Volume Converters
Volume measures how much space a liquid, gas or loose material takes up. It is the unit family you meet most in the kitchen, at the gas station and on product labels, and it is also where the US and the rest of the world disagree the most: a US gallon, an imperial gallon and a liter are three very different amounts. Use these converters for recipes, fuel, drinks and containers, and check the unit notes on each page so you know exactly which version of a unit is being used.
All volume converters
Cubic Centimeters to MillilitersCubic Feet to Cubic YardsCubic Inches to Cubic FeetCubic Meters to Cubic FeetCubic Meters to Cubic YardsCups to Milliliters1 cup = 236.588 mlCups to Pints1 cup = 0.5 ptFluid Ounces to Cups1 fl oz = 0.125 cupGallons to Liters1 gal = 3.78541 LLiters to Gallons1 L = 0.264172 galMilliliters to Fluid Ounces1 ml = 0.033814 fl ozQuarts to Liters1 qt = 0.946353 LTablespoons to Cups1 tbsp = 0.0625 cupTablespoons to Milliliters1 tbsp = 14.7868 mlTeaspoons to Tablespoons1 tsp = 0.333333 tbsp
Things to know about volume conversions
- Check whether the source means US or imperial units. A US gallon is 3.785 liters but an imperial gallon is 4.546 liters, and the same split applies to pints, quarts and fluid ounces.
- A fluid ounce measures volume and an ounce measures weight. They match only for water-like liquids, so never swap one for the other when measuring dry ingredients.
- Cooking cups differ by country: a US cup is about 237 ml, a metric cup is 250 ml and an old imperial cup is about 284 ml.
- For baking, weigh ingredients when you can. Volume measures such as cups are affected by how tightly an ingredient is packed.
Volume conversion chart
Read across: one of the unit in the left column equals the value shown under each unit.
| 1 unit = | ml | L | fl oz | tsp | tbsp | cup | pt | qt | gal | imp gal | m³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ml | 1 | 0.001 | 0.03381 | 0.2029 | 0.06763 | 0.004227 | 0.002113 | 0.001057 | 0.0002642 | 0.00022 | 1 × 10-6 |
| L | 1,000 | 1 | 33.81 | 202.9 | 67.63 | 4.227 | 2.113 | 1.057 | 0.2642 | 0.22 | 0.001 |
| fl oz | 29.57 | 0.02957 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0.125 | 0.0625 | 0.03125 | 0.007813 | 0.006505 | 0.00002957 |
| tsp | 4.929 | 0.004929 | 0.1667 | 1 | 0.3333 | 0.02083 | 0.01042 | 0.005208 | 0.001302 | 0.001084 | 4.929 × 10-6 |
| tbsp | 14.79 | 0.01479 | 0.5 | 3 | 1 | 0.0625 | 0.03125 | 0.01563 | 0.003906 | 0.003253 | 0.00001479 |
| cup | 236.6 | 0.2366 | 8 | 48 | 16 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.25 | 0.0625 | 0.05204 | 0.0002366 |
| pt | 473.2 | 0.4732 | 16 | 96 | 32 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.125 | 0.1041 | 0.0004732 |
| qt | 946.4 | 0.9464 | 32 | 192 | 64 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.25 | 0.2082 | 0.0009464 |
| gal | 3,785 | 3.785 | 128 | 768 | 256 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0.8327 | 0.003785 |
| imp gal | 4,546 | 4.546 | 153.7 | 922.3 | 307.4 | 19.22 | 9.608 | 4.804 | 1.201 | 1 | 0.004546 |
| m³ | 1,000,000 | 1,000 | 33,814 | 202,884 | 67,628 | 4,227 | 2,113 | 1,057 | 264.2 | 220 | 1 |
Volume units explained
- Milliliter (ml)
- A milliliter is one thousandth of a liter, the same volume as one cubic centimeter. It is the everyday unit for medicine doses, small drinks, cosmetics and recipe ingredients outside the United States.
- Liter (L)
- The liter is the standard metric unit for everyday liquids: bottled drinks, fuel, milk and paint. One liter equals 1,000 milliliters, or the volume of a cube measuring 10 cm on each side.
- US fluid ounce (fl oz)
- The US fluid ounce measures volume, not weight, and is used on American drink and food labels. It is about 29.57 ml. The UK imperial fluid ounce is slightly smaller, at about 28.41 ml.
- US teaspoon (tsp)
- The US teaspoon is a cooking measure of about 4.93 ml. Three teaspoons make one tablespoon. Recipes often round it to 5 ml.
- US tablespoon (tbsp)
- The US tablespoon is about 14.79 ml, or three teaspoons. It is half a US fluid ounce, which is why many American recipes list both.
- US cup (cup)
- The US cup is the standard American cooking measure at about 236.6 ml (8 US fluid ounces). Metric cups used in Australia and elsewhere are 250 ml, so recipes from different countries can differ by a few percent.
- US pint (pt)
- A US liquid pint is 16 US fluid ounces, or about 473 ml, and equals two cups. The imperial pint used in the UK is larger at 568 ml, which is why a British pint of beer is bigger than an American one.
- US quart (qt)
- A US liquid quart is a quarter of a US gallon, or two pints, which comes to about 946 ml. It is slightly less than a liter.
- US gallon (gal)
- The US liquid gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches, or about 3.785 liters. It is used for fuel, milk and paint in the United States.
- Imperial gallon (imp gal)
- The imperial gallon (about 4.546 liters) is used in the UK for fuel economy figures. It is roughly 20 percent larger than the US gallon, which is why UK and US miles-per-gallon numbers cannot be compared directly.
- Cubic meter (m³)
- A cubic meter is the SI unit of volume: 1,000 liters. It is used for building materials, water supply and shipping capacity.