get liters.

How do I convert liters back to cubic feet?

Multiply the number of liters by 0.0353147, or equivalently divide by 28.3168. For example, 100 liters is about 3.53 cubic feet.

How many liters are in a cubic yard?

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it equals about 764.555 liters. You can switch the input unit to cubic yards to read this directly.

How many liters are in a cubic inch?

One cubic inch is roughly 0.0163871 liters, or about 16.39 milliliters. There are 1728 cubic inches in a cubic foot.

Is this factor for US or imperial cubic feet?

The cubic foot is identical in both the US customary and imperial systems, so 28.3168 liters per cubic foot applies in both. If you need fluid ounces or gallons instead, you can use our milliliters to cups converter.

Why use the cubic meter as the base unit?

Anchoring every unit to the cubic meter lets the converter translate any supported input into any supported output through a single reference, which keeps the results consistent across cubic inches, cubic feet, cubic yards, and metric volumes.