SI Units - Volume

Volume is the measure of the 3-dimensional space occupied by matter, or enclosed by a surface, measured in cubic units. The SI unit of volume is the cubic meter (m³), which is a derived unit.

• Liter (L) is a special name for the cubic decimeter (dm³). The symbol for the liter is uppercase letter “ell” (L) is preferred to avoid the risk of confusion between the lowercase letter “ell” (l) and the number one (1). The script letter l (l) is not an approved symbol for the liter.
• Milliliter (mL) is a special name for the cubic centimeter (cm³).

Visualize one cubic decimeter (dm³) or one liter (1 L) as a cube where each side is:

• 100 mm;
• 10 cm;
• 1 dm; or
• 0.1 m.

Visualize one liter (1 L) as:

• 1 m² area that 1 mm deep

Resources:

• SI Prefixes.  In the metric system of measurement, designations of multiples and subdivision of any unit may be arrived at by combining with the name of the unit the prefixes.
• Volume models illustrate one cubic decimeter (dm³), also known as a liter (L). When a template is printed on cardstock and assembled, the two sheets create a cube 10 centimeters on each side with a volume of 1000 cm³.
  • Liter Cube Template (Vendian)
  • How Big Are Things? Cube (Vendian)
• Calculate Volume Become familiar with methods used to calculate the volume of common objects. (NIST)
• NISTIR 7383, Selected Procedures for Volumetric Calibrations, Good Measurement Practice (GMP 3), Method of Reading a Meniscus Using Water or Other Wetting Liquid (NIST) 
• Rainfall Rates and Water Volume (NASA)
• Rainfall Amount, Intensity, and Distribution (FAO United Nations)
• Metric Rainfall Calculator and Rates of Rainfall (USGS)

Navigate to more SI base unit information:

• SI Units 
• Length – meter (m)
• Time – second (s)
• Amount of substance – mole (mole) 
• Electric current – ampere (A)
• Temperature – kelvin (K) 
• Luminous intensity – candela (cd)
• Mass – kilogram (kg)