How the Ice Volume Calculator Works
The Ice Volume Calculator divides ice mass by ice density, 0.9167 kg/L at 0°C (32°F). The result shows how much space solid ice fills.
Weigh the ice
Type the mass of the ice bag, block or cube tray in kilograms.
Keep the ice density
Use 0.9167 kg/L for clear ice at 0°C; cloudy ice with trapped air runs closer to 0.90 kg/L.
Read the ice volume
The liter result shows the solid ice volume.
Compare with meltwater
The same mass melts into fewer liters; the table lists both.
Ice Volume Calculator Formula
The ice volume formula is Vice = m ÷ 0.9167. Freezing expands water by about 9.1%.
- ρice
- Ice density, 0.9167 kg/L at 0°C
- ρwater
- Liquid water density, 0.9998 kg/L at 0°C
Worked Examples
- Bag of ice: 5 kg ÷ 0.9167 = 5.454 L of solid ice.
- Ice block: 25 kg ÷ 0.9167 = 27.27 L, about a 30 × 30 × 30 cm cube.
- Iceberg rule: 0.9167 ÷ 1.025 = 89.4% of an iceberg sits below the sea surface.
Ice Volume Calculator Conversion Table
1 kg of ice fills 1.091 liters and melts into 1.000 L of water. The table compares ice volume and meltwater volume for common ice masses.
| Ice Mass (kg / lb) | Ice Volume (L) | Meltwater (L) | Volume Shrink on Melting (L) | Ice Volume (US gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 kg (1.102 lb) | 0.545 | 0.500 | 0.04533 | 0.144 |
| 1 kg (2.205 lb) | 1.091 | 1.000 | 0.09067 | 0.288 |
| 2 kg (4.409 lb) | 2.182 | 2.000 | 0.181 | 0.576 |
| 3 kg (6.614 lb) | 3.273 | 3.001 | 0.272 | 0.865 |
| 5 kg (11.023 lb) | 5.454 | 5.001 | 0.453 | 1.441 |
| 7 kg (15.432 lb) | 7.636 | 7.001 | 0.635 | 2.017 |
| 10 kg (22.046 lb) | 10.909 | 10.002 | 0.907 | 2.882 |
| 20 kg (44.092 lb) | 21.817 | 20.004 | 1.813 | 5.764 |
| 25 kg (55.116 lb) | 27.272 | 25.005 | 2.267 | 7.204 |
| 50 kg (110.23 lb) | 54.543 | 50.010 | 4.533 | 14.409 |
| 100 kg (220.46 lb) | 109.09 | 100.02 | 9.067 | 28.818 |
| 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb) | 1,090.9 | 1,000.2 | 90.669 | 288.18 |
What is an Ice Volume Calculator?
An Ice Volume Calculator is a tool that finds the volume of solid ice from its mass using the density of ice.
Water expands when it freezes. Hydrogen bonds lock the molecules into an open hexagonal lattice called ice Ih, which holds 9% more volume than liquid water.
Ice density changes little with temperature, from 0.9167 kg/L at 0°C to about 0.920 kg/L at −30°C (−22°F). Air bubbles in cloudy ice and snow-ice lower the bulk value.
What are the Uses of an Ice Volume Calculator?
There are 4 main uses of an Ice Volume Calculator.
Cooler packing
Campers check how many kilograms of ice fit in a 50 L cooler.
Freezer design
Engineers leave 9% headspace in water containers that freeze.
Event catering
Caterers convert ice orders in kg into bin volumes.
Glaciology
Scientists turn ice mass loss into volume and sea-level change.