How many cubic inches is it?
Pick a box, a cylinder or an engine and type its sizes in inches, feet, centimetres or millimetres. The cubic inch calculator gives the volume in cubic inches and converts it to cc, litres, cubic feet and US gallons.
- Cubic inches
- 960
The volume is 960 cubic inches (15.732 litres).
- Cubic centimetres (cc)
- 15,731.58
- Litres
- 15.732
- Cubic feet
- 0.5556
- US gallons
- 4.156
Cubic inches: 960. The volume is 960 cubic inches (15.732 litres).
How to calculate
Finds a volume in cubic inches from the sides of a box, the diameter and height of a cylinder, or an engine’s bore, stroke and cylinders, with the same volume in cc, litres, cubic feet and gallons.
Example with the default inputs (Shape Box, Length 12 in, Width 10 in, Height 8 in): The volume is 960 cubic inches (15.732 litres).
Method: Box: V = l × w × h. Cylinder: V = π ÷ 4 × d² × h. Engine: V = π ÷ 4 × bore² × stroke × cylinders. 1 in³ = 16.387064 cm³; 1 ft³ = 1,728 in³; 1 gal = 231 in³.
- Engine displacement is the swept volume: the volume each piston moves through, times the number of cylinders. It leaves out the combustion chamber above the piston.
- A typed length is read as the exact decimal you typed in its unit (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly).
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Shape Box, Length 12 in, Width 10 in, Height 8 in gives Cubic inches 960, Cubic centimetres (cc) 15,731.58144, Litres 15.731581, Cubic feet 0.555556, US gallons 4.155844.Source: OpenStax, Contemporary Mathematics, §10.7 Volume and Surface Area (rectangular prism V = l·w·h; right cylinder V = πr²h), https://openstax.org/books/contemporary-mathematics/pages/10-7-volume-and-surface-area; NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly; 1 gal = 231 in³ exactly), https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
- Shape Box, Length 3.937 in, Width 7.874 in, Height 11.81 in gives Cubic centimetres (cc) 6,000, Litres 6, Cubic inches 366.142465.Source: OpenStax, Contemporary Mathematics, §10.7 Volume and Surface Area (rectangular prism V = l·w·h; right cylinder V = πr²h), https://openstax.org/books/contemporary-mathematics/pages/10-7-volume-and-surface-area; NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly; 1 gal = 231 in³ exactly), https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
- Shape Cylinder, Diameter 4 in, Height 6 in gives Cubic inches 75.398224.Source: OpenStax, Contemporary Mathematics, §10.7 Volume and Surface Area (rectangular prism V = l·w·h; right cylinder V = πr²h), https://openstax.org/books/contemporary-mathematics/pages/10-7-volume-and-surface-area
- Shape Engine, Bore 4 in, Stroke 3.48 in, Cylinders 8 gives Cubic inches 349.847758, Litres 5.732978.Source: OpenStax, Contemporary Mathematics, §10.7 Volume and Surface Area (rectangular prism V = l·w·h; right cylinder V = πr²h), https://openstax.org/books/contemporary-mathematics/pages/10-7-volume-and-surface-area (each cylinder sweeps a right cylinder of diameter bore and height stroke); NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly; 1 gal = 231 in³ exactly), https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811
How it works
Every length is changed to inches first (1 in = 2.54 cm exactly, 1 ft = 12 in). Then:
- Box: V = length × width × height.
- Cylinder: V = π ÷ 4 × diameter² × height (the same as π × radius² × height).
- Engine: V = π ÷ 4 × bore² × stroke × cylinders. Each piston sweeps a cylinder whose diameter is the bore and whose height is the stroke.
The volume in cubic inches is then shown in other units:
| Unit | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cubic centimetres (cc) | in³ × 16.387064 |
| Litres | cm³ ÷ 1,000 |
| Cubic feet | in³ ÷ 1,728 |
| US gallons | in³ ÷ 231 |
Rules. Each length is more than 0 and at most 1,000 m (39,370.07 in). An engine has 1 to 24 cylinders.
Exact arithmetic. A typed length is read as the exact decimal you typed in its own unit, so a box's volume is an exact fraction in every unit. The cylinder and engine volumes use π, so they are double-precision floats.
Output format. Cubic inches and cc show 2 decimals, litres and gallons 3, cubic feet 4, each rounded half up from its value; trailing zeros are dropped. In Metric the answer leads with cc.
Assumptions
- Displacement is the swept volume only; the combustion chamber above the piston is not counted.
- The cylinder is a right cylinder: its height is at right angles to its round ends.
Worked examples by hand
A 12 × 10 × 8 in box. V = 12 × 10 × 8 = 960 in³. × 16.387064 = 15,731.58 cc = 15.732 L. ÷ 1,728 = 0.5556 ft³. ÷ 231 = 4.156 gal.
A 10 × 20 × 30 cm box. V = 6,000 cm³ = 6 L. ÷ 16.387064 = 366.14 in³.
A cylinder 4 in across and 6 in tall. V = π ÷ 4 × 16 × 6 = 24π = 75.40 in³.
A V8, bore 4.00 in, stroke 3.48 in. One cylinder: π ÷ 4 × 16 × 3.48 = 13.92π = 43.73 in³. × 8 = 111.36π = 349.85 in³ = 5,733.0 cc = 5.733 L.
Other questions people ask
How do I calculate cubic inches?
Measure the length, width and height in inches and multiply them. A box 12 in long, 10 in wide and 8 in high holds 12 × 10 × 8 = 960 cubic inches.
How do I find the cubic inches of a cylinder?
Multiply the area of the round end by the height: V = π × r² × h, or π ÷ 4 × d² × h with the diameter. A can 4 in across and 6 in tall holds π × 2² × 6 = 75.40 in³.
How do I work out engine displacement in cubic inches?
Each cylinder sweeps a round column the size of the bore and the length of the stroke. Displacement = π ÷ 4 × bore² × stroke × number of cylinders. A V8 with a 4.00 in bore and a 3.48 in stroke displaces about 349.85 in³, or 5.7 litres.
How many cc are in a cubic inch?
Exactly 16.387064 cm³, because an inch is exactly 2.54 cm and 2.54³ = 16.387064. So 100 in³ is 1,638.7 cc, or 1.64 litres.
How many cubic inches are in a cubic foot or a gallon?
A cubic foot is 12 × 12 × 12 = 1,728 in³. A US liquid gallon is defined as exactly 231 in³.
Can I type the sizes in centimetres?
Yes. Each length has its own unit, and the page changes it to inches before it multiplies. A 10 × 20 × 30 cm box is 6,000 cm³, which is 366.14 in³.