Work out lng volume conversion instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Liquefied natural gas occupies about 1/600th of its gaseous volume, so one cubic metre of LNG regasifies to roughly 600 cubic metres of gas. LNG is traded by energy content, so volume must be converted through density and heating value to gigajoules or MMBtu, which is the actual unit of sale.
LNG conversions
Gas volume = LNG volume x expansion ratio; mass (t) = LNG volume x density / 1000
Energy
Energy (GJ) = gas volume x heating value (MJ/m3) / 1000; MMBtu = GJ x 0.9478
Composition. Richer LNG with more ethane and propane is denser and has a higher heating value; lean LNG is close to pure methane at around 425 kg/m3.
A conventional LNG carrier holds 145,000-174,000 m3, equivalent to roughly 3.3-4.0 trillion Btu, or about 3.4 billion cubic feet of regasified gas.