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: GPM = ft³/s × 448.8
Multiply any ft³/s value by 448.8 to get GPM.
Reverse: ft³/s = GPM × 0.002228
Common flow rate values — factor: 1 ft³/s = 448.8 GPM
| ft³/s (ft³/s) | GPM (GPM) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 ft³/s | 0.4488 GPM | Drip |
| 0.01 ft³/s | 4.488 GPM | Small |
| 0.1 ft³/s | 44.88 GPM | Small stream |
| 1 ft³/s | 448.8 GPM | 1 cfs |
| 10 ft³/s | 4488 GPM | Creek |
| 100 ft³/s | 4.488e+04 GPM | Stream |
| 448 ft³/s | 2.011e+05 GPM | 1 m³/s |
| 1000 ft³/s | 4.488e+05 GPM | Small river |
| 7500 ft³/s | 3.366e+06 GPM | Colorado at Hoover |
| 1e+04 ft³/s | 4.488e+06 GPM | Large river |
| 1e+05 ft³/s | 4.488e+07 GPM | Major river |
| 4e+05 ft³/s | 1.795e+08 GPM | Harvey flood peak |
| 1e+06 ft³/s | 4.488e+08 GPM | Extreme |
| 1e+07 ft³/s | 4.488e+09 GPM | Very extreme |
| 1e+08 ft³/s | 4.488e+10 GPM | Max |
ft³/s × 448.8 = GPM.
1 ft³/s = 448.8 GPM.
GPM ÷ 448.8 = ft³/s.
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.
Gallons per minute (GPM) is the standard flow unit for pumps, plumbing, fire suppression, and irrigation systems in the United States. One US GPM = 6.309 × 10⁻⁵ m³/s = 3.785 L/min.
US pump specifications universally use GPM: a residential well pump delivers 5–20 GPM; a fire suppression sprinkler system requires 7–26 GPM per head; a municipal fire hydrant delivers 500–1,500 GPM. Fuel transfer pumps at gas stations operate at 10–15 GPM.
Interesting fact: The US uses about 345 billion gallons of freshwater per day — approximately 240 million GPM. Of this, about 41% goes to thermoelectric power plant cooling, 37% to irrigation, and 13% to public water supplies.
Converting ft³/s to GPM 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 = 4488 GPM. Reverse: 1 GPM = 0.002228 ft³/s. Factor: 1 ft³/s = 448.8 GPM.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.