What Is Cubic Foot?
A cubic foot is a way to measure how much space something takes up. It is the volume inside a cube that is 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 foot high.
People use cubic feet to talk about the size of boxes, rooms, freezers, storage spaces, and even the amount of gas or water.
Definition
One cubic foot is the volume of a cube with these sides:
- Length 1 foot
- Width 1 foot
- Height 1 foot
So:
1 cubic foot = 1 ft × 1 ft × 1 ft = 1 ft³
In metric units, 1 cubic foot is about 0.0283 cubic meters or about 28.3 liters.
History / Origin
The cubic foot comes from the old English and imperial systems of measurement. Long ago, people used body parts and everyday objects to measure length, such as a foot, a yard, or a span.
When the foot became a standard length unit, people also needed a standard unit for volume. They imagined a cube with each edge 1 foot long. The space inside that cube became the cubic foot.
Over time, countries using the imperial and later the United States customary system kept the cubic foot as an important volume unit, especially in building, trade, and industry.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The main symbol for cubic foot is:
- ft³ read as “cubic foot” or “cubic feet”
Other common short forms you may see:
- cu ft
- cu. ft.
- cubic ft
The small 3 written above the ft means the measurement is three dimensional. It shows that length, width, and height are all in feet and are multiplied together.
Current Use Around the World
The cubic foot is mostly used in countries that follow the United States customary or imperial style of measuring, mainly:
- United States
- Parts of Canada
- Some uses in the United Kingdom and a few other places
Common real life uses include:
- Construction and building to measure the volume of concrete, soil, and space in rooms or containers
- Home appliances to show the size of fridges, freezers, clothes dryers, and ovens
- Shipping and storage to measure the space inside boxes, storage units, and trucks
- Natural gas and water to measure amounts of gas or water used or stored often in cubic feet or thousands of cubic feet
Many other countries mainly use the metric system with cubic meters and liters, but may still see cubic feet in international trade or older documents.
Example Conversions
Here are some useful approximate conversions for 1 cubic foot:
| Unit | About equal to 1 ft³ |
|---|---|
| Cubic inches | 1 ft³ ≈ 1,728 in³ |
| Liters | 1 ft³ ≈ 28.3 L |
| Cubic meters | 1 ft³ ≈ 0.0283 m³ |
| US gallons | 1 ft³ ≈ 7.48 US gal |
| UK gallons | 1 ft³ ≈ 6.23 UK gal |
Some quick reverse conversions:
- 1 m³ ≈ 35.3 ft³
- 1 liter ≈ 0.0353 ft³
- 10 ft³ ≈ 283 liters
Related Units
Units that are closely related to the cubic foot include:
- Cubic inch (in³) volume of a cube 1 inch on each side. There are 1,728 cubic inches in 1 cubic foot.
- Cubic yard (yd³) volume of a cube 1 yard on each side. 1 cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet.
- Cubic meter (m³) main metric volume unit. 1 m³ is about 35.3 ft³.
- Liter (L) common metric volume unit for liquids. 1 ft³ is about 28.3 liters.
- US gallon used to measure liquids like fuel and water. 1 ft³ is about 7.48 US gallons.
FAQs
Q: What exactly is a cubic foot in simple words?
A cubic foot is the amount of space inside a box that is 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 foot high.
Q: How do I find volume in cubic feet?
Measure the length, width, and height in feet. Then multiply them.
Example. 2 ft × 3 ft × 4 ft = 24 ft³.
Q: What is the difference between square foot and cubic foot?
A square foot (ft²) measures area, which is flat space on a surface. A cubic foot (ft³) measures volume, which is three dimensional space inside something.
Q: How many liters are in 1 cubic foot?
There are about 28.3 liters in 1 cubic foot.
Q: How many cubic feet are in 1 cubic meter?
1 cubic meter is about 35.3 cubic feet.
Q: Where might I see cubic feet used at home?
You may see cubic feet used to show the size of your fridge, freezer, dryer drum, storage boxes, or the volume of soil or mulch you buy for the garden.