CBM to Cubic Feet

Convert CBM (cubic meters) to cubic feet (ft³) with the exact factor, instant and reversible.

Cubic feet
35.31 ft³
1 m³
Input
35.3147 ft³
Result

How CBM to cubic feet works

This is the inverse of the cubic-feet-to-CBM conversion: both are volume units, so one multiplication moves you from cubic meters to cubic feet. The exact relationship is:

1 CBM = 35.3147 ft³ (and inversely 1 ft³ = 0.0283168 m³)

So to express a CBM figure in cubic feet:

cubic feet = CBM × 35.3147

The 35.3147 factor is exact, it is 1 ÷ 0.0283168, where 0.0283168 = 0.3048³ (one foot in meters, cubed). Because it is a definition rather than a measurement, you can round-trip a value back to CBM by dividing by 35.3147 without drift. A useful sanity check: one CBM is a touch over 35 cubic feet, so any cubic-foot answer should land at roughly 35 times your CBM figure, if it is far from that, a decimal point has slipped somewhere in the dimensions.

Worked example

A forwarder has quoted a consolidation at 12.5 CBM and your warehouse system works in cubic feet:

  • 12.5 × 35.3147 = 441.43 ft³

A single pallet measured at 2 CBM is 2 × 35.3147 = 70.63 ft³. As with any volume conversion, apply the factor to the finished cubic-meter total, not to each edge of the carton.

Conversion reference

CBM (m³)Cubic feet (ft³)
0.02831.00
0.517.66
135.31
270.63
5176.57
12.5441.43
25882.87

If you only have carton dimensions, build the CBM first with the CBM calculator or the CBM calculator in feet, then convert. To reverse the direction, use cubic feet to CBM. For a primer on the unit itself, see what is CBM.

Frequently asked questions

What is the exact CBM to cubic feet factor?
1 cubic meter (CBM) equals 35.3147 cubic feet. It is the reciprocal of 0.0283168, the exact cubic-foot-to-cubic-meter factor, so the conversion is exact in both directions.
How many cubic feet is 2 CBM?
2 × 35.3147 = 70.63 cubic feet. To convert any CBM figure, multiply it by 35.3147.
Why is the factor 35.3147 and not a round number?
Because a foot and a meter are different base lengths. 1 foot = 0.3048 m, and cubing that gives 0.0283168 m³ per cubic foot; the reciprocal, 35.3147, is how many cubic feet fit in one cubic meter.
Is this the same as converting liters?
No. 1 CBM is 1000 liters, which is a separate metric conversion. Cubic feet to CBM uses the 35.3147 factor; do not mix the two.