Cubic Kilometer (km³)

ScientificCurrent unit

One billion cubic meters (a trillion liters). Used for very large volumes.

1 cubic kilometer = 1,000,000,000,000 liters (exactly).

1 cubic kilometer = 1,000,000,000,000 liters

About the cubic kilometer

Picture a cube one kilometer on every edge: that is a cubic kilometer, equal to 1,000,000,000 cubic meters, or a trillion liters. The same volume is also called a teralitre, a name that follows the liter prefix system. Wikipedia converts it to about 810,713 acre-feet, or 0.2399 cubic mile.

Its scale places it among the largest everyday SI volumes. A cubic hectometer, the cube with 100 meter edges, equals one gigalitre, and a thousand of those make one cubic kilometer, which leaves the unit well above anything handled in tanks or reservoirs of ordinary size. The figure used here is 1,000,000,000,000 liters. Because one cubic mile is about 4.168 cubic kilometers, a figure in km3 is always smaller than the same volume in mi3, by that ratio.

Sources: Wikipedia: Cubic metre; Wikipedia: Cubic kilometre

Cubic Kilometer conversion chart

1 cubic kilometer expressed in every other volume unit:

Unit1 cubic kilometer
Liters1,000,000,000,000
Milliliters1×10¹⁵
US Gallons264,172,052,358
US Cups4,226,752,837,730
US Fluid Ounces33,814,022,701,843
Cubic Meters1,000,000,000
Cubic Centimeters1×10¹⁵
US Quarts1,056,688,209,433
US Pints2,113,376,418,865
US Tablespoons67,628,045,403,686
US Teaspoons202,884,136,211,058
Metric Cups4,000,000,000,000
Metric Tablespoons66,666,666,666,667
Metric Teaspoons200,000,000,000,000
Imperial Gallons219,969,248,299
Imperial Pints1,759,753,986,393
Imperial Fluid Ounces35,195,079,727,854
Cubic Inches61,023,744,094,732
Cubic Feet35,314,666,721
Cubic Yards1,307,950,619
Oil Barrels6,289,810,770
Cubic Millimeters1×10¹⁸
Microliters1×10¹⁸
Centiliters100,000,000,000,000
Deciliters10,000,000,000,000
Hectoliters10,000,000,000
Australian Tablespoons50,000,000,000,000
US Legal Cups4,166,666,666,667
Imperial Quarts879,876,993,196
Cubic Miles0.2399127586
Wine Bottles1,333,333,333,333
Magnums666,666,666,667
Jeroboams333,333,333,333
Methuselahs166,666,666,667
Nebuchadnezzars66,666,666,667
US Gills8,453,505,675,461
US Fluid Drams270,512,181,614,744
US Minims1.62307309×10¹⁶
Jiggers22,542,681,801,229
Pinches3.246146179×10¹⁵
Dashes1.62307309×10¹⁵
Imperial Gills7,039,015,945,571
US Bushels28,377,593,258
US Pecks113,510,373,034
US Dry Quarts908,082,984,269
US Dry Pints1,816,165,968,538
US Dry Barrels8,648,489,809
US Liquid Barrels8,386,414,361
UK Beer Barrels6,110,256,897
Firkins24,441,027,589
Kilderkins12,220,513,794
Hogsheads (ale)4,073,504,598
Tierces6,289,810,770
Hogsheads (wine)4,193,207,180
Puncheons3,144,905,385
Butts (pipe)2,096,603,590
Tuns1,048,301,795
Acre-feet810,713.1938
Cords275,895,833.8
Board Feet423,776,000,658
Cyathi21,984,732,824,427
Sextarii1,832,061,068,702
Congii305,343,511,450
Modii114,503,816,794
Amphorae38,167,938,931
Omers454,545,454,545
Hin272,727,272,727
Baths (biblical)45,454,545,455
Homers4,545,454,545
Gō5,543,523,531,862
Shō554,352,353,186
Tō55,435,235,319
Koku5,543,523,532
Charkas8,130,471,299,030
Shtofs813,047,129,903
Vedros81,304,712,990

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