Cubic metre

The cubic metre (US spelling: cubic meter, symbol: m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. It is the volume of a cube with edges one metre in length. An alternative name, which allowed a different usage with metric prefixes, was the stère. Another alternative name, not widely used any more, is the kilolitre.

Contents 1 Conversions 2 Multiples and submultiples 2.1 Multiples 2.2 Submultiples 3 Notes

Conversions

1 cubic metre is equivalent to:

• 1,000 litres (exactly);^[1][2]
• ~35.3 cubic feet (approximately)
  • 1 cu ft = 0.028316846592 m³
• ~1.31 cubic yards (approximately)
  • 1 cu yd = 0.764554857984 m³
• ~6.29 oil barrels (approximately)
  • 1 oil bbl = 0.158987294928 m³

A cubic metre of pure water at the temperature of maximum density (3.98 °C) and standard atmospheric pressure (101.325 kPa) has a mass of 1,000 kg, or one tonne. At 0 °C, the freezing point of water, a cubic metre of water has slightly less mass, 999.972 kilograms.

It is sometimes abbreviated to cu m, m3, M3, m^3, m**3, CBM, cbm when superscript characters or markup cannot be used (e.g. in some typewritten documents and postings in Usenet newsgroups).

Abbreviated CBM and cbm in the freight business and MTQ (or numeric code 49) in international trade.

Multiples and submultiples

See 1 E-3 m³ for a comparison with other volumes.

Multiples

Cubic decametre

the volume of a cube of side length one decametre (10 m)

equal to a megalitre

1 dam³ = 1,000 m³ = 1 ML

Cubic hectometre

the volume of a cube of side length one hectometre (100 m)

equal to a gigalitre

1 hm³ = 1,000,000 m³ = 1 GL

Cubic kilometre

the volume of a cube of side length one kilometre (1,000 m)

equal to a teralitre

1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³ = 1 TL

Submultiples

Cubic decimetre

the volume of a cube of side length one decimetre (0.1 m)

equal to a litre

1 dm³ = 0.001 m³ = 1 L

Cubic centimetre^[3]

the volume of a cube of side length one centimetre (0.01 m)

equal to a millilitre

1 cm³ = 0.000001 m³ = 10^-6 m³ = 1 mL

Cubic millimetre

the volume of a cube of side length one millimetre (0.001 m)

equal to a microlitre

1 mm³ = 0.000000001 m³ = 10^-9 m³ = 1 µL

Notes

1. ^ From 1901 to 1964 the litre was defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at 4°C and 760 millimetres of mercury pressure. During this time, a litre was about 1.000028 dm³. In 1964 the original definition was reverted to.
2. ^ http://www.bipm.org/en/si/si_brochure/chapter4/table6.html
3. ^ The cubic centimetre is the base unit of volume of the CGS system of units. The colloquial abbreviations "cc" and "ccm" are not SI but are common in some contexts such as cooking, engine displacement and medicine.

SI derived unit cubic metre, from base unit metre						Conversion of units for volume
1 E-36 m3 = 1 pm3	1 E-27 m3 = 1 nm3	1 E-18 m3 = 1 µm3	1 E-9 m3 = 1 mm3			1 E0 m3 = 1 m3			1 E+9 m3 = 1 km3	1 E+18 m3 = 1 Mm3	1 E+27 m3 =  1 Gm3
10 pm3	10 nm3	10 µm3	10 mm3			10 m3			10 km3	10 Mm3	10 Gm3
100 pm3	100 nm3	100 µm3	100 mm3			100 m3			100 km3	100 Mm³	100 Gm³
1,000 pm3	1,000 nm3	1,000 µm3	1,000 mm3	=	1 cm3	1,000 m³	=	1 dam3	1,000 km3	1,000 Mm3	1,000 Gm3
10,000 pm3	10,000 nm3	10,000 µm3	10,000 mm3	=	10 cm3	10,000 m3	=	10 dam3	10,000 km3	10,000 Mm3	10,000 Gm3
100,000 pm3	100,000 nm3	100,000 µm3	100,000 mm3	=	100 cm3	100,000 m3	=	100 dam3	100,000 km3	100,000 Mm3
1,000,000 pm3	1,000,000 nm3	1,000,000 µm3	1,000,000 mm3	=	1 dm3	1,000,000 m3	=	1 hm3	1,000,000 km3	1,000,000 Mm3	1 E+40 m3
10,000,000 pm3	10,000,000 nm3	10,000,000 µm3	10,000,000 mm3	=	10 dm3	10,000,000 m³	=	10 hm3	10,000,000 km3	10,000,000 Mm3	1 E+50 m3
100,000,000 pm3	100,000,000 nm3	100,000,000 µm3	100,000,000 mm3	=	100 dm3	100,000,000 m3	=	100 hm3	100,000,000 km3	100,000,000 Mm3	1 E+80 m3
1 E-6 m3 = 1 cm3 = 1 mL  • 1 E-5 m3 = 10 cm3 = 1 cL • 1 E-4 m3 = 100 cm3 = 1 dL  • 1 E-3 m3 = 1 dm3 = 1 L ; • 1 E-2 m3 = 10 dm3 = 1 daL  • 1 E-1 m3 = 100 dm3 = 1 hL  • 1 E0 m3 = 1 m3 = 1 kL