Engine Displacement Calculator
Enter the bore, stroke and number of cylinders to get engine displacement in cubic inches, cubic centimeters (cc) and liters. Bore and stroke can be in inches, millimeters or centimeters.
How to calculate engine displacement
Displacement is the volume the pistons sweep as they travel from top dead center to bottom dead center, added up across all the cylinders. It doesn't include the combustion chamber, which the compression ratio calculator asks for separately.
Displacement = 0.7854 × bore² × stroke × number of cylinders
0.7854 is π divided by 4. Multiplying it by the bore squared gives the area of the bore, and multiplying that area by the stroke gives the volume of one cylinder. With bore and stroke in inches, the result is in cubic inches. Multiply cubic inches by 16.387 to get cc, then divide cc by 1,000 to get liters.
Example: small-block Chevy 350
A 350 Chevy has a 4.000-inch bore, a 3.480-inch stroke and eight cylinders.
- The bore area is 0.7854 × 4.000 × 4.000 = 12.566 square inches.
- One cylinder displaces 12.566 × 3.480 = 43.73 cubic inches.
- Eight cylinders displace 43.73 × 8 = 349.8 cubic inches.
- 349.8 × 16.387 = 5,733 cc, or 5.73 liters, which rounds to the 350 and 5.7L the engine is sold as.
Bore, stroke and displacement of common engines
These are stock dimensions. An engine that has been bored or stroked will come out larger.
| Engine | Bore (in) | Stroke (in) | Cylinders | Cubic inches | Liters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevy 350 small-block | 4.000 | 3.480 | 8 | 349.8 | 5.73 |
| Chevy 454 big-block | 4.250 | 4.000 | 8 | 454.0 | 7.44 |
| GM 6.2L LS3 | 4.065 | 3.622 | 8 | 376.1 | 6.16 |
| Ford 302 | 4.000 | 3.000 | 8 | 301.6 | 4.94 |
| Ford 351 Windsor | 4.000 | 3.500 | 8 | 351.9 | 5.77 |
| Ford 429 | 4.360 | 3.590 | 8 | 428.8 | 7.03 |
| Ford 300 inline-six | 4.000 | 3.980 | 6 | 300.1 | 4.92 |
| Chrysler 318 LA | 3.910 | 3.310 | 8 | 318.0 | 5.21 |
| Chrysler 440 | 4.320 | 3.750 | 8 | 439.7 | 7.21 |
Bore and stroke are manufacturer specifications: Chevrolet Performance spec sheets for the 350, 454 and LS3, the Ford Racing Basic Engine Dimensions chart for the Ford engines, and the Chrysler factory service manual for the 318 and 440. Displacement is calculated from those dimensions.
How boring and stroking add displacement
Boring the cylinders oversize during a rebuild adds a little displacement. A 350 bored .030 inch over (a 4.030-inch bore) comes out to 355.1 cubic inches, and .060 over (4.060 inches) makes 360.4.
A longer-stroke crankshaft adds more. Putting a 3.750-inch crank in a 350 bored .030 over makes 382.7 cubic inches, the combination known as the 383 stroker. Enter your final bore and stroke above to check a combination before you buy parts, and use the mean piston speed calculator to see what the longer stroke does at your redline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate engine displacement?
Multiply 0.7854 by the bore squared, then multiply by the stroke and the number of cylinders. With bore and stroke in inches, the answer is in cubic inches.
How do you convert cubic inches to cc or liters?
Multiply cubic inches by 16.387 to get cubic centimeters (cc), then divide by 1,000 to get liters. For example, 350 cubic inches is 5,735 cc, or 5.7 liters.
How many liters is a 318?
The Chrysler 318 has a 3.91-inch bore and a 3.31-inch stroke across eight cylinders. That works out to 318 cubic inches, or 5.2 liters.
How much displacement does boring an engine add?
It depends on the engine. On a small-block Chevy 350, boring .030 inch over adds about 5 cubic inches (355.1 total), and .060 inch over adds about 10.6 (360.4 total).
What is a stroker engine?
A stroker has a crankshaft with a longer stroke than stock, which increases displacement without changing the bore. The 383 Chevy is a common example: a 350 block with a 3.750-inch stroke crank in place of the stock 3.480.
Is engine displacement the same as engine size?
Yes. Calling an engine a 350 or a 5.7 gives its displacement in cubic inches or liters.
