How to Convert Cubic Foot to Square Foot

A cubic foot and a square foot are the units of volume and area, respectively, used in the United States and some other countries. Apparently, the direct conversion between volume and area is not possible unless the third dimension is added to the unit of area. In fact this conversion has a practical importance. For example, you need to calculate the area (in square feet) that can be covered with 50 cubic feet of garden soil if the thickness of the soil layer should be 1.5 inch.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Consider the following relationship between cubic and square feet.
   Cubic feet = square feet x height. Hence
   Square feet = cubic feet/height.
   Height is the third dimension that allows the actual conversion between cubic and square units and is to be measured in feet. In our example, height is the thickness of a soil layer.

2. Divide the height/thickness (in inches) by the factor 12 to calculate the thickness of the layer in feet. In our example, height = 1.5 inch / 12 = 0.125 feet.

3. Divide the cubic feet by the height/thickness (Step 2) to convert the area to square feet. In our example, Area = 50 cubic feet / 0.125 feet = 400 square feet.

References

• CIA World Fact Book (Appendix G)

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish