15.850323
1
L/s
3.6
m³/hr
15.850323
1
L/s
3.6
m³/hr
The Volumetric Flow Rate Converter is a comprehensive tool for converting between all common units of volumetric flow rate. Whether you work in hydraulic engineering, HVAC systems, plumbing, or chemical process engineering, this converter handles conversions between liters per second, gallons per minute, cubic meters per hour, cubic feet per minute, and more with laboratory-grade precision.
Volumetric flow rate measures the volume of fluid passing through a cross-section per unit time. It is a critical parameter in fluid dynamics, pipeline design, pump sizing, and environmental monitoring. The SI unit is cubic meters per second (m³/s), but practical applications commonly use liters per second (L/s), liters per minute (L/min), gallons per minute (GPM), and cubic feet per minute (CFM).
Understanding flow rate conversions is essential for engineers working on international projects where metric and imperial systems must be reconciled. A water treatment plant in Europe might specify pump capacity in m³/hr, while an American subcontractor needs GPM. HVAC designers routinely convert between CFM (airflow) and L/s for ventilation calculations.
Our converter supports 10 commonly used volumetric flow rate units and uses the standard US gallon (3.785411784 liters) and cubic foot (28.316846592 liters) definitions. All conversions pass through liters per second as the intermediate unit, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
Flow rate measurement has applications across many industries: water supply systems typically operate at 10–100 L/s for municipal distribution, fire hydrants deliver 1,000–2,000 GPM, and household faucets flow at about 2 GPM (0.126 L/s). Industrial cooling systems may handle thousands of cubic meters per hour.
The converter works by first converting the input value to liters per second (L/s) as the intermediate unit, then converting from L/s to the target unit. Key conversion factors: 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 liters (exact), 1 cubic foot = 28.316846592 liters, 1 m³ = 1000 liters. Time conversions use 60 seconds per minute and 3600 seconds per hour.
Common reference flows: a garden hose delivers about 10–15 L/min (2.6–4 GPM), a standard shower about 8–10 L/min (2–2.5 GPM), and a fire hose about 4,000–8,000 L/min (1,000–2,000 GPM). Industrial pumps may handle hundreds of m³/hr.
Inputs
Results
1 L/s = 15.85 GPM
Inputs
Results
100 CFM = 169.9 m³/hr
Volumetric flow rate is the volume of fluid (liquid or gas) that passes through a given cross-sectional area per unit time. It is expressed in units like liters per second, gallons per minute, or cubic meters per hour.
Multiply liters per second by 15.8503. For example, 2 L/s = 31.7 GPM. The exact factor is 60/3.785411784.
Volumetric flow rate measures the volume passing through per unit time (e.g., L/s), while mass flow rate measures the mass per unit time (e.g., kg/s). They are related by fluid density: mass flow = volumetric flow x density.
CFM (cubic feet per minute) is the standard unit for airflow in HVAC systems in the United States. It measures how much air a fan, duct, or ventilation system moves.
Divide cubic meters per hour by 3.6. For example, 36 m³/hr = 10 L/s. This is because 1 m³ = 1000 L and 1 hour = 3600 seconds.
A standard kitchen faucet flows at about 8–10 L/min (2–2.5 GPM). Low-flow fixtures may be as low as 5.7 L/min (1.5 GPM). A garden hose typically delivers 10–15 L/min.
The SI unit for volumetric flow rate is cubic meters per second (m³/s). However, this is a very large unit, so liters per second (L/s) or cubic meters per hour (m³/hr) are more commonly used in practice.
Multiply GPM by 3.785411784. For example, 5 GPM = 18.93 L/min.
Fire hydrants typically deliver 500–2,500 GPM (1,900–9,500 L/min), depending on the hydrant class and water main pressure.
For gases, volumetric flow rate depends on temperature and pressure. Standard conditions (STP: 0°C, 1 atm or NTP: 20°C, 1 atm) must be specified. Direct volume conversion works only if both values are at the same conditions.
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