What is being measured?
Volumetric flow is volume per time. Converting it into mass flow requires a density under the applicable conditions.
US and imperial gallons differ. Barrels are US petroleum barrels of 42 US liquid gallons.
Meaning of ft³/s
cubic feet per second uses the symbol ft³/s in this library and measures flow rate. Under the stated reference convention, 1 ft³/s = approximately 0.028316846592 m³/s. This equivalence changes how a known value is written. It does not increase measurement accuracy or establish whether a measurement is appropriate to a real application.
Conversion method
Multiply the value by the source factor (0.028316846592), then divide by the target factor (1). The factor ratio expresses the same flow rate measurement in the other unit.
Worked example
For a known value of 10 ft³/s, the reference conversion gives 0.28316846592 m³/s. Converting that result back gives approximately 10 ft³/s. This reverse check helps catch a reversed factor, but matching round-trip arithmetic alone does not independently verify a source definition.
Common reference values
| Input (ft³/s) | Reference equivalent (m³/s) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.028316846592 |
| 5 | 0.14158423296 |
| 10 | 0.28316846592 |
| 25 | 0.7079211648 |
| 50 | 1.4158423296 |
| 100 | 2.8316846592 |
Compare one ft³/s with other units
| Target unit | Equivalent of 1 ft³/s | Definition guide |
|---|---|---|
| cubic meters per second (m³/s) | 0.028316846592 | Read definition |
| cubic meters per hour (m³/h) | 101.940647731 | Read definition |
| liters per second (L/s) | 28.316846592 | Read definition |
| liters per minute (L/min) | 1699.01079552 | Read definition |
| liters per hour (L/h) | 101940.647731 | Read definition |
| cubic feet per minute (ft³/min) | 60 | Read definition |
| us gallons per minute (US gal/min) | 448.831168831 | Read definition |
| uk gallons per minute (imp gal/min) | 373.730127543 | Read definition |
Precision and common mistakes
- Keep the source and target quantity consistent. A matching symbol is not enough to establish a compatible definition.
- Record the original measurement precision. Showing twelve significant digits in a table does not make a rounded input more precise.
- Check symbol capitalization, prefixes and any regional convention in the source. Use the displayed unit definition rather than a similarly named unit.
- Factors involving repeating fractions or π use finite numerical precision. Round the final answer to the precision justified by your input.
Use a working converter
- Volumetric flow converter
- Cubic feet per second to liters per second converter
- Cubic feet per second to liters per minute converter
- Cubic feet per second to liters per hour converter
- Cubic feet per second to cubic meters per second converter
- Cubic feet per second to cubic meters per hour converter
Source and verification scope
Examples and tables are computed from the versioned unit definitions used by the linked converters. The source access dates appear below. Computandum is independent of the cited organizations; a citation does not mean that a publisher endorses this page or an actual project.
Sources
- NIST / BIPM: NIST: unit conversion factors ↗ · 2026-10-08