Cubic meter

Overview
The cubic metre (US spelling: cubic meter, symbol: m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. It is the volume of a cube with edges one metre in length. An alternative name, which allowed a different usage with metric prefixes, was the stère. Another alternative name, not widely used any more, is the kilolitre.

Conversions
1 cubic metre is equivalent to:
 * 1,000 litres (exactly);
 * ~35.3 cubic feet (approximately)
 * 1 cu ft = m³ (exactly)
 * ~1.31 cubic yards (approximately)
 * 1 cu yd = m³ (exactly)
 * ~6.29 oil barrels (approximately)
 * 1 oil bbl = m³ (exactly)

A cubic metre of pure water at the temperature of maximum density (3.98 °C) and standard atmospheric pressure (101.325 kPa) has a mass of 1000 kg, or one tonne. At 0 °C, the freezing point of water, it is slightly less, 999.972 kilograms.

It is sometimes abbreviated to cu m, m3, m^3 or m**3 when superscript characters or markup are not available/accessible (i.e. in some typewritten documents and postings in Usenet newsgroups).

Abbreviated CBM in the freight business and MTQ (or numeric code 49) in international trade.

Multiples and submultiples
See 1 E-3 m³ for a comparison with other volumes.

Multiples

 * Cubic decameter
 * the volume of a cube of side length one decametre (10 m)
 * equal to a megalitre
 * 1 dam³ = 1,000 m³ = 1 Ml


 * Cubic hectometre
 * the volume of a cube of side length one hectometre (100m)
 * equal to a gigalitre
 * 1 hm³ = 1,000,000 m³ = 1 Gl


 * Cubic kilometre
 * the volume of a cube of side length one kilometre (1,000 m)
 * equal to a petalitre
 * 1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³ = 1 Pl

Submultiples

 * Cubic decimeter
 * the volume of a cube of side length one decimetre (0.1 m)
 * equal to a litre
 * 1 dm³ = 0.001 m³ = 1 l


 * Cubic centimetre
 * the volume of a cube of side length one centimetre (0.01 m)
 * equal to a millilitre
 * 1 cm³ = 0.000001 m³ = 1 ml


 * Cubic millimetre
 * the volume of a cube of side length one millimetre (0.001 m)
 * equal to a microlitre
 * 1 mm³ = 0.000000001 m³ = 1 µl