How to Figure Cubic Feet in a Chest Freezer
What do you do if a friend calls and asks if he can store 23 cubic feet of meat in the old chest freezer in your garage? If your memory about your freezer size fails, you can always perform the measurements yourself. Calculating cubic volume is a straightforward task that works for chest freezers as well as any other space. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the longest height, width and depth of the interior of your freezer and record these values. Measure only from the inside of the freezer--the area where food is stored--and not from the freezer's casing.
-
2
Measure all three dimensions of any protuberances within the freezer and record them as well. For example, many chest freezers have a stepped bottom to accommodate a large compressor motor--calculate the height, width and depth of this step so you can subtract its volume from your total usable space.
-
-
3
Calculate the total interior volume of the freezer, in feet, using the measurements obtained in Step 1. For example, a freezer that measures 48 inches x 48 inches x 48 inches is equal to 4 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet. Multiply each measurement to determine the freezer's internal volume in cubic feet: 4x4x4 = 64 cubic feet.
-
4
Calculate the volume of any protuberances within the freezer space. For example, a step that measures 48 inches wide x 12 inches tall x 18 inches deep equals 6 cubic feet. Repeat this for all protuberances.
-
5
Subtract the volume of each protuberance from the overall internal volume. For example, a chest freezer with 64 cubic feet of internal space with a 6 cubic foot step has a total net internal volume of 58 cubic feet.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Don't worry too much if your freezer has slightly trapezoidal dimensions (e.g., the bottom is slightly smaller than the top). As long as the variation is only within a few inches, the volume you calculate using this method will be sufficiently accurate.
