Box Volume Calculator
Enter a box’s length, width, and height in inches, feet, centimeters, or meters to see its volume in cubic inches, cubic feet, cubic centimeters, cubic meters, and liters.
Box Volume Calculator calculates in your browser.
Inside and outside volume answer different questions
A box’s volume is just length × width × height, but which measurements you use matters. The inside dimensions tell you how much the box can hold. The outside dimensions — board included — are what takes up space on a shelf, a pallet, or in a truck, and what a carrier measures.
This calculator keeps the two apart. Enter the box in any common length unit, say whether you measured inside or outside, and see the volume in five cubic units at once. Add a wall thickness to estimate the inside from outside measurements, and a quantity for the total of many boxes.
How to use the Box Volume Calculator
- Choose inches, feet, centimeters, or meters.
- Say whether you measured the inside or the outside.
- Enter the length, width, and height.
- For outside measurements, optionally enter the wall thickness to estimate the inside.
- Enter how many boxes there are to see the total volume.
How the calculation works
Volume = length × width × height
1 ft³ = 12 × 12 × 12 = 1,728 in³
1 m³ = 1,000,000 cm³ = 1,000 L
1 in³ = 16.387064 cm³ exactly
Estimated inside side = outside side − 2 × wall thickness
The conversions use exact factors, so a 12 × 12 × 12 in box comes out at exactly 1 cubic foot, and the same box measured in centimeters gives the same answer.
| Box | Measured | Volume | In liters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 12 × 12 in | Inside | 1 ft³ | 28.32 L |
| 18 × 18 × 16 in | Inside | 3 ft³ | 84.95 L |
| 60 × 40 × 40 cm | Outside | 0.096 m³ | 96 L |
Calculated on your device
- The calculation runs in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server.
- Your sizes, weights, prices, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored.
- The calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics.
Limitations
- It’s for rectangular boxes only.
- Volume is the space inside the walls, not how much fits: items and packing material leave gaps.
- The inside estimate from a wall thickness is approximate; flaps, score lines, and board vary.
- Carriers measure outside dimensions and may round them, which this tool doesn’t do.
Related calculators
- Poly Mailer Size CalculatorSuggest a poly mailer size for a product.
- Custom DIM Divisor CalculatorApply a dimensional-weight divisor you enter.
- Dunnage / Void-Fill Cost CalculatorEstimate the cost of void fill from the price you enter.
- Volume ConverterConvert liters, US and UK gallons, cups, and other volumes.
Guides
- Poly Mailer vs BoxWhen a flat poly mailer stops being the right pack: thick, rigid, or fragile products, bulging, and the signs that a box or padded mailer is the better choice.
- Box Volume in Cubic FeetHow to work out a box’s volume in cubic feet from inches, feet, or mixed measurements, with worked examples and the metric equivalent in cubic meters.
- Inside vs Outside DimensionsThe difference between a box’s inside and outside dimensions, which to use for packing, storage, and shipping, and how wall thickness changes the volume.
- Totalling Shipment VolumeHow to add up the volume of a shipment made of several box sizes, in cubic feet and cubic meters, and what the total does and doesn’t tell you.
- Void Fill Cost per PackageHow to estimate the void fill a package needs and what it costs, from the box’s inside size, the product, and your material price per volume.
Box Volume Calculator FAQ
- How many cubic feet is a 12 × 12 × 12 inch box?
- Exactly 1 cubic foot: 12 × 12 × 12 = 1,728 cubic inches, and a cubic foot is 1,728 cubic inches. That is about 28.32 liters.
- Should I measure the inside or the outside of the box?
- Measure the inside for how much the box holds, and the outside for shipping and storage space. The outside includes the board on every side, so its volume overstates what fits inside; enter a wall thickness to estimate the inside from outside measurements.
- How do I convert cubic inches to cubic feet?
- Divide by 1,728, because a cubic foot is 12 × 12 × 12 inches. An 18 × 18 × 16 in box is 5,184 in³, which is 3 ft³.
- How do I find the total volume of several boxes?
- Multiply one box’s volume by how many there are — boxes of different sizes are added up one size at a time. Twenty-five 18 × 18 × 16 in boxes are 75 ft³, about 2.124 m³.
- Does a box’s volume tell me how much will fit in it?
- Only as an upper limit. Items rarely pack without gaps, and packing material takes up room, so the usable space is less than the inside volume.
- Are the sizes, weights, and prices I enter sent anywhere?
- No. The calculation runs in your browser as you type. Your sizes, weights, prices, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored, and the calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics. Refreshing the page clears it.
