Volume conversion
Volume conversionVolume calculator is a convenient tool for converting liters, milliliters, cubic inches, gallons, and other volume units. Useful wherever precise measurements of liquids or gases matter – for example, when working with cooling, pneumatic systems, or material dosing. It facilitates quick data conversion from documentation and technical specifications.
Using a volume calculator allows for quick conversion of the volume of tanks, pipes, or enclosures without the need for manual calculations or reference tables. This makes it easier to select the right components for a project or assess material consumption. Our calculator supports both metric and imperial units, making it easy to convert liters to US gallons, milliliters to cubic inches, or cubic meters to cubic feet.
Most Popular Volume Units
In engineering and electronics, the most commonly encountered units are liters, milliliters, and their equivalents in the imperial system. The table below presents basic conversion factors relative to liters:
| Unit | Symbol | Value in liters |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic meter | m³ | 1000 |
| Liter | l | 1 |
| Milliliter | ml | 0.001 |
| Gallon (US) | gal (US) | 3.785 |
| Gallon (UK) | gal (UK) | 4.546 |
| Cubic inch | in³ | 0.01639 |
| Cubic foot | ft³ | 28.3169 |
Practical Applications of the Volume Calculator
Volume conversion is applicable in many fields—from laboratories and technical services to manufacturing plants. Volume calculations can be useful, for example, in selecting containers for coolant, planning the volume of resin casts in electronics, or assessing the capacity of working tanks. In electronics and automation, it may involve:
- designing enclosures with space for protective gel,
- planning the amount of cooling liquid in closed systems,
- determining the volume of compressed air in pneumatic installations,
- calculating dosed fluid portions, e.g., in painting or dosing systems.
Did you know…
- In chemistry and laboratory electronics, milliliters are often used because they are convenient for measuring small amounts of liquids, such as flux, resin, or isopropyl alcohol. However, it is important to remember that the volume of materials can depend on other factors, such as pressure or temperature.
- 1 liter is the volume of a cube with 10cm sides, which allows for easy assessment of the capacity of enclosures or packages. The simplicity of the metric system is unmatched!
- 1 cubic foot (ft³) contains over 28 liters—it is a unit often used in the USA for measuring gas flow in HVAC systems.
- Although the metric system is official in the United Kingdom (UK), units such as the pint and gallon are still used in everyday life, e.g., for marking the capacity of milk bottles, beer mugs, or fuel tanks.
- The British and American gallons originate from different historical standards. The British volume system was formally standardized in 1824 and was based on the volume of 10 pounds of water at 62°F (about 16.7°C). This is where the imperial gallon comes from. Meanwhile, the American gallon was based on the volume of 8 pounds of wine. The difference between these values is over 20%—gal (US) is 3.785l and gal (UK) is 4.546l. This is important for international orders or when working with documentation in English.
- In the British volume system, a gallon is divided into 8 pints, and each pint into 20 fluid ounces. This makes 160 fluid ounces in one gallon. One British fluid ounce is about 28.4ml, while an American one is only 29.57ml—although they sound the same, they have different values.
- 1 pint (UK) is 568ml, almost 20% more than an American pint (473ml). That's why beer from a British pub might seem "larger".
Throughout human history, many different volume units have been used, some of which have survived to this day.
- Ancient Romans used the unit "amphora," which was about 26 liters, roughly equivalent to 7 US gallons.
- In Japan, the unit "shō" (approx. 1.8 liters) is used, among other things, to measure the volume of sake.
- The unit "hin" was used in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia—equivalent to about 0.5 liters and served to measure liquids, e.g., oils for ritual purposes.
- "Se" was a unit used in ancient China in everyday trade, equivalent to about 0.2 liters.
- "Bushel" is still used in agriculture in England and the USA as a measure of the volume of bulk products (e.g., grains). In the British version, a bushel corresponds to 36.4 liters, and in the American version – 35.2 liters.
- "Butt" is a historical British unit for measuring the volume of wine or beer, equal to about 477 liters. Two such units made a "tun," or a full barrel.
- "Oxhoft" – a medieval measure in Scandinavia, used for the volume of milk and beer. It had different values depending on the region, usually several dozen liters.
