About Volume Converter
Convert between common volume-converter units instantly. Free online converter. Free, no sign-up required.
How to use
- Type your volume into the Value field. Decimals are accepted, so 1.5 L or 0.75 cup both work and the result updates the moment you finish typing.
- Pick the source unit from the From dropdown. Available: milliliters (mL), liters (L), US gallons, Imperial gallons, US quarts, US pints, US cups, US fluid ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons, cubic meters (m³), and cubic feet (ft³).
- Choose the target unit in the To dropdown. The default pairing is liters to US gallons; switch to mL-to-tsp for medication dosing, m³-to-gal for tank capacity, or floz-to-mL for cocktail recipes.
- Use the swap button between the dropdowns to instantly reverse the conversion. This is the fastest way to verify a result by round-tripping through both directions.
- Read the converted value in the highlighted result box. Very small numbers automatically switch to scientific notation so you do not lose precision when converting cubic meters down to teaspoons.
- Watch the US-vs-Imperial gap: a US gallon (3.785 L) is about 17% smaller than an Imperial gallon (4.546 L). The same applies to fluid ounces (US: 29.57 mL; UK: 28.41 mL). The dropdown spells out which system each unit follows, so you never have to guess.
Examples
Recipe scaling
A recipe calling for 2 cups of milk equals 473.18 mL or 16 US fluid ounces or 32 tablespoons. The teaspoon-to-mL ratio is 4.929 — close enough that 5 mL is the standard medical 'teaspoon' for dosing, even though a real US teaspoon is slightly less.
Fuel tank capacity
A 50 L car fuel tank holds 13.21 US gallons or 11.00 Imperial gallons. That ~17% gap between US and UK gallons is why fuel economy figures (mpg) look better in UK reporting — same car, same fuel, but the gallon is bigger across the Atlantic.
Cubic meter scale
1 m³ of water = 1,000 L = 264.17 US gallons = 35.31 ft³ — and weighs almost exactly 1,000 kg (1 metric ton). This neat coincidence is why metric simplifies fluid mechanics: water density is 1 kg/L by definition, no conversion factors required.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert liters to gallons?
For US gallons, multiply liters by 0.264172 (or divide by 3.78541). For Imperial gallons, multiply by 0.219969 (or divide by 4.54609). So 50 L = 13.21 US gal = 11.00 Imp gal. The two gallon definitions differ by about 17%, which is enormous for fuel and chemistry calculations — always verify which gallon system the source is using before converting.
What is the difference between US and Imperial gallons?
1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L (defined as 231 cubic inches). 1 Imperial (UK) gallon = 4.54609 L (originally 10 lb of water at 62 °F). The Imperial gallon is about 20% larger. They diverged in 1824 when the UK redefined its gallon while the US kept the older 'Queen Anne wine gallon.' This affects fuel economy: 30 mpg (US) = 36 mpg (UK), and a recipe in 'gallons' from a British cookbook means more than the same number from a US one.
How many cups are in a liter?
1 L ≈ 4.227 US cups (US cup = 236.588 mL) ≈ 3.520 Imperial cups (UK cup = 284.131 mL) ≈ 4.000 metric cups (metric cup = 250 mL exactly, used in Australia and New Zealand). Three different 'cup' definitions exist, which is part of why baking by weight (grams) rather than volume produces more reliable results across regions.
Are cooking measurements (tablespoon, teaspoon) standardized?
Mostly, but with regional variations. US: 1 tbsp = 14.787 mL, 1 tsp = 4.929 mL (1 tbsp = 3 tsp). UK: 1 tbsp = 17.758 mL (different size!), 1 tsp = 5.919 mL. Australia: 1 tbsp = 20 mL (a metric tablespoon), 1 tsp = 5 mL. Medical dosing universally uses 5 mL = 1 tsp and 15 mL = 1 tbsp regardless of country. This converter uses US definitions for both.
How big is a cubic meter compared to a gallon?
1 m³ = 1,000 L = 264.17 US gallons = 219.97 Imperial gallons = 35.31 ft³. Cubic meters dominate engineering and trade: water utility bills, concrete orders, container shipping, gas consumption, and HVAC airflow. A standard 40-foot shipping container holds about 67 m³ (2,366 ft³). A typical residential water tank is 1-2 m³.
What is a barrel and which unit is it?
Depends entirely on what is in the barrel. The petroleum barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.987 L (a global trading unit, abbreviated bbl). The US beer barrel = 31 US gallons = 117.348 L. The dry barrel (for fruit, produce) = 26.25 US gallons. The British 'barrel' has its own definitions for ale, beer, and wine. This converter does not include barrels because there is no single value — when you see 'barrel' in a price quote, look up the specific commodity's definition.
Why does my measuring cup not match my recipe exactly?
Three reasons. First, the cup definition varies (US 240 mL, metric 250 mL, UK 284 mL — see the cup question above). Second, volume measurement is inherently less accurate than weight: how packed your flour is changes its volume by up to 25%. Third, manufacturing tolerances on inexpensive measuring cups can be ±5% or worse. Professional baking has shifted to weight (grams) for these reasons, even in US recipes since the 2010s.
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