Cubic metres to cubic feet
Multiply by 35.3147. Exact since 1959.
Material estimate
Enter a figure in cubic metres.
You need to buy
Use this figure
Worth knowing
What this assumes
Exact, and exactly since 1959
The international yard and pound agreement defined the foot as exactly 0.3048 metres. Every length, area and volume conversion between the two systems follows from that one line, which is why this factor — 35.3147 cubic feet to the cubic metre — has no rounding in it. It is a definition, not a measurement.
The comparison that costs money
A cubic metre is about 1.31 cubic yards. Roughly a third larger. So a metric supplier quoting per cubic metre and an American one quoting per cubic yard are quoting different units, and the metre price looks higher when it may well be the cheaper of the two.
Cubic metres in imperial units
| Cubic metres | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Litres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 m³ | 17.66 ft³ | 0.65 yd³ | 500 L |
| 1 m³ | 35.31 ft³ | 1.31 yd³ | 1,000 L |
| 2 m³ | 70.63 ft³ | 2.62 yd³ | 2,000 L |
| 5 m³ | 176.57 ft³ | 6.54 yd³ | 5,000 L |
| 10 m³ | 353.15 ft³ | 13.08 yd³ | 10,000 L |
| 25 m³ | 882.87 ft³ | 32.7 yd³ | 25,000 L |
| 50 m³ | 1765.73 ft³ | 65.4 yd³ | 50,000 L |
Exact conversions throughout. Litres are exact by definition too — a litre is a cubic decimetre, so a cubic metre is a thousand of them with no arithmetic at all.
Where you meet this
Imported equipment, European product literature, and aggregate and ready-mix suppliers in Canada. Anything written for a metric market quotes capacity, yield and coverage in cubic metres and litres, and none of it converts itself. This page sits between that sheet and the supplier you are actually ordering from.
Where this goes next
Every calculator on this site reports metric alongside imperial, so most of the time you will not need to do this by hand — the cubic yard calculator gives cubic feet, yards and metres from one shape. For the reverse, cubic yards to cubic metres is the page. To turn any of these volumes into a weight, the cubic yards to tons calculator publishes twenty-seven densities with their sources, and reports tonnes as well as US tons.
Common questions
How many cubic feet are in a cubic metre?
35.3147 cubic feet. The international yard and pound agreement of 1959 defined the foot as exactly 0.3048 metres, so the cubic conversion is 1 ÷ 0.3048³ — exact by definition, with no rounding anywhere in it.
How do I convert cubic metres to cubic feet?
Multiply by 35.3147. For a rough check, a cubic metre is a bit over 35 cubic feet — call it 35 and you are within half a per cent, which is fine for a sanity check and not fine for an order.
How does a cubic metre compare with a cubic yard?
A cubic metre is about 1.31 cubic yards — roughly a third larger. That is the comparison that actually bites, because a metric supplier quoting per cubic metre and an American one quoting per cubic yard are not quoting the same unit, and the metre price will look higher when it may not be. The cubic yards to cubic metres page runs it the other way.
Why do I keep meeting cubic metres?
Imported equipment, European spec sheets, and increasingly ready-mix and aggregate suppliers in Canada. Product literature written for a metric market quotes capacities, yields and coverage in cubic metres and litres, and none of it converts itself. This is the page that sits between that sheet and the yard you are ordering from.
What is a cubic metre in litres?
A thousand, exactly — the litre is defined as a cubic decimetre and there are a thousand of those in a cubic metre. It is the one conversion in this whole family that needs no arithmetic at all, and it is why metric spec sheets move so freely between the two.