How to convert cubic inches to liters
A cubic inch is the volume of a cube one inch on each side; a liter is the volume of a cube ten centimeters on each side. Because the inch is defined as exactly 25.4 millimeters, the conversion between the two is exact: one cubic inch is 0.016387064 liters, or 16.387064 cc, and one liter holds 61.0237 cubic inches.
To convert cubic inches to liters, multiply by 0.016387064. To convert liters to cubic inches, divide by the same number, which is the same as multiplying by 61.0237. A cc, or cubic centimeter, is a thousandth of a liter, the same volume as a milliliter, so converting cc to cubic inches is a division by 16.387064, and cubic inches to cc a multiplication by it.
Engine sizes are the obvious use, but the factor works for any volume you meet on a build: a combustion chamber, a cylinder’s swept volume or a supercharger’s displacement per revolution. The scale under the result shows the value against both units at once, so you can read off nearby round sizes too.
What to enter and where to find it
- Cubic inches. The displacement in ci, written CID (cubic inch displacement) on some specification sheets. If you only know the bore, stroke and number of cylinders, work it out first with the engine displacement calculator.
- Liters. Usually the rounded figure from the badge or the brochure. For a precise conversion use the exact displacement from the specification, which is often given in cc.
- cc. Common for motorcycles, small engines and many imported cars. Used as a cc to ci calculator, the third tab gives cubic inches and liters together; for cubic inches to cc, the first tab shows cc next to the liters.
Why engines are named with rounded figures
A 350 ci engine works out to 5.74 liters, yet the badge says 5.7. Engine sizes are names, not measurements: makers round the liters to one decimal, and the cubic inch figure is usually a whole number that is itself rounded from bore and stroke. Work out the classic small-block’s bore and stroke with the engine displacement calculator and it comes out a little under its name.
The rounding is not always strict. A 302 ci engine is 4.95 liters, which rounds to 4.9, but it has been sold as a 5.0 for decades. Round figures simply sell better, and a badge only has to be close.
Engines designed in metric go the other way: the displacement is set in cc, the badge rounds it to one decimal of a liter, and the cubic inch figure is converted and rounded again from one or the other, so two sources can disagree by a cubic inch for the same engine. When the exact size matters, for a class limit at the track or for sizing parts, use the displacement worked out from bore and stroke rather than the badge.
Cubic inches to liters formula
Four exact relationships cover every conversion on this page:
Liters = cubic inches × 0.016387064Cubic inches = liters ÷ 0.016387064 = liters × 61.0237cc = liters × 1,000 = cubic inches × 16.387064Cubic inches = cc ÷ 16.387064
The factor comes straight from the definition of the inch. One inch is exactly 25.4 mm, so a cubic inch is 25.4 × 25.4 × 25.4 cubic millimeters, which is 16.387064 cc. Nothing is rounded, so converting a figure one way and back again returns exactly what you started with.
The shortened factors you see in quick conversion charts are this same number cut to a few decimals. They are close enough for a rough answer, but the calculator always uses the full value, so its results agree with any other exact conversion to the last digit shown.
Worked example
Four conversions, worked out with the same functions that run the converter.
Cubic inches to liters
A 350 ci small-block V8 in liters and cc:
- Liters 350 ci × 0.016387064 L per ci = 5.7355 L
- cc 5.7355 L × 1,000 = 5,735 cc
- Rounded to one decimal, as engines are named 5.7355 → 5.7 L
That is 5.74 liters, or 5.735 to three decimals. Rounded to one decimal it becomes 5.7, the figure on the badge.
Liters to cubic inches
A modern V8 sold as a 6.2 L:
- Cubic inches 6.200 L ÷ 0.016387064 L per ci = 378.3 ci
- Same thing with the rounded factor 6.200 × 61.0237 = 378.3 ci
- cc 6.200 L × 1,000 = 6,200 cc
The label converts to 378.3 cubic inches. The real engine behind a 6.2 L badge is rounded too, so for an exact figure start from its displacement in cc on the specification sheet, or from bore and stroke.
cc to cubic inches
A 1,600 cc four-cylinder:
- Cubic inches 1,600 cc ÷ 16.387064 cc per ci = 97.6 ci
- Liters 1,600 cc ÷ 1,000 = 1.600 L
It displaces 97.6 cubic inches, or 1.6 liters.
