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: L/s = ft³/s × 28.32
Multiply any ft³/s value by 28.32 to get L/s.
Reverse: ft³/s = L/s × 0.03531
Common flow rate values — factor: 1 ft³/s = 28.32 L/s
| ft³/s (ft³/s) | L/s (L/s) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 ft³/s | 0.02832 L/s | Drip |
| 0.01 ft³/s | 0.2832 L/s | Small |
| 0.1 ft³/s | 2.832 L/s | Small stream |
| 1 ft³/s | 28.32 L/s | 1 cfs |
| 10 ft³/s | 283.2 L/s | Creek |
| 100 ft³/s | 2832 L/s | Stream |
| 448 ft³/s | 1.269e+04 L/s | 1 m³/s |
| 1000 ft³/s | 2.832e+04 L/s | Small river |
| 7500 ft³/s | 2.124e+05 L/s | Colorado at Hoover |
| 1e+04 ft³/s | 2.832e+05 L/s | Large river |
| 1e+05 ft³/s | 2.832e+06 L/s | Major river |
| 4e+05 ft³/s | 1.133e+07 L/s | Harvey flood peak |
| 1e+06 ft³/s | 2.832e+07 L/s | Extreme |
| 1e+07 ft³/s | 2.832e+08 L/s | Very extreme |
| 1e+08 ft³/s | 2.832e+09 L/s | Max |
1 ft³/s = 28.32 L/s.
m³/s × 1000 = L/s × 60 = L/min. Use this chain for quick conversions.
Multiply result by 0.03531 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.
Liters per second (L/s) is widely used in water supply engineering, fire protection, and irrigation where liter-scale flows are practical. One L/s = 0.001 m³/s = 60 L/min.
Fire hoses typically deliver 7–25 L/s. Municipal water distribution systems are designed for flows in L/s. Swimming pool filtration systems run at 1–10 L/s. A garden hose delivers about 0.3 L/s.
Interesting fact: The human heart pumps about 0.083 L/s (5 L/min) at rest, rising to 0.333–0.5 L/s (20–30 L/min) during intense exercise. Over a lifetime, the heart pumps approximately 200 million liters of blood.
Converting ft³/s to L/s 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 = 283.2 L/s. Reverse: 1 L/s = 0.03531 ft³/s. Factor: 1 ft³/s = 28.32 L/s.
All conversions use IEEE 754 double-precision arithmetic, accurate to at least 8 significant figures.