Convert Liter to Cubic Centimeter (2025)

Please provide values below to convert liter [L, l] to cubic centimeter [cm^3], or vice versa.

Liter

Definition: A liter (symbol: L) is a unit of volume that is accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI) but is technically not an SI unit. One liter is equal to 1 cubic decimeter (dm³), 1,000 cubic centimeters (cm³), or 1/1,000 cubic meters (m³).

History/origin: There was a point from 1901 to 1964 when a liter was defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under the conditions of maximum density at atmospheric pressure. However, due to the mass-volume relationship of water being based on a number of factors that can be cumbersome to control (temperature, pressure, purity, isotopic uniformity), as well as the discovery that the prototype of the kilogram was slightly too large (making the liter equal to 1.000028 dm³ rather than 1 dm³), the definition of the liter was reverted to its previous, and current definition.

Current use: The liter is used to measure many liquid volumes as well as to label containers containing said liquids. It is also used to measure certain non-liquid volumes such as the size of car trunks, backpacks and climbing packs, computer cases, microwaves, refrigerators, and recycling bins, as well as for expressing fuel volumes and prices in most countries around the world.

Cubic centimeter

Definition: The cubic centimeter (symbol: cm³) is an SI derived unit of volume based on the cubic meter. It is the volume of a cube with measurements 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm, and is equal to 1/1,000,000 of a cubic meter, 1/1,000 of a liter, or 1 milliliter. The abbreviations of cc and ccm are also sometimes used to denote a cubic centimeter, but their use is deprecated in the International System of Units (SI).

History/origin: The cubic centimeter was derived from the cubic meter, using an SI prefix, in this case "centi," to denote a submultiple of the base unit.

Current use: The cubic centimeter is used in many scientific disciplines, often in the form of milliliters (symbol: mL). Although the cubic centimeter is based on the SI unit of volume, the mL (and its multiples) are more commonly used as a measurement of volume than the cubic centimeter. The United States medical and automotive fields are an exception to this, and the cubic centimeter is still widely used in these fields. In contrast, the United Kingdom uses cubic centimeters in the medical, but not the automotive field.

Liter to Cubic Centimeter Conversion Table

How to Convert Liter to Cubic Centimeter

1 L, l = 1000 cm^3
1 cm^3 = 0.001 L, l

Example: convert 15 L, l to cm^3:
15 L, l = 15 × 1000 cm^3 = 15000 cm^3

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