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Cubic Centimeters to Milliliters Converter
↔ Convert mL to cm³ instead

Common Conversions

cm³ mL
0.1 0.1
0.5 0.5
1 1
5 5
10 10
25 25
50 50
100 100
250 250
500 500
1000 1000

Why this conversion matters in chemistry

This is the rare conversion where the answer is always identically true: 1 cm³ = 1 mL, exact by definition since the milliliter was pinned to the cubic centimeter in 1964. The only reason to document it at all is that two unit traditions coexist — mL from the volume-based metric system (liter-derived), cm³ from the length-based one (1 cm cubed). You'll see cm³ in density reports (g/cm³), crystal-structure volumes, and molecular-volume calculations, and mL almost everywhere else in wet chemistry. Knowing they're interchangeable lets you read across references without doing any arithmetic at all.

Formula

mL = cm³ × 1 (exactly equal)

Worked Examples

1 cm³ = 1 mL

The defining equivalence. Same volume, different unit convention.

22414 cm³ = 22414 mL

A mole of ideal gas at old STP — easier to read as 22.414 L, but the digits land the same in cm³ and mL.

250 cm³ = 250 mL

A standard volumetric flask volume. Whether the label reads cm³ or mL depends on the manufacturer's convention.

0.5 cm³ = 0.5 mL

A small syringe or microliter-scale liquid delivery. Medical usage often labels this 0.5 cc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 1 cm³ exactly equal to 1 mL?
Yes — exactly. The milliliter has been defined as 1 cubic centimeter since 1964. The two are perfectly interchangeable in any context, with no rounding or precision loss.
What does 'cc' mean?
Cubic centimeter — same as cm³, same as mL. The abbreviation is common in medicine and pharmacology, where it's the default unit for syringe volumes and fluid doses. Chemistry has mostly settled on mL, but cc still turns up in older literature.
Why do both units exist?
They come from two different traditions. The milliliter is part of the volume-based metric system (derived from the liter). The cubic centimeter is derived from length (1 cm on a side, cubed). The 1964 redefinition fused them so they now describe the same volume, but the dual naming persists because both are entrenched in different fields.
When would I see cm³ instead of mL in chemistry?
Density reports almost always use g/cm³, crystal-structure volumes use cm³ per formula unit or per mole, and molecular-volume calculations from X-ray data are in cm³. Wet chemistry — solution prep, titrations, pipetting — almost always uses mL. Same unit, different cultural preferences.