Volume and liquid converters
Volume converters: liters, gallons (US/UK), cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and milliliters. From kitchen recipes to fuel containers, product labels and practical liquid measurements.
Last updated: May 2026
Core volume tools
Recipes, product labels, medicine cups and workshop mixing all use different volume systems. The tools below handle the most common kitchen and practical conversions.
Liters to gallons
Convert fuel volumes, tank sizes and product containers between metric and US units.
ml to tbsp
Handy for cooking, syrups and small liquid measurements.
tsp to ml
Useful for recipes, medicine cups and kitchen prep.
Cups to liters
Scale US cup recipes to metric jugs and pots for batch cooking.
Liters to cups
Convert a metric volume back to US cups for recipes and drinks.
Volume in cooking and baking
US recipes measure ingredients in cups, tablespoons and teaspoons. European recipes typically use millilitres for liquids and grams for dry ingredients. Converting between the two systems is straightforward for liquids: 1 US cup is always 240 ml regardless of ingredient. For dry goods, volume-to-mass conversion depends on density, so a cup of flour does not weigh the same as a cup of water. When a recipe asks for 100 g of flour, weigh it rather than using a volume measure.
The table below shows the key kitchen volume relationships for quick reference.
| US measure | Metric equivalent | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | 5 ml | Spices, vanilla, small doses |
| 1 tablespoon (tbsp) | 15 ml | Butter, oil, sauces |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | Small liquid additions in baking |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | Half-portion measure |
| 1 US cup | 240 ml | Standard US recipe cup |
| 1 US pint | 473 ml | Beer glasses, cream, stock |
| 1 US quart | 946 ml | Large liquids, soups |
| 1 US gallon | 3.785 L | Fuel, large containers |
Related tools
Volume tools connect to nearby calculators for cooking, medicine dosing and fluid flow.
Volume measurements at a glance
| Measure | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 US cup | 240 ml |
| 1 tablespoon (tbsp) | 15 ml |
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | 5 ml |
| 1 US gallon | 3.785 L |
| 1 UK (imperial) gallon | 4.546 L |
| 1 US fluid ounce | 29.57 ml |
Where volume conversions go wrong in practice
The US/UK gallon split is the most consequential liquid measurement difference. A US gallon is 3.785 litres; a UK imperial gallon is 4.546 litres, about 20 percent larger. This means a US recipe calling for 1 gallon of liquid will produce a different result if made with a UK gallon measure. The same gap explains why UK MPG figures always look better than US MPG for the same car: the UK gallon takes you further because it holds more fuel. Comparing fuel economy across markets without converting the gallon first always gives the wrong answer.
The US cup is 240 ml; the metric cup used in Australia and Canada is 250 ml; older British recipes occasionally use 284 ml (half an imperial pint). A 10 ml difference per cup sounds trivial, but at 10 cups in a large batch it becomes 100 ml off, which is enough to affect a bake. Checking which standard a recipe was written for before scaling is worthwhile for anything where ratios matter, such as bread or cake batter.
Volume in medicine and chemistry always uses millilitres or litres, never cups or tablespoons, because the units must be unambiguous. A prescription for 10 ml twice daily cannot be approximated as "2 teaspoons" in a clinical context, even though a teaspoon is nominally 5 ml, because teaspoon sizes vary. The only conversion that is truly safe across contexts is the metric one: 1 ml is 1 ml everywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a US cup the same as a UK or metric cup?
No. A US cup is 240 ml, while the metric cup is 250 ml and older UK recipes sometimes use 284 ml. For baking, where ratios matter, check which standard the recipe was written in before converting.
What is the difference between a US and a UK gallon?
A US gallon is 3.785 litres; a UK (imperial) gallon is 4.546 litres, about 20 percent larger. The same gap is why US and UK miles-per-gallon figures cannot be compared directly.
Can I convert grams to millilitres directly?
Only for water, where 1 ml is about 1 g. For flour, oil, honey or syrup the density differs, so the same volume weighs a different amount. For those, weigh in grams or use the mg to ml calculator with the right density.
How many tablespoons and teaspoons are in a cup?
One US cup is 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons (3 teaspoons make 1 tablespoon). That lets you measure a cup with a spoon when no measuring cup is to hand.
How do I scale a recipe up or down?
Multiply every quantity by the same factor, and convert everything to one unit first (for example all millilitres) so you do not mix teaspoons, tablespoons and cups mid-recipe.
What is the difference between US and UK fluid ounces?
A US fluid ounce is 29.57 ml; a UK (imperial) fluid ounce is 28.41 ml, about 4 percent smaller. The difference rarely matters in cooking but adds up when scaling large batches or comparing international product labels.
How do I measure millilitres without a measuring cup?
A standard teaspoon holds 5 ml and a tablespoon holds 15 ml. One US cup is 48 teaspoons or 16 tablespoons. For larger amounts, a 500 ml water bottle serves as a rough reference. Many digital kitchen scales have a tare-and-pour mode that estimates ml for water-density liquids.
How many litres are in a gallon?
One US gallon is 3.785 litres. One UK (imperial) gallon is 4.546 litres, about 20 percent larger. For a quick mental estimate, divide litres by 4 to get approximate US gallons: a 20-litre petrol can is roughly 5 US gallons.