Cubic meters to liters converter, one cubic meter is 1,000 liters.

To convert cubic meters to liters, multiply the cubic meters by 1,000. One cubic meter is 1,000 liters, so 3 m³ is 3,000 L and 0.25 m³ is 250 L. The factor is exact. A cubic meter is the volume of a cube one meter on each side, and a liter is a cube 10 cm on a side, which makes 1,000 of them. To go back, divide by 1,000: 12,000 L is 12 m³.

How to use the converter

1. Type the amount in the Cubic meters (m³) box. A decimal such as 2.5 works.
2. The big result shows Liters (L). Use Decimals in the side column to fix the number of places.
3. The cards under the result show the same amount in other units.
4. Type in the second box, or press ⇄, to go the other way.
5. Click a row in Common values to load it. Copy result, Copy link, Copy table and Print chart keep the answer. Start again resets the box.
6. Under the tables, Convert a list takes many amounts at once. Paste one per line, for example a column from a spreadsheet, and read them all in the units shown above. Copy results copies the table, and the swap button turns the list around.

Where the 1,000 comes from

NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8 gives the liter as exactly 10^-3 cubic meter, and NIST Guide to the SI, chapter 5 says 1 L = 1 dm³. Checked 26 Oct 2026. A meter is 10 decimeters, so a cubic meter is 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000 cubic decimeters, which is 1,000 liters. The drawing shows a 1 m cube with a 10 cm cube, one liter, drawn to the same scale.

Cubic meters to liters, in a table

Worked examples

• A tank 2 m by 1.5 m by 1 m. 2 × 1.5 × 1 = 3 m³, which is 3,000 L, or 792.52 US gallons.
• A pool 8 m by 4 m, filled to 1.5 m. 8 × 4 × 1.5 = 48 m³, which is 48,000 L.
• A room 3 m by 4 m by 2.5 m. 30 m³ of air, or 30,000 L.
• A water bill that uses 12 m³. 12,000 L.
• A 0.75 m³ box. 750 L, or 26.49 cubic feet.

Water meters and tanks

Many water meters and bills show cubic meters, while a tank or a pump is sold in liters. The sum above lets you compare them. One cubic meter of water has a mass of about 1,000 kg, a metric ton, because a liter of water is close to a kilogram. So a 3 m³ tank holds about 3 tonnes of water when full, which is a reason to check what the floor can carry. In US gallons, 1 m³ is 264.172 gallons.

Mistakes to avoid

The most common is multiplying by 100 or 10 because of a mix-up with cm. A cubic unit scales with the cube of the length: 1 m is 100 cm, but 1 m³ is 100 × 100 × 100 = 1,000,000 cm³. The liter is in between at 1,000. The second is to confuse m³ with m², which is an area. The third is rounding a tank size too early: 1.2 m³ is 1,200 L, not 1,000. The fourth is to mix up liters and kilograms for anything other than water.

See also Cm3 to mL, Liters to cubic feet, Liters to gallons and Area and volume calculator.