The area of a residential property and things included on that property is often given in square feet. On the other hand, things you might need for that property, such as soil, are typically sold in cubic meters.
Say you want to cover a vegetable garden of a certain size to a certain depth, using a kind of topsoil available at your home and garden store. How much soil should you buy?
This example uses a 40-foot-by-60-foot garden and a desired soil coverage depth of 1.5 inches.
Step 1: Find the Area in Square Feet
Multiply the length of the plot by the width. In the current example, this is:
Step 2: Convert the Area in Square Feet to Area in Square Meters
Because 1 ft = 0.3048 m:
Therefore:
Step 3: Covert the Depth (Height) in Inches to the Depth (Height) in Meters
1 m = 39.37 in, therefore:
Step 4. Calculate the Volume in Cubic Meters
Combining Step 2 and Step 3:
References
About the Author
Kevin Beck holds a bachelor's degree in physics with minors in math and chemistry from the University of Vermont. Formerly with ScienceBlogs.com and the editor of "Run Strong," he has written for Runner's World, Men's Fitness, Competitor, and a variety of other publications. More about Kevin and links to his professional work can be found at www.kemibe.com.