An Introduction to Measurement of Volume in Cubic Feet

Categories: Education

The cubic foot is a unit of volume used in the United States and the United Kingdom to determine the amount of space occupied by three-dimensional objects. Cubic feet are used to measure the interior space of rooms, calculate the capacity of containers, and determine the volume of certain products. This article will cover the definition of cubic feet, how to calculate it, and its applications. We will explain the formula and provide many solved examples to make it easy to understand.

Cubic Feet: Definition

A cubic foot is a measurement unit of volume that represents the amount of space occupied by a cube with all sides one foot long. Imagine a shoebox – if each side of the box is 1 foot, then the space inside is one cubic foot. Cubic feet determine how much stuff can fit inside a cube that is one foot on all sides. This measurement is widely used in construction, architecture, and for measuring large items.

The Formula of Cubic Feet (ft3 or cu ft)

When we want to find out how much space an object occupies, we depend on a measurement unit called cubic feet. We multiply the three dimensions of the object to calculate cubic feet. This process determines the volume in terms of cubic feet that the object takes up.

The formula to calculate the volume of an object is given below;

Volume (ft3) = Length (ft) × Width (in ft) × Height (ft)

Here:

• Length is the longest dimension of an object.
• The width of the object denotes the dimension that is perpendicular to its length.
• Height represents the dimension of the object that is perpendicular to both its length and width.

How to Determine the Volume in Cubic Feet?

You can follow these steps to determine the volume in cubic feet.

• Measure the length, width, and height of the object using appropriate measuring tools.
• Make sure all measurements have been measured in feet. If any dimension is in inches or another unit, convert it to feet. Here is a conversion table that shows how various units of measurement can be converted into feet:

• Use the formula for volume calculation: Volume (ft³) = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Height (ft).
• Perform the multiplication to find the volume of the object in cubic feet.
• The calculated value is the volume of the object in cubic feet, which represents the amount of space it occupies.

Alternative Method

Multiply the length, width, and height together, and then convert the other cubic unit (cubic yard, cubic inch, cubic meter) to cubic feet by the following method.

Real-Life Applications of Cubic Feet

Cubic feet, a unit of volume in the Imperial and US customary systems, finds a wide range of real-life applications across various fields. Here are some examples:

Home Construction and Renovation: Cubic feet are commonly used in the construction industry to determine the volume of materials needed. It helps builders estimate quantities accurately and plan for efficient use of resources.

Shipping and Freight: Freight companies use cubic feet to calculate the volume of cargo in shipping containers and trucks. This helps in optimizing the utilization of space and determining shipping costs.

Appliance Sizing: It is important to know the cubic feet capacity of appliances before purchasing them to ensure they fit within the available space and can accommodate your storage needs.

Swimming Pool Volume: Pool owners or maintenance professionals use cubic feet to calculate the volume of water needed to fill a swimming pool and to determine the quantity of chemical dosages for proper water treatment.

Air Conditioning and Heating: HVAC professionals use cubic feet to size air conditioning and heating units appropriately for homes and commercial buildings, ensuring efficient and effective temperature control.

How to evaluate the problems of Cubic Feet?

You can evaluate the problems of finding volume in cubic feet easily with the help of a cubic ft calculator. Follow below solved examples to solve these problems manually.

Example 1: 

A rectangular storage container measuring 5 feet in length, 3 feet in width, and 9 feet in height. What is the volume of the container in cubic feet?

Solution:

Given the dimensions:

Length = 5 feet

Width = 3 feet

Height = 9 feet

The volume of a rectangular storage container can be calculated using the formula:

∴ Volume = Length × Width × Height

Put the given values in the above formula and calculate the volume:

Volume = 5 ft × 3 ft × 9 ft = 135 cubic feet

Therefore, the volume of the rectangular storage container is 135 cubic feet.

Example 2: 

What quantity of concrete is needed in cubic feet to build a foundation slab with dimensions of 20 yards in length, 15 yards in width, and a height of 4 yards?

Solution:

Given:

Length = 20 yards

Width = 15 yards

Height = 4 yards

Since 1 yard is equal to 3 feet, we can convert the dimensions to feet as:

Length = 20 yards = 20 yards × 3 feet/yard = 60 feet

Width = 15 yards = 15 yards × 3 feet/yard = 45 feet

Height = 4 yards = 4 yards × 3 feet/yard = 12 feet

Substitute these converted values into the formula of cubic feet:

Volume = 60 ft × 45 ft × 12 ft = 32,400 ft3

Therefore, 32,400 cubic feet of concrete are needed to construct the foundation slab with the given dimensions.

Conclusion

In this article, we have described the definition of cubic feet with its formula. We provided easy steps to calculate the volume of the three-dimensional object in cubic feet. We have covered many real-life applications of cubic feet.  Further, we solved some examples of finding cubic feet for our readers to understand this topic clearly.