This converter turns oil barrels into cubic meters instantly, using the exact factor 1 oil barrel = 0.1589872949 cubic meters. Type any number and the result updates as you go — nothing is sent to a server, so the arithmetic happens entirely in your browser.
The petroleum barrel: 42 US gallons, the global oil trading unit. One thousand litres, the SI-derived unit for large volumes like water tanks and gas supply.
Because the relationship is a simple proportion, one multiplication does the whole job. The table further down gives pre-computed values for the amounts people look up most often, and the result panel also reports the reverse conversion so you can check the figure both ways.
The formula
oil barrels- The amount you are converting, measured in oil barrels
0.1589872949- The exact number of cubic meters in one oil barrel
cubic meters- The converted result
How it works, step by step
- Enter the number of oil barrels you want to convert.
- The value is multiplied by 0.1589872949, the exact conversion factor.
- The result is displayed in cubic meters, rounded for readability.
- The unrounded value and the reverse conversion appear underneath so you can verify it.
Worked examples
Converting 5 oil barrels
Multiply 5 by 0.15898729. That gives 0.794936 cubic meters. A quick sanity check: one oil barrel is smaller than one cubic meter, so the number should get smaller — and it does.
Converting 72 oil barrels
72 × 0.15898729 = 11.4471 cubic meters. Working backwards, 11.4471 ÷ 0.15898729 returns 72 oil barrels, which confirms the factor is applied the right way round.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic meters are in one oil barrel?
Exactly 0.1589872949. Every conversion on this page is that single number multiplied by your input, so the result carries no rounding error beyond what is shown.
What is the formula to convert oil barrels to cubic meters?
Cubic Meters = oil barrels × 0.1589872949. To reverse it, divide instead: oil barrels = cubic meters ÷ 0.1589872949, which is the same as multiplying by 6.28981077.
Is the oil barrel bigger than the cubic meter?
No. One oil barrel is only 0.158987 of a cubic meter, so the cubic meter is the larger unit.
Why does my answer differ slightly from other oil-barrels to cubic-meters converters?
Most differences come from rounding the factor too early. This tool keeps full double precision through the calculation and only rounds at the final display step, and it also shows the unrounded value so you can see exactly where any difference appears.
What is a oil barrel?
The petroleum barrel: 42 US gallons, the global oil trading unit.
What is a cubic meter?
One thousand litres, the SI-derived unit for large volumes like water tanks and gas supply.
Oil Barrels to cubic meters reference table
| Oil Barrels | Cubic Meters |
|---|---|
| 0.5 bbl | 0.079494 m³ |
| 1 bbl | 0.158987 m³ |
| 2 bbl | 0.317975 m³ |
| 3 bbl | 0.476962 m³ |
| 5 bbl | 0.794936 m³ |
| 10 bbl | 1.5899 m³ |
| 15 bbl | 2.3848 m³ |
| 20 bbl | 3.1797 m³ |
| 25 bbl | 3.9747 m³ |
| 50 bbl | 7.9494 m³ |
| 75 bbl | 11.924 m³ |
| 100 bbl | 15.8987 m³ |
| 250 bbl | 39.7468 m³ |
| 500 bbl | 79.4936 m³ |
| 1000 bbl | 158.9873 m³ |
Exact factor: 1 oil barrel = 0.1589872949 cubic meters. Values rounded for display.