Available Volume units
- litre conversions
The litre is a metric unit of volume equal to one cubic decimetre. It is widely used for measuring liquid quantities in cooking, beverages, fuel, and laboratory work across metric countries.
- millilitre conversions
A millilitre is a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a litre. It is commonly used in medicine, cooking, laboratory measurements, and the labelling of food and beverage products.
- US gallon conversions
A US gallon is a volume unit equal to 128 US fluid ounces, or approximately 3.785 litres. It is the standard unit for fuel, milk, and other liquid products in the United States.
- cubic metre conversions
A cubic metre is the SI unit of volume, equal to a cube with one-metre sides. It is used in construction, water supply, industrial gas storage, and large-scale fluid measurement.
- Imperial gallon conversions
An Imperial gallon is a volume unit used in the United Kingdom equal to approximately 4.546 litres. It is larger than the US gallon and is commonly referenced for fuel efficiency (miles per gallon) in the UK.
- US fluid ounce conversions
A US fluid ounce is a volume unit equal to approximately 29.57 millilitres. It is used in the United States for beverage servings, cooking measurements, and product labelling.
- Imperial fluid ounce conversions
An Imperial fluid ounce is a volume unit used in the United Kingdom equal to approximately 28.41 millilitres. It is used in British cooking recipes, beverage servings, and pharmaceutical labelling.
- teaspoon (metric) conversions
A metric teaspoon is a volume unit equal to exactly 5 millilitres. It is a standard unit in cooking recipes and pharmaceutical dosing instructions across metric countries.
- tablespoon (metric) conversions
A metric tablespoon is a volume unit equal to exactly 15 millilitres. It is widely used in cooking recipes in metric countries as a convenient measure for sauces, oils, and seasonings.
- cubic centimetre conversions
A cubic centimetre is a metric unit of volume equal to one thousandth of a litre, or 1 millilitre. It is used in medicine, engine displacement specifications, and precise scientific measurements.
Full Volume conversion matrix
| Unit | Equivalent in litres | L | mL | gal (US) | m³ | gal (Imp) | fl oz (US) | fl oz (Imp) | tsp | Tbsp | cm³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| litre | 1 L | 1 | 1,000 | 0.26417205 | 0.001 | 0.21996925 | 33.8140227 | 35.19507973 | 200 | 66.66666667 | 1,000 |
| millilitre | 0.001 L | 0.001 | 1 | 0.00026417 | 0.000001 | 0.00021997 | 0.03381402 | 0.03519508 | 0.2 | 0.06666667 | 1 |
| US gallon | 3.78541178 L | 3.78541178 | 3,785.411784 | 1 | 0.00378541 | 0.83267418 | 128 | 133.22786954 | 757.0823568 | 252.3607856 | 3,785.411784 |
| cubic metre | 1,000 L | 1,000 | 1,000,000 | 264.17205236 | 1 | 219.9692483 | 33,814.02270184 | 35,195.07972785 | 200,000 | 66,666.66666667 | 1,000,000 |
| Imperial gallon | 4.54609 L | 4.54609 | 4,546.09 | 1.20094993 | 0.00454609 | 1 | 153.72159046 | 160 | 909.218 | 303.07266667 | 4,546.09 |
| US fluid ounce | 0.02957353 L | 0.02957353 | 29.57352956 | 0.0078125 | 0.00002957 | 0.00650527 | 1 | 1.04084273 | 5.91470591 | 1.97156864 | 29.57352956 |
| Imperial fluid ounce | 0.02841306 L | 0.02841306 | 28.4130625 | 0.00750594 | 0.00002841 | 0.00625 | 0.96075994 | 1 | 5.6826125 | 1.89420417 | 28.4130625 |
| teaspoon (metric) | 0.005 L | 0.005 | 5 | 0.00132086 | 0.000005 | 0.00109985 | 0.16907011 | 0.1759754 | 1 | 0.33333333 | 5 |
| tablespoon (metric) | 0.015 L | 0.015 | 15 | 0.00396258 | 0.000015 | 0.00329954 | 0.50721034 | 0.5279262 | 3 | 1 | 15 |
| cubic centimetre | 0.001 L | 0.001 | 1 | 0.00026417 | 0.000001 | 0.00021997 | 0.03381402 | 0.03519508 | 0.2 | 0.06666667 | 1 |
About Volume
Units of volume and capacity
Real-world uses
Volume measurements are central to cooking, fuel distribution, chemical manufacturing, and medicine. Recipes specify ingredients in millilitres, cups, or tablespoons. Fuel is sold by the litre or gallon at petrol stations worldwide. Pharmaceutical companies measure liquid dosages in microlitres for injectable drugs. Shipping containers are rated by cubic metres of cargo capacity, and water utilities bill households by cubic metres of consumption each month.
History
Ancient volume standards often derived from practical containers: the Mesopotamian "sila" (about 1 litre), the Roman "amphora" (about 26 litres), and the English "bushel" for dry goods. The litre was originally defined in 1795 as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at 4 °C. The US and Imperial gallon diverged in 1824 when Britain redefined its gallon to be exactly 10 pounds of water, while the US retained the older Queen Anne wine gallon (3.785 litres).
Common mistakes
The most dangerous confusion is between US and Imperial gallons — an Imperial gallon is about 20% larger (4.546 L vs 3.785 L), which matters critically for fuel calculations. People also mix up fluid ounces: a US fluid ounce is 29.57 mL, while an Imperial fluid ounce is 28.41 mL. Another common error is assuming a cubic centimetre equals a millilitre exactly — while practically true, the 1964 CGPM redefinition made the litre exactly 1 dm³, confirming this equivalence.
Measurement standards
The cubic metre is the SI derived unit of volume. The litre, equal to exactly one cubic decimetre (0.001 m³), is accepted by the BIPM for use alongside SI units. Both the lowercase "l" and uppercase "L" are approved symbols for the litre.
Did you know?
An Olympic swimming pool holds 2,500 cubic metres of water — about 2.5 million litres. The Amazon River discharges roughly 209,000 cubic metres per second, enough to fill 84 Olympic pools every single second.
Common values
| litres | millilitres | |
|---|---|---|
| A teaspoon | 0.005 litres | 5 millilitres |
| A cup of coffee | 0.25 litres | 250 millilitres |
| A water bottle | 0.5 litres | 500 millilitres |
| A bathtub | 300 litres | 300,000 millilitres |
| A swimming pool (Olympic) | 2,500,000 litres | 2.500000e+09 millilitres |