Volume converter
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- No signup
- Formula shown below
- Reviewed
A volume converter changes a capacity between units through litres as the base. One US gallon is exactly 3.785411784 litres and one imperial gallon is exactly 4.54609 litres, so the imperial gallon is 20.1% larger. Ten litres equals 2.6417 US gallons, and one US cup is exactly 236.5882365 millilitres.
Result
10 l converted
2.64172052 gal
1 l = 0.2641720524 gal
- Conversion factor
- 1 l = 0.2641720524 gal
- Reverse factor
- 1 gal = 3.785411784 l
- Rounded to 2 decimals
- 2.64 gal
10 l equals 2.64172052 gal. The conversion factor is 1 l = 0.2641720524 gal, and the reverse is 1 gal = 3.785411784 l.
How to use the volume converter
- 01
Enter the volume
Type the quantity you want to convert. Fractional values such as 1.5 are accepted.
- 02
Choose the source unit
Select the unit the value is in. Check whether a recipe or specification means US or imperial measure — the two differ by up to 20%.
- 03
Choose the target unit
Select the unit you want the answer in. The result appears live as you type.
- 04
Note the factor
The rows beneath the result show the exact conversion factor in both directions for reuse.
The formula
result = value × (factor_from ÷ factor_to)
- value
- The volume being converted.
- factor_from
- Litres per unit of the source unit — 3.785411784 for the US gallon.
- factor_to
- Litres per unit of the target unit.
- result
- The equivalent volume in the target unit.
A litre is exactly one cubic decimetre, or 0.001 cubic metres. US customary volumes derive from the gallon of 231 cubic inches; imperial volumes derive from the gallon of 4.54609 litres, originally defined as the volume of ten pounds of water. The two systems share names but not sizes.
Worked example
- Volume
- 10
- From
- Litres
- To
- US gallons
- Result
- 2.64172 US gallons
Divide the litre value by the litres-per-US-gallon factor: 10 ÷ 3.785411784 = 2.64172 US gallons. The same ten litres is only 2.19969 imperial gallons, because the imperial gallon is larger. Expressed in US cups, 10 litres ÷ 0.2365882365 = 42.2675 cups, and in US fluid ounces it is 338.14.
Frequently asked questions
How many litres are in a gallon?
A US liquid gallon is exactly 3.785411784 litres. An imperial gallon, used in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries, is exactly 4.54609 litres — 20.1% larger. Fuel economy figures are therefore not comparable between the two systems: 30 miles per US gallon is 36 miles per imperial gallon.
How many millilitres are in a cup?
A US legal cup used on nutrition labels is exactly 240 ml, while the US customary cup used in recipes is 236.5882365 ml. A metric cup, standard in Australia and New Zealand, is 250 ml, and a UK recipe cup is 284 ml. The 20% spread between the smallest and largest matters in baking, where ratios are precise.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
A US customary cup holds exactly 16 tablespoons, and each tablespoon holds exactly 3 teaspoons, so a cup is 48 teaspoons. An Australian tablespoon is the outlier at 20 ml rather than 15 ml — four teaspoons rather than three — which is a common source of error in recipes crossing between the two conventions.
What is the difference between a fluid ounce and an ounce?
A fluid ounce measures volume; an ounce measures mass. They coincide only for water, and only approximately. A US fluid ounce is 29.5735 ml, while a UK fluid ounce is 28.4131 ml — the reverse of the gallon relationship, because the imperial gallon is divided into 160 fluid ounces rather than 128.
How many litres are in a cubic metre?
Exactly 1,000. A litre is defined as one cubic decimetre, and a cubic metre contains 1,000 cubic decimetres. This makes water calculations straightforward: one cubic metre of fresh water is 1,000 litres and has a mass of almost exactly 1,000 kilograms at 4 °C, the temperature of its maximum density.
Should recipes be measured by volume or by weight?
By weight, wherever precision matters. A cup of flour can vary from 120 to 150 grams depending on whether it was scooped or spooned and how much it has settled — a 25% spread that ruins bread and pastry ratios. Professional and European recipes specify grams for exactly this reason.
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44 — units of volume — US National Institute of Standards and Technology
- The International System of Units (SI Brochure) — Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
- Reference amounts and serving sizes on food labels — US Food and Drug Administration
Last reviewed: · Formula and sources verified by Syed Aqeel Ahmad Gillani. See the methodology for how every calculation is derived.