Volume Unit Converter

How to use this calculator

Enter a volume amount. Select the unit you are converting from. Press Calculate to see all volume equivalents: millilitres, litres, US fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons, tablespoons, teaspoons, and UK units.

Volume unit conversion factors

All units convert through millilitres as the base. The exact definitions:

Unit	mL Equivalent	Notes
1 Millilitre (mL)	1 mL	Base unit
1 Litre (L)	1000 mL	Metric base
1 US Fluid Ounce (fl oz)	29.5735 mL	1/128 US gallon
1 US Cup	236.588 mL	8 US fl oz
1 US Pint (pt)	473.176 mL	2 US cups
1 US Quart (qt)	946.353 mL	4 US cups
1 US Gallon (gal)	3785.41 mL	128 US fl oz
1 US Tablespoon (tbsp)	14.7868 mL	3 US tsp
1 US Teaspoon (tsp)	4.92892 mL	1/48 US cup
1 UK Fluid Ounce	28.4131 mL	1/20 UK pint
1 UK Pint	568.261 mL	20 UK fl oz
1 UK Gallon	4546.09 mL	8 UK pints
1 Cubic Inch (in3)	16.387 mL	Engineering use
1 Cubic Foot (ft3)	28316.8 mL	Engineering use

US volume hierarchy explained

The US measurement system uses a consistent hierarchy for cooking volumes:

Unit	mL	Teaspoons	Tablespoons	Cups	Pints	Quarts
1 teaspoon	4.929	1	1/3	1/48	1/96	1/192
1 tablespoon	14.787	3	1	1/16	1/32	1/64
1 fl oz	29.574	6	2	1/8	1/16	1/32
1/4 cup	59.147	12	4	1/4	1/8	1/16
1/2 cup	118.294	24	8	1/2	1/4	1/8
1 cup	236.588	48	16	1	1/2	1/4
1 pint	473.176	96	32	2	1	1/2
1 quart	946.353	192	64	4	2	1
1 gallon	3785.41	768	256	16	8	4

Key ratio to memorise: 16 cups = 1 gallon. Everything else follows from this.

US vs UK volume units: important differences

Many volume unit names are shared between the US and UK but represent different actual volumes. This causes significant errors when following recipes from the other country.

Pint:

• US pint = 473.176 mL (16 US fl oz)
• UK pint = 568.261 mL (20 UK fl oz)
• Difference: UK pint is 20% larger

Gallon:

• US gallon = 3785.41 mL
• UK (imperial) gallon = 4546.09 mL
• Difference: UK gallon is 20% larger

Fluid ounce:

• US fl oz = 29.5735 mL
• UK fl oz = 28.4131 mL
• Difference: about 4% (US is slightly larger)

Cup:

• US cup = 236.588 mL (8 US fl oz)
• Metric / AU cup = 250 mL
• UK “cup” is not a standard legal measure (284 mL by historical measure)

Practical impact: A British recipe calling for “1 pint of cream” means 568 mL. If you measure a US pint (473 mL), you are 17% short. For baking, this can noticeably affect the consistency of the final product.

Common volume conversions reference table

From	To	Multiply by
mL	litres	0.001
mL	US fl oz	0.033814
mL	US cups	0.004227
mL	US tablespoons	0.067628
litres	mL	1000
litres	US fl oz	33.814
litres	US cups	4.2268
litres	US gallons	0.26417
US fl oz	mL	29.5735
US cups	mL	236.588
US cups	US fl oz	8
US pints	mL	473.176
US quarts	litres	0.94635
US gallons	litres	3.78541
UK pints	mL	568.261
UK gallons	litres	4.54609

Volume conversions in cooking

Cooking involves both very small volumes (teaspoons of spice) and large volumes (litres of stock). Here are the most common practical conversions:

Small amounts:

• 5 mL = 1 teaspoon = standard medicine dose
• 15 mL = 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
• 30 mL = 1 US fl oz = 2 tablespoons

Medium amounts:

• 60 mL = 1/4 cup = 4 tablespoons
• 120 mL = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons
• 240 mL = 1 cup = 8 fl oz

Large amounts:

• 500 mL = just over 2 cups (2.113 cups)
• 1 litre = 4.227 US cups
• 2 litres = 8.454 US cups (close to 2 quarts = 8 cups)
• 4 litres = 1.057 US gallons

Cooking conversion tips:

• A 750 mL wine bottle = 3.17 US cups. Recipes calling for “1 bottle of wine” mean about 3 cups.
• A 400 mL can of coconut milk = 1.69 US cups (slightly less than 2 cups).
• A 500 mL carton of chicken stock = 2.11 US cups (slightly more than 2 cups).

Volume conversions in science and industry

Beyond cooking, volume conversions are used across science, medicine, and industry:

Medicine: Drug dosing uses mL for liquids, with 5 mL (1 tsp) as the standard unit for paediatric medicines. IV fluids are ordered in mL/hour. Blood draws are measured in mL.

Engineering and construction: Volume of containers, tanks, and vessels is often calculated in litres, cubic metres, cubic feet, or US gallons depending on industry standards.

Automotive: Engine displacement in litres (e.g. 2.0L, 3.5L). Fuel economy in litres per 100 km or miles per US gallon. US fuel tanks in gallons; European tanks in litres.

Brewing and winemaking: Batch sizes in litres (metric) or gallons (US). A standard 5-gallon homebrew batch = 18.93 litres. A standard barrel (US beer barrel) = 31 US gallons = 117.35 litres.

Swimming pools: Residential pools typically hold 40,000 to 80,000 litres (10,000 to 20,000 US gallons). Chemical dosing is calculated from the pool volume.