Chamber volume is in CCs, piston dome/dish CCs are in CCs, but engine displacement is in cubic inches (in the US) or liters. You'll convert these constantly when calculating compression ratio.
The conversion
- 1 cubic inch = 16.387 cc (exact)
- 1 cc = 0.0610 cubic inch
- 1 liter = 1,000 cc = 61.024 cubic inches
So a 350 cubic inch engine is 350 × 16.387 = 5,735 cc = 5.7 L. (Which is why "5.7L" is the standard nickname for the SBC 350.)
Where you'll use it
- Chamber volume: spec'd in CCs (e.g. "64cc Vortec heads"). Stays in CCs for CR math.
- Piston dish/dome: spec'd in CCs. Negative number = dome (adds compression), positive = dish (loses compression).
- Cylinder volume: calculated from bore × stroke; convert to CCs to combine with chamber + piston for CR.
- Total displacement: usually published in cubic inches or liters. Convert as needed.