Convert Liquid Volume and Capacity Units
Volume units are surprisingly tricky because the same name can mean different amounts. A “gallon” in the United States is about 17% smaller than a gallon in the United Kingdom, and a “cup” can be 236 ml, 240 ml or 250 ml depending on where the recipe comes from. This volume converter supports 13 metric, US and imperial units and keeps US and UK measures separate, so you get the right answer every time.
How to Use the Volume Converter
- Enter the quantity you have in the From box.
- Choose its unit and the unit you want to convert to.
- The result and formula appear instantly. You can also type in the result box to convert backwards, or swap the two units.
Volume Conversion Table
| Unit | Millilitres |
|---|---|
| 1 litre | 1,000 ml |
| 1 cubic metre (m³) | 10,00,000 ml (1,000 L) |
| 1 cubic centimetre (cm³) | 1 ml |
| 1 US gallon | 3,785.41 ml |
| 1 imperial gallon | 4,546.09 ml |
| 1 US quart | 946.35 ml |
| 1 US pint | 473.18 ml |
| 1 US cup | 236.59 ml |
| 1 US fluid ounce | 29.57 ml |
| 1 imperial fluid ounce | 28.41 ml |
| 1 US tablespoon | 14.79 ml |
| 1 US teaspoon | 4.93 ml |
Everyday Examples
Cooking from foreign recipes
A cake recipe asks for 1½ cups of milk. That is 1.5 × 236.6 = 355 ml. If you use Indian measuring cups marked 250 ml, you would need slightly less than one and a half of them.
Fuel efficiency
A car rated at 30 miles per US gallon travels 30 × 1.609 = 48.3 km on 3.785 litres, which is about 12.8 km per litre.
Water tanks
A rooftop tank measuring 1 m × 1 m × 1.5 m holds 1.5 m³ = 1,500 litres.
Engine size
A 1,200 cc car engine has a total cylinder volume of 1,200 ml, or 1.2 litres — which is why the same engine may be described as “1.2L”.
US vs Imperial Measures
Both systems use the same names — gallon, quart, pint, fluid ounce — but the sizes differ:
- 1 imperial gallon = 1.201 US gallons
- 1 imperial pint = 568 ml, but 1 US pint = 473 ml
- A UK pint has 20 fluid ounces; a US pint has 16
If a recipe is from a British source (BBC, UK cookbooks), use the imperial units; for American websites, use US units.
Kitchen Measurement Tips
- Use proper measuring spoons; a regular dining spoon can hold anywhere from 7 to 15 ml.
- Level off dry ingredients with a flat edge for accurate cup measurements.
- For baking, weighing ingredients is more accurate than measuring by volume — our Weight Converter can help.
Related Converters
- Weight Converter — grams, ounces and pounds.
- Temperature Converter — oven temperatures in °C and °F.
- Area Converter — square feet and square metres.