Liters Per Hour to Cubic Feet Per Minute Converter

Convert liters per hour to cubic feet per minute with the exact factor 0.000588578, plus real reference values in both units.

Result in cubic feet per minute
Adjust the inputs

Your result updates live as you type.

One liter per hour is exactly 0.0005885777787 cubic feet per minute, so converting liters per hour to cubic feet per minute is a single multiplication. Enter any figure and the result appears as you type — the arithmetic runs in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere.

The rating unit for dosing pumps, drip irrigation and small boilers. The airflow rating for fans, HVAC and compressors in the US.

Standard versus actual volume. Gas flow in CFM depends on pressure and temperature, which is why compressor ratings say SCFM and specify the reference conditions. Converting the number is exact; comparing two ratings measured at different conditions is not. Below the calculator there is a step table for the values people look up most, and a second table putting real volumetric flow figures into cubic feet per minute so the number you get has something to be compared against.

The formula

cubic feet per minute = liters per hour × 0.000588577778691
liters per hour
The amount you are converting, in liters per hour
0.000588577778691
The exact number of cubic feet per minute in one liter per hour
cubic feet per minute
The converted result

How it works, step by step

  1. Enter the value in liters per hour.
  2. It is multiplied by 0.000588577778691, the exact factor between the two units.
  3. The answer is shown in cubic feet per minute, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
  4. Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.

Worked examples

A fire hydrant: 2.16e+05 L/h in cubic feet per minute

At 2.16e+05 L/h (a fire hydrant), the same quantity in cubic feet per minute is 2.16e+05 × 0.000588578 = 127.133 CFM. One liter per hour is 0.000588578 cubic feet per minute, so the numbers shrink as expected.

A shower head: 576 L/h in cubic feet per minute

Take a shower head, roughly 576 L/h. The conversion is a single multiplication — 576 × 0.000588578 — giving 0.339021 CFM. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 0.678042 CFM.

How to read your score

0–0ZeroZero liters per hour is zero cubic feet per minute.
0–1Under one unitThe answer is less than one cubic foot per minute.
1–1,000Everyday rangeA typical working figure in cubic feet per minute.
1,000–—Large valueLarge enough that the exact figure below the gauge is easier to read than the gauge itself.

Frequently asked questions

How many cubic feet per minute are in one liter per hour?

Exactly 0.000588577778691. Every figure on this page is that one number multiplied by your input, so the only rounding is at the display step.

What is the formula to convert liters per hour to cubic feet per minute?

cubic feet per minute = liters per hour × 0.000588577778691. Reversed, liters per hour = cubic feet per minute ÷ 0.000588577778691, which is the same as multiplying by 1699.01079552.

Which is the bigger unit, the liter per hour or the cubic foot per minute?

The cubic foot per minute. One liter per hour is only 0.000588578 of a cubic foot per minute, so it takes 1699.01 liters per hour to make one cubic foot per minute.

What does this quantity actually measure?

Both units measure volumetric flow. That is why a single factor is enough: there is no temperature offset and no material property involved, unlike conversions that cross between different quantities.

What is a liter per hour?

The rating unit for dosing pumps, drip irrigation and small boilers.

What is a cubic foot per minute?

The airflow rating for fans, HVAC and compressors in the US.

Why does my answer differ from another converter?

Almost always because the other tool rounded the factor before multiplying. This page keeps full double precision through the calculation and rounds only for display, and it prints the factor it used so you can see where any difference came from.

Is there a quick way to do L/h to CFM in my head?

Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 1700 instead of using the exact factor 0.0005885777787. At 100 that shortcut gives 0.058823529 cubic feet per minute, off by 0.000034 cubic feet per minute or about 0.06%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.

Liters Per Hour to cubic feet per minute reference tables

Liters Per Hour to cubic feet per minute conversion table
Liters Per HourCubic Feet Per Minute
0.5 L/h0.000294289 CFM
1 L/h0.000588578 CFM
2 L/h0.00117716 CFM
3 L/h0.00176573 CFM
5 L/h0.00294289 CFM
10 L/h0.00588578 CFM
20 L/h0.0117716 CFM
25 L/h0.0147144 CFM
50 L/h0.0294289 CFM
75 L/h0.0441433 CFM
100 L/h0.0588578 CFM
250 L/h0.147144 CFM
500 L/h0.294289 CFM
1000 L/h0.588578 CFM
5000 L/h2.94289 CFM

Exact factor: 1 liter per hour = 0.000588577778691 cubic feet per minute.

Real volumetric flow figures in liters per hour and cubic feet per minute
QuantityL/hCFM
A dripping tap0.36 L/h0.0002119 CFM
A bathroom tap360 L/h0.2119 CFM
A shower head576 L/h0.339 CFM
A garden hose1080 L/h0.6357 CFM
A fire hydrant2.16e+05 L/h127.1 CFM
The Thames at London2.34e+08 L/h1.377e+05 CFM

Published reference values, converted with the same factor this page uses.

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