The cubic metre (or cubic meter; US spelling) is a unit of volume and is derived from an SI unit with the symbol m³.
1 cubic metre is exactly 1000 litres. It is also ≈ 6.29 barrels, ≈ 220 imperial gallons and ≈ 35.3 cubic feet.
1 cubic metre of water in normal conditions (≈4 °C) weighs exactly 1000 kg (or 1 tonne).)
The cubic metre is the unit used to measure water usage and often water bills are broken down into how many m³ has passed through the property / business.
The litre (or liter; US spelling) is a unit of volume and is a non-SI metric unit with the symbol L).
1 litre is equal to the volume in a cube with edges all measuring 10cm. There are 0.22 imperial gallons in a litre. Conversely, 1 imperial gallon is equal to 4.5461 gallons.
1 litre of water weights exactly 1 kilogram.
After the metric system was introduced in France in 1791, it took a couple of years for the entire country to implement it in everyday use. After much backlash, it was decided that the cubic metre was too big for everyday use. By 1795 it was announced that the former 'cadil' (0.001 cubic metres) had been given a new name; 'litre'.