Enter the total volume in cubic feet (ft^3) into the TMC Calculator. The calculator will evaluate the TMC. 

TMC Calculator

Choose a tab, enter values, then calculate.

Water TMC
SBA 504 Estimate
Military RMC
Unit conversion
Flow rate × duration
Area × depth

TMC Formula

TMC stands for thousand million cubic feet (1 TMC = 1,000,000,000 ft³ = 28,316,846.592 m³). The calculator uses one of three formulas depending on the tab.

Unit conversion

TMC = V_m3 / 28,316,846.592

Flow rate × duration

TMC = (Q_cusec × t_days) / 11,574.074

Area × depth

TMC = (A_m2 × d_m) / 28,316,846.592
  • V_m3 — volume in cubic metres
  • Q_cusec — flow rate in cusecs (ft³/s)
  • t_days — duration in days
  • A_m2 — surface area in m²
  • d_m — average depth or rainfall in metres

Inputs in other units (cumecs, L/s, acres, hectares, mm, etc.) are converted to SI before the formula is applied. The flow formula assumes a constant average rate. The area formula assumes uniform depth over the surface, so use it for reservoirs with vertical sides or as a first-pass estimate.

Reference Tables

Common TMC equivalents in other water-volume units:

From Equals
1 TMC1,000,000,000 ft³
1 TMC28.317 MCM (million m³)
1 TMC28.317 billion litres
1 TMC22,957 acre-feet
1 TMC11,574 cusec-days
1 cusec for 1 day0.0000864 TMC
10,000 cusecs for 1 day0.864 TMC

Days required to release 1 TMC at a steady flow:

Flow rate Time for 1 TMC
1,000 cusecs11.6 days
5,000 cusecs2.3 days
10,000 cusecs1.16 days (~28 hours)
25,000 cusecs11.1 hours
50,000 cusecs5.6 hours
100,000 cusecs2.8 hours

Worked Examples

Example 1 — release from a dam. A spillway discharges 15,000 cusecs for 5 days. Cusec-days = 15,000 × 5 = 75,000. TMC = 75,000 ÷ 11,574 = 6.48 TMC.

Example 2 — rainfall over a catchment. 80 mm of rain falls on a 500 km² basin. Volume = 500,000,000 m² × 0.080 m = 40,000,000 m³. TMC = 40,000,000 ÷ 28,316,847 = 1.41 TMC.

Example 3 — reservoir capacity check. A reservoir holds 5 TMC. In MCM that is 5 × 28.317 = 141.6 MCM, or about 114,785 acre-feet.

FAQ

Is TMC the same as TMC ft? Yes. TMC, TMCft, and tmcft all mean thousand million cubic feet (10⁹ ft³).

Why does cusec-day matter? Reservoir releases are reported in cusecs. Multiplying cusecs by days gives cusec-days, and 11,574 cusec-days equals 1 TMC.

Can I use this for irrigation planning? Yes for volume accounting. It does not account for evaporation, seepage, or conveyance losses.