Volume & Area Calculator Guide

• Square Footage 
• Cubic Feet 
• CBM (m³) 
• Cubic Yards

1. Square Footage Calculator

The simple but essential square footage calculator measures the area for any flat surface. Knowing how many square feet a space has can help you accurately estimate how many materials you need and what price you will have to expect when renovating your home, buying new flooring, painting a room, evaluating property size, etc.

Measurements are taken in feet, inches, yards, meters, centimeters, and millimeters. The calculator then calculates everything and shows the area in several units at once that would otherwise require manual calculation.

Common use cases include:

• Flooring and tile installation
• Interior painting and wallpaper estimation
• Real estate and property area measurement
• Garden or lawn planning
• Carpet and rug sizing

Formula — Square Footage

The area of a rectangular space is calculated by multiplying its two dimensions (length and width) after converting them to feet:

Area (ft²) = Length (ft) × Width (ft)

Conversion reference (to feet):

• 1 inch = 0.0833 ft
• 1 yard = 3 ft
• 1 meter = 3.28084 ft
• 1 centimeter = 0.0328084 ft

Additional conversions from square feet:

Square Meters (m²)  = ft² × 0.09290304

Square Yards (yd²) = ft² ÷ 9

Square Inches (in²) = ft² × 144

Acres              = ft² ÷ 43,560

2. Cubic Feet Calculator

The cubic feet calculator is used to find the volume of an object or box, which is the amount of space that it takes up or fills. The cubic foot (ft³) is among the most popular measures of volume to be used in the United States in shipping, storage, HVAC systems, and construction.

Just type in the length, width, and height of a space or object in any of the supported units (feet, inches, yards, meters, centimeters, or millimeters). In addition, the calculator will accept, for feet-based input, an additional inches field for more accurate measurements such as 5 ft 6 in.

Common use cases include:

• Calculating storage unit or moving truck capacity
• Determining refrigerator, freezer, or appliance volume
• HVAC and air conditioning load calculations
• Shipping freight and packaging volume
• Aquarium and pool volume estimation

Formula — Cubic Feet

Volume is calculated by multiplying the three dimensions after converting all values to feet:

Volume (ft³) = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Height (ft)

When using feet + inches input:

Total Feet = Whole Feet + (Inches ÷ 12)

Conversions from cubic feet:

Cubic Inches (in³)     = ft³ × 1,728

Cubic Yards (yd³)      = ft³ ÷ 27

Cubic Meters / CBM (m³) = ft³ × 0.028316847

Cubic Centimeters (cm³) = ft³ × 28,316.847

Liters (L)             = ft³ × 28.316847

US Gallons             = ft³ × 7.480519

3. CBM Calculator (Cubic Meters — m³)

CBM is an acronym that stands for “cubic meter” (m³), which is the metric for measuring volume and is universally adopted in world trade, shipping, and logistics. In freight cost planning, freight charges are frequently calculated by weight or CBM, whichever is the greater, so it is important to calculate the CBM for goods imported and exported accurately.

The CBM Calculator will accept the measurement in meters, centimeters, millimeters, feet, inches, or yards depending on the unit the measurements are taken in. It automatically transforms and displays the volume in cubic meters and all other common volume measurements.

Common use cases include:

• International freight and shipping cost calculation
• Container load planning (20-ft and 40-ft containers)
• E-commerce and warehouse logistics
• Scientific and engineering volume measurements
• Civil engineering and excavation volume

Formula — CBM (Cubic Meters)

Convert all dimensions to meters, then multiply:

CBM (m³) = Length (m) × Width (m) × Height (m)

Unit conversion factors to meters:

• 1 cm = 0.01 m
• 1 mm = 0.001 m
• 1 ft = 0.3048 m
• 1 in = 0.0254 m
• 1 yd = 0.9144 m

Conversions from CBM:

Cubic Feet (ft³)        = m³ × 35.3146667

Cubic Inches (in³)       = m³ × 61,023.7441

Cubic Yards (yd³)        = m³ × 1.30795062

Cubic Centimeters (cm³)  = m³ × 1,000,000

Liters (L)               = m³ × 1,000

US Gallons               = m³ × 264.172052

4. Cubic Yards Calculator

The cubic yard calculator is a unit used in the United States and is commonly used in construction and landscaping. “Cubic yard” is a unit used in the United States, and it is widely used in construction and landscaping. 

This calculator will come in handy for any outdoor or structural project that involves the use of concrete, gravel, soil, mulch, and sand, which are all typically sold and ordered by the cubic yard.

Enter your measurements in yards, feet, inches, meters, centimeters, or millimeters. All unit conversions are performed by the calculator; the result is given in cubic yards and a complete set of unit equivalents.

Common use cases include:

• Ordering concrete for foundations, driveways, and slabs
• Calculating gravel, topsoil, mulch, or sand for landscaping
• Estimating fill dirt for excavation and grading projects
• Swimming pool and pond volume calculation
• Demolition and waste removal volume estimation

Formula — Cubic Yards

Convert all dimensions to yards, then multiply:

Volume (yd³) = Length (yd) × Width (yd) × Height (yd)

Unit conversion factors to yards:

• 1 ft = 0.3333 yd  (or divide by 3)
• 1 in = 0.02778 yd  (or divide by 36)
• 1 m  = 1.09361 yd
• 1 cm = 0.010936 yd
• 1 mm = 0.001094 yd

Conversions from cubic yards:

Cubic Feet (ft³)        = yd³ × 27

Cubic Inches (in³)       = yd³ × 46,656

Cubic Meters / CBM (m³) = yd³ × 0.764554858

Cubic Centimeters (cm³)  = yd³ × 764,554.858

Liters (L)               = yd³ × 764.554858

US Gallons               = yd³ × 201.974026

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. What is the difference between square foot and cubic foot?

A square foot (ft²) is a unit for measuring area (length x width) in a two-dimensional plane. It describes the amount of area a flat surface, such as a floor or wall, would occupy. The volume measurement has a third dimension, height, in cubic footage (ft³). Square footage is used on floorings, and cubic footage is used when determining the size of a box or a room.

Q2. What is 4,320 cubic feet in cubic meters (CBM)?

To convert cubic feet to cubic meters, multiply by 0.028316847. For example, 10 ft³ × 0.028316847 = 0.2832 m³. For the other calculation, CBM x 35.3146667 equals cubic feet.

Q3. How many cubic yards are there in a cubic foot?

The number of cubic yards in a cube is 27. This is because the volume is 1/3 × 1/3 × 1/3 = 1/27, which is 1/3 cubed, and 1 yard is equal to 3 feet. If you can cut 54 cubic feet of concrete, then that is 54 / 27 = 2 cubic yards.

Q4. So, what is the purpose of CBM in shipping and logistics?

The actual weight of the shipment or its volumetric (dimensional) weight, calculated using CBM, is whichever is higher and charged by the freight carriers. 

Having the CBM of your goods gives you a better understanding of the quote you are getting from different carriers, an efficient plan of loading containers, and prevents any unexpected surcharges. The volume of cargo for a standard 20-foot shipping container is about 25–28 m³.

Q5. Are these the same calculators that I can use for non-rectangular shapes?

The calculators are best suited to spaces that are rectangular (box-shaped). In the case of non-rectangular shapes, it is possible to estimate by breaking the area or volume into a number of rectangular pieces, calculating each of these pieces, and then summing the areas or volumes. 

For instance, an L-shaped room can be divided into two rectangles. If the shape is a cylinder, sphere, etc., or if the terrain is irregular, a special geometry formula or surveying tool can be used.