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Cubic Feet to Liters Volume Converter
↔ Convert L to ft³ instead

Common Conversions

ft³ L
0.1 2.832
0.5 14.158
1 28.317
2 56.634
5 141.584
10 283.168
25 707.921
50 1415.842
100 2831.685
1000 28316.847

Why this conversion matters in chemistry

Gas cylinders, fume hood volumes, and air-flow specs in a US-built lab are all routinely quoted in ft³ or CFM. A 200 ft³ argon cylinder holds about 5.66 m³, or 5660 L — a useful number when estimating how long a glovebox purge will last, or how many hours of inert-atmosphere chemistry the cylinder can support before a refill. The factor is 28.3168 L per ft³, which comes straight out of (30.48 cm)³, since 1 ft is exactly 30.48 cm. The arithmetic is a utility rather than anything chemical, but it's the conversion that lets a US catalog spec meet a metric safety calculation.

Formula

L = ft³ × 28.3168

Worked Examples

1 ft³ = 28.317 L

One cubic foot of gas — the anchor number, exact from the definition of the foot.

100 ft³ = 2831.68 L

A small compressed-gas cylinder capacity, useful when estimating a glovebox purge budget.

0.035 ft³ = 1 L

Roughly what 1 L looks like back in ft³ — a sanity check when specs are quoted in mixed units.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert cubic feet to liters?
Multiply by 28.3168. The factor is exact: 1 ft = 30.48 cm, so 1 ft³ = (30.48)³ cm³ = 28,316.8 cm³, which is 28.3168 L.
Why are fume-hood airflows quoted in CFM?
US lab ventilation standards specify face velocity in feet per minute and total exhaust in cubic feet per minute. A 6-foot hood at 100 fpm face velocity pulls about 1000 CFM through the sash opening. Converting to L s⁻¹ is sometimes needed for SI ventilation calculations or international safety reports.
What's the difference between standard cubic feet and actual cubic feet?
Standard cubic feet (SCF) are corrected to defined reference conditions — commonly 60°F and 14.696 psia in US industrial practice. Actual cubic feet is the volume at real temperature and pressure. Use PV = nRT to move between them, since the moles of gas are what matter for chemistry.