Convert flow rate units — m³/s, L/s, L/min, ft³/s, gallon/min and more.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| m³/s | Cubic Meter/Second | 0.028317 |
| m³/min | Cubic Meter/Minute | 1.698986 |
| m³/h | Cubic Meter/Hour | 101.85971 |
| L/s | Liter/Second | 28.317 |
| L/min | Liter/Minute | 1698.986 |
| ft³/min | Cubic Foot/Minute | 59.993644 |
| gal/min | Gallon/Minute (US) | 448.835 |
| gal/h | Gallon/Hour (US) | 26930.1 |
Formula: CFM = ft³/s × 60
Multiply any ft³/s value by 60 to get CFM.
Reverse: ft³/s = CFM × 0.01667
Common flow rate values — factor: 1 ft³/s = 60 CFM
| ft³/s (ft³/s) | CFM (CFM) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 ft³/s | 0.06 CFM | Drip |
| 0.01 ft³/s | 0.6 CFM | Small |
| 0.1 ft³/s | 6 CFM | Small stream |
| 1 ft³/s | 60 CFM | 1 cfs |
| 10 ft³/s | 600 CFM | Creek |
| 100 ft³/s | 6000 CFM | Stream |
| 448 ft³/s | 2.688e+04 CFM | 1 m³/s |
| 1000 ft³/s | 6e+04 CFM | Small river |
| 7500 ft³/s | 4.5e+05 CFM | Colorado at Hoover |
| 1e+04 ft³/s | 6e+05 CFM | Large river |
| 1e+05 ft³/s | 6e+06 CFM | Major river |
| 4e+05 ft³/s | 2.4e+07 CFM | Harvey flood peak |
| 1e+06 ft³/s | 6e+07 CFM | Extreme |
| 1e+07 ft³/s | 6e+08 CFM | Very extreme |
| 1e+08 ft³/s | 6.000e+09 CFM | Max |
1 ft³/s = 60 CFM.
m³/s × 1000 = L/s × 60 = L/min. Use this chain for quick conversions.
Multiply result by 0.01667 to recover the original ft³/s value.
Designs pumps, pipes, and water distribution systems with flow rates in m³/s, L/s, and GPM.
Specifies air handling units and ductwork in CFM (ft³/min) and m³/h for North American and European projects.
Monitors and controls treatment processes with flow rates in m³/h, L/s, and MGD.
Designs sprinkler systems with required flows in GPM and L/min per NFPA standards.
Measures river and groundwater flows in m³/s (m) and ft³/s (cfs) for flood modeling and water resource planning.
Configures ventilators and oxygen delivery systems with flow rates specified in L/min.
Cubic feet per second (ft³/s), also called cusecs, is the standard volumetric flow unit for rivers and streams in the United States. One ft³/s = 0.028317 m³/s ≈ 28.32 L/s.
US Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauges report flow in ft³/s (cfs). Irrigation water rights, hydropower licensing, and environmental flow requirements in the US are expressed in cfs. The Colorado River at Hoover Dam averages about 7,500 cfs.
Interesting fact: During Hurricane Harvey (2017), some Houston streams exceeded 400,000 cfs — more than 10 times the normal peak flow. The USGS maintains over 8,000 stream gauges across the US, all reporting in cfs.
Cubic feet per minute (CFM) is the dominant airflow unit in North American HVAC, ventilation, and pneumatic systems. One CFM = 0.000472 m³/s = 28.32 L/min.
HVAC systems in the US are universally specified in CFM: a typical bedroom requires 50–100 CFM of ventilation; a commercial kitchen exhaust hood needs 300–1,500 CFM; a large data center cooling system may require 100,000+ CFM.
Interesting fact: The term CFM is so entrenched in US building practice that even metric-preferring engineers typically specify airflows in CFM for North American projects. Air compressors are rated in CFM at a specified pressure (e.g., '10 CFM @ 90 psi').
Converting ft³/s to CFM is essential across hydraulic engineering, HVAC, water treatment, fire protection, and medicine. SI units (m³/s, L/s) are standard in science; European engineering uses m³/h; US systems use GPM and CFM; medical applications use L/min.
Quick reference: 10 ft³/s = 600 CFM. Reverse: 1 CFM = 0.01667 ft³/s. Factor: 1 ft³/s = 60 CFM.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.