Volume & Liters Converter - Gallons, Liters, Fluid Ounces
Convert volume units like liters, deciliters, milliliters, gallons, and fluid ounces instantly and locally.
Volume / Liquid Reference Table
| Unit | Liter (l) | Desiliter (dl) | Milliliter (ml) | US fl oz | US Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 l | 1 | 10 | 1000 | 33.81402 | 4.22675 |
| 1 dl | 0.1 | 1 | 100 | 3.38140 | 0.42268 |
| 1 ml | 0.001 | 0.01 | 1 | 0.03381 | 0.00423 |
| 1 US fl oz | 0.02957 | 0.29574 | 29.57353 | 1 | 0.125 |
| 1 US Cup | 0.23659 | 2.36588 | 236.5882 | 8 | 1 |
Understanding volume and liters
Volume measures three-dimensional space. While the metric system uses liters, deciliters, and milliliters, the US (and parts of the UK) use imperial-derived units like gallons, fluid ounces, and cups.
- 1 US Gallon (gal) = 128 US fluid ounces (fl oz) ≈ 3.785 liters
- 1 US Cup = 8 US fluid ounces (fl oz) ≈ 2.366 deciliters
- 1 Liter = 10 deciliters = 1000 milliliters
About this tool
The volume converter maps between metric units (ml, cl, dl, l, m³), imperial (fluid ounce, cup, pint, quart, gallon), and cubic variants (cm³, in³, ft³, yd³). Useful for recipes from US cookbooks, construction (cubic metres of concrete), aquariums, fuel tanks, and international trade where containers are measured differently. We support both US and UK versions of imperial units, which differ (a US gallon is 3.785 L, a UK gallon is 4.546 L).
How to use it
- Type a value in any field.
- Pick the US or UK tab if you’re working with imperial units.
- See all other units update in real time.
- Copy the result with one click.
Examples
2 cups (US)473 ml (0.473 L)15 gallons (US)56.78 L3.5 m³3500 L (123.6 cubic feet)Common use cases
- Follow US recipes with cups, ounces and teaspoons.
- Calculate concrete or sand volume in m³ for construction.
- Convert aquarium volumes between litres and gallons.
- Compare car fuel tank sizes when travelling.
- Compute irrigation or fertiliser per area.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is the US gallon different from the UK gallon?
- Purely historical divergence. The UK moved to the "imperial gallon" in 1824 (4.546 L), based on the volume of 10 pounds of water. The US kept the older "Queen Anne’s gallon" from 1707 (3.785 L), originally for wine. The 20% difference means US fuel economy in mpg must be converted carefully: 30 mpg (US) = 25 mpg (UK) = 7.84 L/100 km.
- How many millilitres in a cup?
- The US cup (in modern recipes) is 236.588 ml, often rounded to 240 or 250 ml in some cookbooks. The UK cup is 284 ml (10 imperial oz). The metric cup used in Australia and New Zealand is exactly 250 ml. Check the recipe’s origin before converting.
- Fluid ounce vs ounce?
- Fluid ounce (fl oz) is volume, ounce (oz) is mass. A US fl oz = 29.574 ml, a UK fl oz = 28.413 ml. An avoirdupois ounce = 28.35 g. They’re not directly convertible without density: 1 fl oz of water weighs about 1 oz, but 1 fl oz of honey weighs about 1.4 oz. Look for "fl" or the word "fluid" in the recipe to avoid confusion.
- What is a cubic metre in practical terms?
- One cubic metre (m³) = 1000 litres = 1 tonne of water (at 4°C). In practical terms: a bathtub 1m × 1m × 1m, or about 20 large full shopping bags. A typical van holds 5–15 m³. Concrete orders and timber-load tax calculations use m³.
Technical background
Volume conversions use the litre or cubic metre as base (1 L = 10⁻³ m³ = 1 dm³, exact definition since 1964). Constants: 1 US fl oz = 29.5735295625 ml (exact), 1 US cup = 8 fl oz = 236.588 ml, 1 US pint = 16 fl oz = 473.176 ml, 1 US quart = 32 fl oz = 946.353 ml, 1 US gallon = 128 fl oz = 3.785411784 L. Imperial (UK): 1 UK fl oz = 28.4130625 ml, 1 UK pint = 20 fl oz = 568.261 ml, 1 UK gallon = 160 fl oz = 4.54609 L. Cubic: 1 in³ = 16.387064 cm³, 1 ft³ = 28.316846592 L, 1 yd³ = 764.554857984 L. Timber and cargo-hold calculations often use "load" or "cubic foot" directly. All conversions are exact by definition using JavaScript double-precision (IEEE 754). Note that "drops", "teaspoon" and "tablespoon" in recipes vary by country (US teaspoon 4.929 ml, UK teaspoon 5.919 ml, metric 5 ml).