One ton of pure water is equal to 1 cubic meter. There are 1,000 liters in 1 cubic meter of pure water, and a liter of pure water weighs 1 kilogram. Therefore, 1 ton of water equals 1 cubic meter. Because saltwater is less dense than pure water, a ton of saltwater takes up less volume, only cubic meters. One ton of steel is cubic meters in volume, and 1 ton of gasoline takes up cubic meters.