Cubic meter

Overview

File:Metre-cube-beton-p1040192.jpg

One cubic meter of concrete (representing the world annual production per inhabitant)

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.

Conversions

Main article: Unit conversion

1 cubic metre is equivalent to:

• 1,000 litres (exactly);
• ~35.3 cubic feet (approximately)
  • 1 cu ft = Template:Delimitnum m³ (exactly)
• ~1.31 cubic yards (approximately)
  • 1 cu yd = Template:Delimitnum m³ (exactly)
• ~6.29 oil barrels (approximately)
  • 1 oil bbl = Template:Delimitnum m³ (exactly)

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 1000 kg, or one tonne. At 0 °C, the freezing point of water, it is slightly less, 999.972 kilograms.

It is sometimes abbreviated to cu m, m3, m^3 or m**3 when superscript characters or markup are not available/accessible (i.e. in some typewritten documents and postings in Usenet newsgroups).

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

Multiples and submultiples

Main article: SI prefix

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

Multiples

Cubic decameter

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 (100m)

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 petalitre

1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³ = 1 Pl

Submultiples

Cubic decimeter

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

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

equal to a millilitre

1 cm³ = 0.000001 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 = 1 µl