<P> A cubic centimetre (or cubic centimeter in US English) (SI unit symbol: cm; non-SI abbreviations: cc and ccm) is a commonly used unit of volume that extends the derived SI - unit cubic metre, and corresponds to the volume of a cube that measures 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm . One cubic centimetre corresponds to a volume of 1 / 1,000,000 of a cubic metre, or 1 / 1,000 of a litre, or one millilitre; thus, 1 cm ≡ 1 ml . The mass of one cubic centimetre of water at 3.98 ° C (the temperature at which it attains its maximum density) is closely equal to one gram . SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of any abbreviations for units . Hence cm is preferred to cc or ccm . </P> <P> Many scientific disciplines have replaced cubic centimeter measurements with milliliters, but the medical and automotive fields in the United States still use the term cubic centimetre . Much of the automotive industry outside the U.S. has switched to litres . The United Kingdom uses millilitres in preference to cubic centimetres in the medical field, but not the automotive . Most other English - speaking countries follow the UK example . </P>

Why is a cubic cm a derived unit