Compared to CFM, m3/s (cubic meters per second) is more than 2000 times bigger unit of airflow. To help you with the conversion, we created a CFM to m3/s calculator (insert CFM, get m3/s). We also converted 1-10,000 CFM to m3/s, and summarized all the results in a neat conversion chart (below this calculator):
Here’s how this works. Let’s say you want to convert 4000 CFM airflow to m3/s. Just insert ‘4000’ in the CFM input field, and you get this result (screenshot):
We can quickly see that 4000 CFM is equal to 1.8878 m3/s.
Let’s have a look at both of these units and the formula that converts CFM to cubic meters per second:
CFM To m3/s Formula
Alright, we are dealing with 2 units for measuring airflow (usually in HVAC devices, air purifiers, etc.). Here are the definitions:
- CFM stands for Cubic Feet per Minute. Airflow of 1 CFM is 1 cubic foot of air (ft3) moved in 1 minute.
- m3/s are Cubic Meters per Second (CMS). Airflow of 1 m3/s is 1 cubic meter of air (m3) moved in 1 second.
From this, we can see why m3/s is a much greater airflow unit than CFM. Namely, it’s per second (1 minute = 60 seconds), and 1 m3 is about 35x bigger than 1 ft3. Here is the key relationship:
1 CFM = 0.00047194666 m3/s
1 CFM is equal to 0.00047194666 m3/s. We can use this relationship to write the following CFM to m3/s formula:
m3/s = CFM × 0.00047194666
To convert CFM to m3/s, we need to multiply CFM by a factor of 0.00047194666 (more digits = higher accuracy). It’s bothersome to put all these digits in a hand calculator (hence it’s easier to use an online calculator), but let’s just solve one example using this equation:
How many m3/s is 2500 CFM?
We insert 2500 CFM in the equation above like this (with the result):
m3/s (2500 CFM) = 2500 CFM × 0.00047194666 = 1.1799 m3/s
2500 CFM is equal to 1.1799 cubic meters per second (accurate to 4 decimal digits).
Here is the full 1-10,000 CFM to m3/s conversion chart:
CFM To m3/s Conversion Chart
| CFM (Cubic Feet Per Minute): | m3/s (Cubic Meters Per Second): |
| 1 CFM | 0.0004719 m3/s |
| 10 CFM | 0.004719 m3/s |
| 50 CFM | 0.0236 m3/s |
| 100 CFM | 0.0472 m3/s |
| 200 CFM | 0.0944 m3/s |
| 300 CFM | 0.1416 m3/s |
| 400 CFM | 0.1888 m3/s |
| 500 CFM | 0.2360 m3/s |
| 1000 CFM | 0.4719 m3/s |
| 2000 CFM | 0.9439 m3/s |
| 3000 CFM | 1.4158 m3/s |
| 4000 CFM | 1.8878 m3/s |
| 5000 CFM | 2.3597 m3/s |
| 6000 CFM | 2.8317 m3/s |
| 7000 CFM | 3.3036 m3/s |
| 8000 CFM | 3.7756 m3/s |
| 9000 CFM | 4.2475 m3/s |
| 10,000 CFM | 4.7195 m3/s |
From this conversion chart, we clearly see how big a unit m3/s is compared to CFM. With the help of the online calculator, you can now easily convert CFM to m3/s. If you need any help, you can reach us via the comment section, tell us what you are trying to solve, and we can lend you a hand.