When you measure the space your products take up, you will hear the term “cubic feet.” It’s important for you to understand cubic foot measurements because they will help you in shipping, moving & storing items. This is useful and you can easily avoid overpacking or underpacking.
Calculating cubic feet is easy once you know how. In this brief article, we will explain what cubic feet are & how to calculate cubic feet.
What Is A Cubic Feet?
A cubic foot is a unit of volume used for measuring the space a three-dimensional object takes. It is explained as the volume of a cube having sides of 1 foot length each. If you are measuring the lengths of each side in inches, one foot equals 12 inches.
The plural of a cubic foot is known as cubic feet. The three sides considered are length, width, and height measured in cubic feet. It is necessary to measure the volume of objects for shipping, landscaping projects, cargo, and construction purposes to know how much volume they need.
It is represented in two ways: ft3 or cu ft.
3 Steps To Calculate Cubic Feet of Shipping Items
The following are the steps to calculate cubic feet of shipping items.
1. Measure Dimensions of Your Freight
Firstly, you need to measure all the dimensions (length, width, & height) of your shipment in inches. You should not take measurements in other units because it is relatively easy to convert inches to cubic feet.
The length gives the longest measurement, width is the measurement from one side to another, and height tells how high is your freight.
2. Multiply all the Dimensions
Now, it’s time to take all those measurements and multiply them with one another. You can use this formula:
Volume = Length X Width X Height
V = L X W X H (Must be in inches)
Suppose, the measurements you have taken are:
L = 72 inches
W = 72 inches
H = 72 inches
So, by putting values in the above formula:
V = 72 X 72 X 72 = 373,248 cubic inches (in3)
3. Convert the Obtained Value to Cubic Feet
As the standard unit of measuring the volume of freight is ft3, we have to convert cubic inches to cubic feet by dividing the obtained answer by 1728.
373,248 ÷ 1728 = 216 ft3.
Another thing you can do for the conversion is to divide each dimension by 12 and then multiply the answers. Such as:
L = 72 ÷ 12 = 6
W = 72 ÷ 12 = 6
H = 72 ÷ 12 = 6
V = 6 X 6 X 6 = 216 ft3.
Note: You can also take measurements in meters, but this is the standard method to calculate the volume of your shipment.
Let’s Understand With An Example
Suppose you’re shipping a couch, let’s calculate its volumes by applying the above steps:
- You have measured the dimensions and your couch has a length of 72″, a width of 36″, and a height of 30″.
- Now you can take 2 approaches: either multiply all of them and then divide by 1728 or divide each dimension by 12 and then multiply them. Let’s use the first approach as it contains less calculation.
Volume (V) = 72″ × 36″ × 30″ = 77,760 in3.
- Now divide the answer by 1,728 to get the volume in cubic feet.
77,760 ÷ 1,728 = 45 ft3.
This is the simplest method to calculate the volume of your shipment in cubic feet.
FAQs
How Many Cubic Feet Is 3x3x3?
It is 27 cubic feet as 3X3 = 9 and 9X3 = 27. If you want to calculate the cubic feet, you have to multiply the three dimensions of the object. These dimensions are length, width, and height.
What Tools Do You Need For Measuring Cubic Feet?
You will need the following tools for measurement:
- Measuring Tape: It is used to measure the length, width, and height of the shipment. You can also use a ruler for this purpose.
- Calculator: It is used to multiply and divide the values to get the cubic feet volume.
- Conversion Table: It will provide values of different units to help you in their conversion.
Where Are These Cubic Foot Calculations Used?
Cubic foot calculations are used in different fields such as construction purposes and during the purchasing of refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, cabinets, and furniture.
It is widely used in shipping, warehouse, and logistic purposes to know the volume of items to estimate how much space is needed for transport and storage of shipment.
Conclusion
So, the conclusion is that you can easily calculate cubic feet by using the mathematical formula: length × width × height. First, measure each dimension in inches & then multiply them. The value will be in cubic inches. Next, you can convert this finally to cubic feet by dividing by 1,728. This calculation plays an important role in logistics, warehousing and shipping.
