What Is Cubic Feet?

Cubic footage is the denotation of volume. It measures the amount that something can hold. Whether that container is the swimming pool, refrigerator or the new concrete slab you are going to pour next weekend, a cubic foot is the result of multiplication to find the volume of any three-dimensional object.

Significance

Calculating volume of an object can aid in the decision of whether or not to purchase a certain size of something. A refrigerator is sold by the contents it can hold, in cubic feet. Swimming pools are installed by the gallon capacity, but they are first calculated by the cubic foot and then converted into gallons. A cubic foot of water weighs 62.31 pounds at 68 degrees F and contains approximately 7.5 gallons.

Function

The cubic foot is the function of multiplying three length measurements to find the volume of a cube. As an example, a cube has the dimensions of being 3 feet wide by 3 feet deep and 3 feet high. By multiplying all three measurements together we end up with 27 cubic feet. Since 3 feet is equal to a yard we can then equate that 27 cubic feet is equal to one cubic yard.

Identification

Since all cubic feet are measured in feet, any form of inches must be converted into a foot measurement. For example, the inside of a refrigerator is too small to be measured in feet. The opening of the refrigerator may be 30 inches. If we divide 30 inches by 12 inches, since 12 inches are in a foot, we come to the answer that there are 2.5 feet in 30 inches. In order to find cubic feet we must first convert all inch measurements into feet.

Misconceptions

A lot of advertising is made about the cubic footage of certain products and visually it can be deceiving. Perhaps something does not look as large as it is on a showroom floor but, by the time you get it home, it will not fit into the space you had planned. Bringing along a tape measure will aid in your decision of whether or not that new hot tub will fit on the deck, and, more importantly, if the wooden deck can support the full weight once it is filled with water.

Benefits

Honing skills related to calculating cubic footage with an understanding of the basics can possibly make us all better consumers. For example, a window air conditioning unit should be purchased based on the cubic footage of the space you will be cooling with that unit. Space heaters should be bought with the same idea in mind.

Resources

• For an Online Converter
• Volume Metric Converter
• Cubic Footage Manual