When the name is rounded up
A 302 ci V8:
- Liters 302 ci × 0.016387064 L per ci = 4.9489 L
- cc 4.9489 L × 1,000 = 4,949 cc
- Rounded to one decimal, as engines are named 4.9489 → 4.9 L
It works out to 4.95 liters, which strict rounding makes 4.9. Engines of this size have long been sold as a 5.0 all the same: the name is a round figure chosen by the maker, not a measurement.
Common engine sizes in cubic inches, liters and cc
Round displacements you will meet on specification sheets and badges, converted exactly. Sizes named in cubic inches and sizes named in liters are mixed in one list, smallest first. Each label is converted as written, so a real engine sold under that label can differ from it by a few cc.
| Named size | Cubic inches | Liters | Liters to 0.1 | cc |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 L | 97.6 | 1.600 | 1.6 | 1,600 |
| 2.0 L | 122.0 | 2.000 | 2.0 | 2,000 |
| 140 ci | 140.0 | 2.294 | 2.3 | 2,294 |
| 2.5 L | 152.6 | 2.500 | 2.5 | 2,500 |
| 3.0 L | 183.1 | 3.000 | 3.0 | 3,000 |
| 3.5 L | 213.6 | 3.500 | 3.5 | 3,500 |
| 231 ci | 231.0 | 3.785 | 3.8 | 3,785 |
| 4.6 L | 280.7 | 4.600 | 4.6 | 4,600 |
| 302 ci | 302.0 | 4.949 | 4.9 | 4,949 |
| 5.0 L | 305.1 | 5.000 | 5.0 | 5,000 |
| 5.3 L | 323.4 | 5.300 | 5.3 | 5,300 |
| 327 ci | 327.0 | 5.359 | 5.4 | 5,359 |
| 5.7 L | 347.8 | 5.700 | 5.7 | 5,700 |
| 350 ci | 350.0 | 5.735 | 5.7 | 5,735 |
| 6.2 L | 378.3 | 6.200 | 6.2 | 6,200 |
| 383 ci | 383.0 | 6.276 | 6.3 | 6,276 |
| 400 ci | 400.0 | 6.555 | 6.6 | 6,555 |
| 427 ci | 427.0 | 6.997 | 7.0 | 6,997 |
| 7.0 L | 427.2 | 7.000 | 7.0 | 7,000 |
| 454 ci | 454.0 | 7.440 | 7.4 | 7,440 |
| 502 ci | 502.0 | 8.226 | 8.2 | 8,226 |
The column of liters rounded to one decimal is what strict rounding gives. Where it differs from the size an engine of that displacement was sold as, the name is the maker’s round figure, as in the last worked example.
Common mistakes
- Going the wrong way. A liter is far bigger than a cubic inch, so the number of liters is always the smaller one. Cubic inches to liters means multiplying by 0.016387064 (or dividing by 61.02); if your answer is bigger than what you started with, the operation is the wrong way round.
- Treating the badge as the exact size. A conversion from a rounded badge is only as good as the rounding. For a precise figure start from bore and stroke.
- Converting chamber volumes to cubic inches. Combustion chambers and piston domes are listed in cc even on engines sized in cubic inches. Keep them in cc for the compression ratio calculator instead of converting them back and forth.
- Mixing up one cylinder and the whole engine. Some specifications give the swept volume of a single cylinder. Multiply by the number of cylinders before comparing it with an engine size.
- Chaining rounded conversions. Going from cubic inches to liters, rounding, then to cc stacks up rounding errors. Convert once from the original figure, as the converter does.
Last updated October 29, 2026 by Fernando Margareto, Founder & Editor.