Volume Converter Calculator

Volume describes the amount of three-dimensional space an object occupies, such as water in a bottle, concrete for foundations or fuel in a tank. This calculator allows you to convert volumes between all common units including metric liters and milliliters, US gallons, quarts, pints, cups, fluid ounces, Imperial units as well as cubic inches, feet, yards, tablespoons and even barrels.

Select the input unit, enter your value and read off the result in the desired units. There is no need to set the "target" menu separately. As all units are updated simultaneously, you can check dozens of conversions like "liters to gallons", "ml to cups" or "cubic feet to gallons" on the same screen with a single entry.

How volume conversion works:

Any conversion is done through a base unit, which for volume is the cubic meter. Each unit has a fixed coefficient that indicates what value it represents in cubic meters. To convert, the entered number is multiplied by the coefficient of the starting unit to obtain its value in cubic meters and then divided by the coefficient of the target unit to obtain its value in the target unit.

For example, one liter is equal to 0.001 m3 and one U.S. gallon is equal to 0.003785412 m3. To convert liters into gallons, multiply by 0.001 then divide by 0.003785412. Alternatively, you can simplify this process by multiplying by 0.264172. Thus: 1 liter is approximately equal to 0.264 U.S. gallons and 1 U.S. gallon is approximately equal to 3.785 liters.

Metric units, U.S. customary units and imperial units: three systems for measuring the same thing.

The confusion in volume conversions comes mainly from three systems overlapping and using the same names repeatedly. The metric system is all based on liters and cubic meters. The U.S. customary system has its own gallons, quarts, pints, cups, and fluid ounces. Imperial (UK) uses these names but with different sizes.

The biggest trap is the gallon. A U.S. gallon is 3.785 liters while an Imperial gallon is 4.546 liters, which is about 20% larger. This difference extends to all units. An Imperial pint is 568 ml, a U.S. pint is 473 ml, an Imperial fluid ounce is 28.4 ml and a U.S. fluid ounce is 29.6 ml. Always check if recipes or fuel data refer to the U.S. or Imperial gallon or pint.

Volume conversion table (conversion to cubic meters)

The factor for each unit indicates the volume in cubic meters that this unit corresponds to. By multiplying by this factor, you can convert into cubic meters, and by dividing, you get back to the original unit.

Converting liters to gallons

Converting liters to gallons is one of the most commonly requested volume conversions. For US gallons divide the number of liters by 3.785412 or multiply by 0.264172. As a rough estimate you can also divide by 4 which will give an answer that is fairly accurate and within a few percent error.

For the UK (Imperial) gallon divide by 4.546090 or multiply by 0.219969. So 10 litres is about 2.64 US gallons but only 2.20 UK gallons. This is because a gallon has different definitions in different regions.

Conversion table of liters to gallons.

Quantities when cooking: cups, spoons, millilitres.

Recipes are particularly prone to errors due to volume conversions, as the amount of a cup or spoon can vary by region. A U.S. "cup" is 236.59 ml, a metric "cup" (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK) is 250 ml, and a U.S. nutrition-labeling "cup" is 240 ml. This calculator uses the U.S. cup and displays metric spoons separately.

There are some practical kitchen conversions in the US system: 1 tablespoon is equal to three teaspoons, 1 fluid ounce is equal to two tablespoons, 1 cup is equal to eight fluid ounces or sixteen tablespoons, and one pint is equal to two cups.

Volume units: inch, foot, yard, meter.

The volume obtained by measuring length in three directions is expressed in cubic units. As these units increase in ordered integer steps, their ratio is easy to understand which simplifies the conversion between them.

• 1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches (multiplier: 12 x 12 x 12)

• 1 cubic yard is equal to 27 cubic feet (multiplier: 3 x 3 x 3)

• 1 cubic meter = 1,000 liters = 1 kiloliter

• 1 cubic foot ≈ 7.48 U.S. gallons ≈ 28.32 liters

• 1 U.S. gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches.

Cubic units are often used in construction and transport. Concrete and gravel is ordered by the cubic yard or cubic metre while the size of aquariums, refrigerators and freight cargo is measured in cubic feet.

Metric volume units of measure.

The metric system of volume units is the most user-friendly because each unit represents a power of ten. The liter is in the middle and the cubic meter serves as the reference point for the International System (SI).

• One cubic millimetre (mm3) is equal to one billionth of a litre.

• One cubic centimetre (cc or cm3) is equivalent to one millilitre (mL), which is one thousandth of a litre.

• One millilitre (ml) is equal to 0.001 litres.

• 1 cubic decimetre (dm3) is equal to one litre.

• 1 liter (L) is equal to 0.001 cubic meters.

• 1 cubic metre (m3) is equal to 1000 litres or 1 kilolitre.

Examples of conversions:

• To convert liters to gallons, divide by 3.785412, which equals approximately 0.264 U.S. gallons (or 0.220 imperial gallons).

• Converted to cups, 550ml is equivalent to 2.32 US cups, which is also the same as 1.16 US pints.

• Converting liters to cubic feet, we have: 5 divided by 28.3168 is equal to 0.177 cubic feet.

• One U.S. gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches or 3.785 liters.

• 2 cups is equal to milliliters: 2 x 236.59 = 473.18 ml (one US pint).

Areas of application for volume conversion:

• In cooking and baking recipes are converted between metric units and U.S. customary units such as cups, tablespoons, and ounces in a proportional manner.

• At petrol stations fuel and cars are compared in litres, US gallons and UK gallons.

• Aquariums and holding tanks are often quoted by volume of water they can hold in liters, U.S. gallons or cubic feet.

• In construction and gardening, concrete, soil, and gravel are ordered by cubic yard or cubic meter.

• In science and medicine, conversions between milliliters, cubic centimeters, and liters are made.

• For shipping and storage, the volume of containers is stated in cubic feet or meters.

What is a liter?

The litre (symbol L or l) is a metric unit of volume, used commonly to measure liquid capacity for everyday purposes. It is defined exactly as one cubic decimetre, i.e. the cube with sides 10 centimetres long, and so corresponds to 0.001 cubic metres or 1000 millilitres. At room temperature a litre of water weighs very nearly exactly one kilogramme. For this reason the two units are often used synonymously in everyday use.

What is a gallon?

A gallon is a unit of volume used in the United States and British measurement systems. A U.S. gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches and measures approximately 3.785 liters, which equates to 4 quarts, 8 pints, 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces. An Imperial gallon is larger and measures 4.546 liters. In the United States, "gallon" without further specification refers to a U.S. gallon, while in Great Britain and most Commonwealth countries it means an Imperial gallon.

The conversions provided by this tool are for general reference only. Even if they are units of the same name, different values may apply between US, UK (Imperial), and metric systems, and dry volume units differ from liquid volume units. Please verify which system is intended before using the values for transactions, dosages, or technical applications.