Understanding Cubic Feet: A Guide with Examples
Cubic Feet is an important and useful term that is essential to apprehend in the computation of volume. In the disciplines of engineering and construction, the term is widely used around the globe. The words cubic and foot are not identical; the ‘cubic’ signifies a multiple of three, whereas the ‘feet’ is a unit of measurement.
Cubic feet is the standard unit of measurement for the volume of an area or three-dimensional shape (sometimes written as cu ft, cubic ft, or ft3). When creating and upgrading projects, experts frequently utilize cubic yards, cubic meters, and cubic feet to track the entire amount of fill materials, such as sand or concrete, they may need to complete a work.
In this article, we will address the concept of the cubic feet. We will describe its definition, and significant formula as well as we will elaborate on the concept of the cubic feet with the help of some conversions and calculations.
In a world driven by measurements and calculations, understanding the concept of cubic feet is crucial. From home renovations to shipping logistics, knowing how to work with cubic feet is an essential skill.
What Are Cubic Feet?
A cubic foot is a unit of volume measurement in the imperial system. It is abbreviated as "cu. ft or ft3". It denotes the volume of a cube with sides that are one foot long. In mathematical terms, it is the space that is occupied by a cube with edges that have a length of 12 inches.
Formula:
For the computations about cubic feet, we use the following given formula
Volume (cu. ft) = L (ft) x W (ft) x H (ft)
It can be observed that here the unit of measurement of length, width, and height is feet.
Conversions:
It is essential that all measurements be given in feet in order to calculate the volume in cubic feet. There are situations when such measurements are specified in different units, such as cubic yards, cubic meters, cubic inches, cubic liters, cubic gallons, etc.
Here we will discuss some cases of conversions i.e. measuring conversions from other units to cubic feet.
Cubic Yards into Ft3:
To convert the value to cubic feet, we must first calculate the product of the measurements and then multiply it by 27. The following relation can be used to convert quantities that are provided in yards into cubic feet.
Volume (ft3) = 27 x [L (yards) x W (yards) x H (yards)]
Cubic Centimeters into Ft3:
If measurements are provided in centimeters, we will determine the product of the measurements. Dividing this product by 28316.846 will give you the answer in cubic feet. We employ the given mathematical relation to find the volume in ft3:
Volume (ft3) = [L (cm) x W (cm) x H (cm)] / 28316.846
Cubic meters to Ft3:
If the values are listed in meters, we must multiply them to obtain the product. The solution in cubic feet will be obtained by multiplying this product by 35.315. For these sorts of computations, we will use the given relation.
Volume (ft3) = 35.315 x [L (m) x W (m) x H (m)]
Cubic inches into Ft3:
To convert cubic inches to cubic feet, we will divide the outcome (product obtained by multiplying these quantities) by 1728 if the quantities have been provided in inches.
Volume (ft3) = [L (inch) x W (inch) x H (inch)] / 1728
Cubic Gallons to Cu. Ft:
In the case of cubic gallons, we will use the product of the provided values. Divide the obtained product by 7.48052 to find the required answer in cu. ft.
Volume (ft3) = [L (in gallons) x W (in gallons) x H (in gallons)] / 7.48052
Cubic Liters into Cu. Ft:
If the parameters have been defined in cubic liters, we will calculate their product, and by dividing it by 28.3168, we will get the required outcome in ft3.
Volume (ft3) = [L (in l) x W (in l) x H (in l)] / 28.3168
Examples of finding volume in cubic feet
Below are a few examples of finding cubic feet.
Example 1:
Find the volume (Cu. ft) of a steel birdcage if its height is 9 feet, length is 5.5 feet and dimension is 4.37 feet.
Solution:
Step 1:Write down the given data.
Given data:
Length = 5.5 feet
Dimension = Width = 4.37 feet
Height = 9 feet
Required Data:
Volume (in ft3) =?
Formula:
Volume (Cu. ft) = L (ft) x W (ft) x H (ft)
Step 2:Place the values in the given formula and simplify.
Volume = (5.5) x (4.37) x (9)
Volume = 216.32 ft3Ans.
Example 2:
Suppose the length, width, and height of the carton are given 21 inches, 15 inches, and 9 inches respectively. Find out its volume in ft3.
Solution:
Step 1: Write down the given data
Given Data:
L = 21 inch
W = 15 inch
H = 9 inch
Required Data:
Volume (in ft3) =?
Formula:
V (in ft3) = [L (in inches) x W (in inches) x H (in inches)] / 1728
Step 2:Place the values in the given formula and simplify.
V = (21 inches x 15 inches x 9 inches) /1728
V = 1.640625 ft3
You can verify the results of above problems by taking assistance from an online cubic feet calculator.
Example 3:
A rectangular box has a height = 0.85 meters, width = 0.67 meters, and length = 0.36 meters. Find its volume?
Solution:
Step 1:Write down the given information.
Given data:
Length = 0.85 meters
Width = 0.67 meters
Height = 0.36 meters
Required data:
Volume (Cu. ft) = ?
Step 2:To find the volume in ft3, we will convert the data into the unit of feet.
Multiply the given data by “3.281” to convert it into feet.
Length= 0.85 x 3.281 = 2.789 ft.
Width = 0.67 x 3.281 = 2.198 ft.
Height = 0.36 x 3.281 = 1.181 ft.
Formula:
Volume (Cu. ft) = L (ft) x W (ft) x Height (ft)
Step 3:Putting values in the formula.
Volume (ft3) = L (ft) x H (ft) x H (ft)
Volume = 2.789 x 2.198 x 1.181
Volume = 7.240 ft3 Ans.
Alternative method:
Step 1:
Length = 0.85 meters
Width = 0.67 meters
Height = 0.36 meters
Formula:
Length (meters) x width (meters) x height (meters) x 35.315 = answer (cubic feet)
Step 2: Put the values in the above formula
Volume = 0.85 x 0.67 x 0.36 x 35.315
Volume = 7.240 ft3 Ans.
Wrap Up:
In this article, we have addressed the concept of cubic feet. We have elaborated on its definition, presented its formula, and significant applications. In the last section, we solved some examples to understand the conversions from different units into cubic feet.