Cubic feet per minute to Liters per second Calculator

Direct answer

Multiply the entered cubic feet per minute value by 0.4719474432 to express it in liters per second (L/s). This converts cubic foot per minute (cfm) to liter per second (L/s) within the documented flow rate family.

Variables and formula

• Cubic feet per minute (cfm): the source value measured in cubic foot per minute.
• Liters per second (L/s): the same quantity expressed in liter per second.
• Conversion factor: 0.4719474432 liters per second per cubic foot per minute.

Liters per second = Cubic feet per minute × 0.4719474432

The generator emits numeric factors with at most 15 significant digits. Calculator results keep up to 10 significant digits for display; this formatting does not increase the precision of the measurement.

Unit definitions and named variants

Source unit: cubic foot per minute (cfm). One cubic international foot per minute equals exactly 28.316846592 litres per minute. Named variant used: International-foot volume; actual volumetric flow unless another condition is explicitly stated. Reference: National Institute of Standards and Technology: NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9: Factors for Units Listed by Kind of Quantity or Field of Science; National Institute of Standards and Technology: NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement.

Target unit: liter per second (L/s). Because one minute is exactly 60 seconds, 1 L/s = 60 L/min exactly. Named variant used: Volumetric flow; no standard-condition normalization. Reference: Bureau International des Poids et Mesures: The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition, version 4.01.

The cfm-to-L/s direction remains inside the flow rate quantity; it changes the unit label and numerical scale, not the kind of quantity being measured.

Relationship and precision

The named unit relationships are defined or exact, so the conversion is exact before display rounding and source-measurement uncertainty.

• cfm relationship: The terminating factor is exact because the international foot is exactly 0.3048 m and the litre is exactly 10^-3 m³.
• L/s relationship: The time relationship is exact.

To audit the factor through the family base unit, divide the raw dataset factors 28.316846592 by 60. The generator emits that quotient once at 15 significant digits as the canonical direct factor 0.4719474432; runtime calculations do not divide the already-emitted base factors again.

Reproducible example

For 10 cubic feet per minute, 10 × 0.4719474432 = 4.719474432 liters per second. Repeating the same multiplication with the stated factor reproduces the displayed conversion before interface rounding.

Directional scale check

Because one cubic foot per minute contains 0.4719474432 liters per second, the target number is smaller than the source number for every positive input. Zero maps to zero, while negative inputs are rejected because this family models non-negative magnitudes.

Interpretation

Read the result as liters per second, not cubic feet per minute. A value entered as cfm leaves the calculator labelled L/s; this directional distinction matters even when the two units describe the same flow rate quantity.

Assumptions and limitations

• Only non-negative flow magnitudes are accepted; direction is outside this family.
• US gallon per minute means the U.S. liquid gallon of exactly 231 cubic inches, not the Imperial gallon.
• Cubic foot per minute uses the international foot, not a legacy survey-foot volume.

Common mistakes

• Do not use a legacy survey-foot volume.
• L/s is 60 times L/min, not 1/60 of it.

Continue within the Flow Rate family

See the Flow Rate conversion hub for its five-unit reference table and all 20 directed routes.

• Reverse the direction: Liters per second to Cubic feet per minute
• Compare another flow rate route: Cubic feet per minute to Liters per minute
• Compare another flow rate route: Cubic feet per minute to Cubic meters per hour
• Compare another flow rate route: Cubic feet per minute to US gallons per minute
• Compare another flow rate route: Liters per second to Liters per minute

Assumptions

• The entered value uses cubic feet per minute exactly as labelled.
• Only non-negative flow magnitudes are accepted; direction is outside this family.
• Rounding and measurement uncertainty remain the user's responsibility.

Sources and methodology

CalcMotive publishes the formula and assumptions so you can decide whether the estimate fits your use case. See our methodology standards.

• The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition, version 4.01; Bureau International des Poids et Mesures; accessed Aug 7, 2026
• NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9: Factors for Units Listed by Kind of Quantity or Field of Science; National Institute of Standards and Technology; accessed Aug 7, 2026
• NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement; National Institute of Standards and Technology; accessed Aug 7, 2026