Liters Per Hour to Cubic Feet Per Second Converter

Convert liters per hour to cubic feet per second with the exact factor 9.80963e-06, plus real reference values in both units.

Result in cubic feet per second
Adjust the inputs

Your result updates live as you type.

One liter per hour is exactly 9.809629645e-06 cubic feet per second, so converting liters per hour to cubic feet per second 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 cusec — how American river gauges and water rights report flow.

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 second so the number you get has something to be compared against.

The formula

cubic feet per second = liters per hour × 9.80962964486e-06
liters per hour
The amount you are converting, in liters per hour
9.80962964486e-06
The exact number of cubic feet per second in one liter per hour
cubic feet per second
The converted result

How it works, step by step

  1. Enter the value in liters per hour.
  2. It is multiplied by 9.80962964486e-06, the exact factor between the two units.
  3. The answer is shown in cubic feet per second, with the reverse conversion beneath it.
  4. Check the reference table if you want a figure of comparable size.

Worked examples

A dripping tap: 0.36 L/h in cubic feet per second

Take a dripping tap, roughly 0.36 L/h. The conversion is a single multiplication — 0.36 × 9.80963e-06 — giving 3.53147e-06 cfs. Because the relationship is proportional, doubling the input doubles the answer to 7.06293e-06 cfs.

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

At 2.16e+05 L/h (a fire hydrant), the same quantity in cubic feet per second is 2.16e+05 × 9.80963e-06 = 2.11888 cfs. One liter per hour is 9.80963e-06 cubic feet per second, so the numbers shrink as expected.

How to read your score

0–0ZeroZero liters per hour is zero cubic feet per second.
0–1Under one unitThe answer is less than one cubic foot per second.
1–1,000Everyday rangeA typical working figure in cubic feet per second.
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 second are in one liter per hour?

Exactly 9.80962964486e-06. 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 second?

cubic feet per second = liters per hour × 9.80962964486e-06. Reversed, liters per hour = cubic feet per second ÷ 9.80962964486e-06, which is the same as multiplying by 101,940.647731.

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

The cubic foot per second. One liter per hour is only 9.80963e-06 of a cubic foot per second, so it takes 101,941 liters per hour to make one cubic foot per second.

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 second?

The cusec — how American river gauges and water rights report flow.

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 cfs in my head?

Plenty of people do this in their head: divide by 100,000 instead of using the exact factor 0.000010. At 100 that shortcut gives 0.001 cubic feet per second, off by 0.000019 cubic feet per second or about 1.94%. Fine for a rough estimate, not fine for anything you are cutting to size or dosing.

Liters Per Hour to cubic feet per second reference tables

Liters Per Hour to cubic feet per second conversion table
Liters Per HourCubic Feet Per Second
0.5 L/h4.90481e-06 cfs
1 L/h9.80963e-06 cfs
2 L/h1.96193e-05 cfs
3 L/h2.94289e-05 cfs
5 L/h4.90481e-05 cfs
10 L/h9.80963e-05 cfs
20 L/h0.000196193 cfs
25 L/h0.000245241 cfs
50 L/h0.000490481 cfs
75 L/h0.000735722 cfs
100 L/h0.000980963 cfs
250 L/h0.00245241 cfs
500 L/h0.00490481 cfs
1000 L/h0.00980963 cfs
5000 L/h0.0490481 cfs

Exact factor: 1 liter per hour = 9.80962964486e-06 cubic feet per second.

Real volumetric flow figures in liters per hour and cubic feet per second
QuantityL/hcfs
A dripping tap0.36 L/h3.531e-06 cfs
A bathroom tap360 L/h0.003531 cfs
A shower head576 L/h0.00565 cfs
A garden hose1080 L/h0.01059 cfs
A fire hydrant2.16e+05 L/h2.119 cfs
The Thames at London2.34e+08 L/h2295 cfs

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

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