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| Cubic inch | |
|---|---|
 An engine with a swept pistondisplacement of 502 cubic inches | |
| General information | |
| Unit system | Nonstandard |
| Unit of | volume |
| Symbol | in3, cu in |
| Conversions | |
| 1 in3in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI derived units | 16.387064 mL |
| US customary | 1/231 US gallon |
| nonstandard | 1/1728 ft3 |
Thecubic inch (symbolin3) is aunit of volume in theImperial units andUnited States customary units systems. It is the volume of acube with each of its three dimensions (length, width, and height) being oneinch long which is equivalent to1/231 of a US gallon.[1]
The cubic inch and thecubic foot are used as units of volume in theUnited States, although the commonSI units of volume, theliter,milliliter, andcubic meter, are also used, especially inmanufacturing andhigh technology. One cubic inch is exactly16.387064 mL.
One cubic foot is equal to exactly 1,728 cubic inches (28.316846592 L), as 123 = 1728.
One cubic inch is equal to:
The cubic inch was established decades ago in theNational Electrical Code as the conventional unit in North America for measuring the volume of electrical boxes. Because of the extensive export of electrical equipment to other countries, some usage of the non-SI unit can be found outside North America.
The cubic inch was formerly used by theautomotive industry andaircraft industry in North America (through the early 1980s) to express the nominal engine displacement for the engines of newautomobiles,trucks,aircraft, etc. The cubic inch is still used for this purpose in classic car collecting. The auto industry now usesliters for this purpose, while reciprocating engines used in commercial aircraft often have model numbers based on the cubic inch displacement. The fifth generationFord Mustang has a Boss 302 version that reflects this heritage - with a five-liter (302 cubic inch) engine similar to the original Boss.Chevrolet has also revived this usage on its 427Corvette.Dodge has a "Challenger 392" (a conversion from its 6.4 liter V8 engine).