Volume Converter
Convert liters, milliliters, gallons, cups and fluid ounces.
Convert liters, milliliters, gallons, cups, pints and fluid ounces. Perfect for cooking and recipes that mix metric and US units.
Formula / method
Examples
3.7854 l
2.1134 cup
Liters, gallons, cups and ounces
This converter moves between metric volumes (litres and millilitres) and common cooking and US units (gallons, cups and fluid ounces). One litre is 1,000 millilitres, one US liquid gallon is about 3.785 litres, and one US fluid ounce is roughly 29.57 millilitres.
The relationships are fixed ratios, so converting a recipe quantity or a fuel tank capacity is a single step no matter which pair of units you choose.
Beware US versus imperial
The biggest trap is that 'gallon', 'cup' and 'fluid ounce' are not universal. A US gallon (3.785 L) is smaller than an imperial gallon (4.546 L), and a US cup is about 237 mL versus a 250 mL metric cup. Check which system a recipe or spec uses before trusting a conversion.
For dry baking ingredients, remember that volume does not map cleanly to weight, since a cup of flour and a cup of sugar have different masses. This tool handles volume only.
Where it's used
- Converting recipe amounts between US cups or fluid ounces and metric ml/liters
- Scaling drink and cocktail recipes up for a party
- Reading fuel, oil, or paint quantities in gallons versus liters
- Working out aquarium, pool, or tank capacity
- Converting baby-formula or medicine doses between ml and fluid ounces
Real-world examples
- A recipe calling for 2 US cups of milk converts to about 473 ml.
- A 1-US-gallon paint can holds about 3.79 liters.
- 500 ml of stock converts to roughly 2.1 US cups.
Did you know?
A US gallon (3.785 L) is about a fifth smaller than a UK imperial gallon (4.546 L), so gallon-based recipes and fuel figures do not cross the Atlantic cleanly. A US cup is about 237 ml versus a 250 ml metric cup.
FAQ
Are these US or imperial units?
Gallons, quarts, pints, cups and fluid ounces here use US customary definitions. UK (imperial) units are slightly larger.