Volume Converter
Liters, gallons, cups and more.
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Result
0.2641720524 gal
1 litre in gallon (us)
1 L = 0.2641720524 gal
Volume Conversion Math Formula
Volume is length cubed, so a volume factor is a length factor multiplied by itself three times. The metric system is built around this: a litre is exactly one cubic decimetre, a cube 10 cm on each side. Everything else on this page hangs off that fact.
For the same reason millilitres and cubic centimetres are identical: 1 L = 1,000 mL = 1,000 cm³, so 1 mL = 1 cm³. The converter goes through litres and applies exact definitions, including the US gallon, which is fixed at 231 cubic inches.
The formula
value in B = value in A × (litres per A) ÷ (litres per B)Volume factor = (length factor)³Example: 1 m³ = (10 dm)³ = 1,000 dm³ = 1,000 L
Worked example 1: A 15 gallon (US) fuel tank, in litres
15 gal × (3.785411784 L ÷ 1 gal)Answer: 56.7812 L
Sense check: a gallon is a bit under 4 litres, so 15 gallons should be a bit under 60 litres. We get about 56.8.
Worked example 2: 2 litres of milk, in US cups
2 L × (1 cup ÷ 0.2365882365 L)Answer: 8.45351 cup
The US customary cup is 236.588 mL. Recipes written for a 250 mL metric cup or a 240 mL legal cup give slightly different counts.
Worked example 3: A tank 2.5 m long, 1.2 m wide and 0.8 m deep, in litres
2.5 m × 1.2 m × 0.8 m = 2.4 m³2.4 m³ × (1,000 L ÷ 1 m³)Answer: 2,400 L
Multiply the dimensions in the same unit first, then convert. A cubic metre holds 1,000 litres because 1 m = 10 dm, and 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000 one-litre cubes.
Worked example 4: One US gallon, in teaspoons
1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt = 16 cup = 128 fl oz1 fl oz = 2 tbsp and 1 tbsp = 3 tsp128 fl oz × 2 × 3Answer: 768 tsp
The US measures nest neatly, which lets you check a conversion by multiplying small whole numbers instead of trusting a long decimal.
Common mistakes to avoid
- US and imperial gallons are not the same. A US gallon is 3.785 L and an imperial (UK) gallon is 4.546 L, about 20% bigger. The split runs through pints and quarts too: a UK pint is 568 mL, a US pint only 473 mL. This tool includes the US units and the UK gallon.
- Ounces of weight against fluid ounces. A fluid ounce measures volume (29.57 mL in the US). An ounce on a kitchen scale measures weight. They agree loosely for water and not at all for oil, honey or flour.
- Using the wrong power of the factor. If you turn 2 m³ into litres by multiplying by 100 or by 10, you used the length factor. The volume factor from metre to decimetre is 10³ = 1,000. Quick check: a cubic metre is a big box and a litre is a small bottle, so the litre count must be large.
About volume units
Volume is the amount of space something takes up, and for liquids it is often called capacity. The litre is not an SI unit in the strict sense, but it is accepted for use with the SI and is exactly one cubic decimetre. The SI unit is the cubic metre, which is 1,000 L.
US kitchen and fuel units come from old English wine measures, and they nest: 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, 2 tablespoons in a fluid ounce, 8 fluid ounces in a cup, 2 cups in a pint, 2 pints in a quart, 4 quarts in a gallon. The US gallon is legally 231 cubic inches. The imperial gallon is a different size, fixed at exactly 4.54609 litres.
- Millilitre (mL)1 mL = 0.001 LOne thousandth of a litre, the same volume as 1 cm³.
- Litre (L)One cubic decimetre, a cube 10 cm on each side.
- Cubic metre (m³)1 m³ = 1,000 LA cube 1 m on each side. Holds 1,000 litres.
- Teaspoon (US) (tsp)1 tsp = 0.0049289216 LOne third of a US tablespoon.
- Tablespoon (US) (tbsp)1 tbsp = 0.0147867648 LThree teaspoons, or half a fluid ounce.
- Fluid ounce (US) (fl oz)1 fl oz = 0.0295735296 LOne 128th of a US gallon.
- Cup (US) (cup)1 cup = 0.2365882365 LEight US fluid ounces.
- Pint (US) (pt)1 pt = 0.473176473 LSixteen US fluid ounces, or 473.176 mL. The UK pint is larger, at 568 mL.
- Quart (US) (qt)1 qt = 0.946352946 LTwo US pints, or 946.353 mL. A quarter of a US gallon.
- Gallon (US) (gal)1 gal = 3.785411784 L231 cubic inches. Used for fuel and milk in the US.
- Gallon (UK) (gal UK)1 gal UK = 4.54609 LThe imperial gallon, exactly 4.54609 litres. Still used for UK fuel economy figures.
Volume conversion table
| Value | mL | L | fl oz | gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 4.92892 | 0.00492892 | 0.166667 | 0.00130208 |
| 1 tbsp | 14.7868 | 0.0147868 | 0.5 | 0.00390625 |
| 1 cup | 236.588 | 0.236588 | 8 | 0.0625 |
| 1 qt | 946.353 | 0.946353 | 32 | 0.25 |
| 1 gal | 3,785.41 | 3.78541 | 128 | 1 |
| 1 gal UK | 4,546.09 | 4.54609 | 153.722 | 1.20095 |
| 1 m³ | 1,000,000 | 1,000 | 33,814 | 264.172 |
Volume converter FAQ
How many litres are in a US gallon?
3.785 litres, more precisely 3.785411784. Going the other way, one litre is 0.264172 US gallons, so a 10 L bucket holds about 2.64 gallons.
How many cups are in a litre?
About 4.227 US cups. A metric cup of 250 mL would give exactly 4, which is one reason metric and US recipes drift apart slightly.
Is a millilitre the same as a cubic centimetre?
Yes, exactly. A litre is 1,000 cm³ and also 1,000 mL, so the two are equal. That is why syringes and engine sizes switch between mL and cc without any conversion.
What is the difference between US and UK gallons?
The US gallon is 3.785 L and the imperial gallon is 4.546 L, so one imperial gallon is 1.2009 US gallons. For the same car, miles per gallon is therefore about 20% higher on the UK scale.
How many cubic metres is 1,000 litres?
One. A cubic metre is a cube 1 m on each side, which holds 1,000 one-litre cubes (10 dm × 10 dm × 10 dm).
How do I convert tablespoons to teaspoons?
Multiply by 3. A US tablespoon is exactly 3 teaspoons, so 4 tbsp is 12 tsp. In millilitres a tablespoon is 14.79 mL and a teaspoon is 4.93 mL.