Formula
Cubic feet per minute = Cubic meters per hour × 0.588577778692654Direct answer
Multiply the entered cubic meters per hour value by 0.588577778692654 to express it in cubic feet per minute (cfm). This converts cubic meter per hour (m³/h) to cubic foot per minute (cfm) within the documented flow rate family.
Variables and formula
- Cubic meters per hour (m³/h): the source value measured in cubic meter per hour.
- Cubic feet per minute (cfm): the same quantity expressed in cubic foot per minute.
- Conversion factor: 0.588577778692654 cubic feet per minute per cubic meter per hour.
Cubic feet per minute = Cubic meters per hour × 0.588577778692654
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 meter per hour (m³/h). One cubic metre is exactly 1000 litres and one hour is exactly 60 minutes, so 1 m³/h = 1000/60 L/min. 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.
Target 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.
The m³/h-to-cfm 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
This route uses at least one deliberately preserved rounded factor. Treat the displayed factor as an approximation at the precision documented below.
- m³/h relationship: The preserved base factor is a rounded decimal representation of the exact ratio 50/3 L/min.
- cfm relationship: The terminating factor is exact because the international foot is exactly 0.3048 m and the litre is exactly 10^-3 m³.
To audit the factor through the family base unit, divide the raw dataset factors 16.6666666667 by 28.316846592. The generator emits that quotient once at 15 significant digits as the canonical direct factor 0.588577778692654; runtime calculations do not divide the already-emitted base factors again.
Reproducible example
For 10 cubic meters per hour, 10 × 0.588577778692654 = 5.88577778692654 cubic feet per minute. Repeating the same multiplication with the stated factor reproduces the displayed conversion before interface rounding.
Directional scale check
Because one cubic meter per hour contains 0.588577778692654 cubic feet per minute, 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.
| Source amount | Calculation | Target amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 m³/h | 1 × 0.588577778692654 |
0.588577778692654 cfm |
| 10 m³/h | 10 × 0.588577778692654 |
5.88577778692654 cfm |
| 100 m³/h | 100 × 0.588577778692654 |
58.8577778692654 cfm |
| 1000 m³/h | 1000 × 0.588577778692654 |
588.577778692654 cfm |
Interpretation
Read the result as cubic feet per minute, not cubic meters per hour. A value entered as m³/h leaves the calculator labelled cfm; 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.
- This family converts non-negative volumetric flow only; it does not convert mass flow, velocity, or total delivered volume without a duration.
- US gallon per minute means the U.S. liquid gallon of exactly 231 cubic inches, not the Imperial gallon.
Common mistakes
- m³/h is volumetric flow, not velocity in m/h.
- SCFM and ACFM include gas-condition conventions that plain cfm does not encode.
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: Cubic feet per minute to Cubic meters per hour
- Compare another flow rate route: Cubic meters per hour to Liters per minute
- Compare another flow rate route: Cubic meters per hour to Liters per second
- Compare another flow rate route: Cubic meters per hour to US gallons per minute
- Compare another flow rate route: Cubic feet per minute to Liters per minute
Assumptions
- The entered value uses cubic meters per hour 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