Liters to Gallons Converter
Convert liters to US gallons, quarts, pints and fluid ounces.
How to use this liters to gallons
- 1Enter your volume in liters.
- 2The converter shows US gallons, quarts, and pints instantly.
- 3For fuel economy comparison: if you know a car uses 8 L/100km, divide 235.215 by 8 to get 29.4 mpg US equivalent.
- 4For beverage and food containers, common liters: 0.33 L (small soda), 0.5 L (standard water bottle), 1 L (large water bottle), 1.5 L (large soda), 2 L (family soda).
- 5For chemical, paint, and liquid containers, 1 L ≈ 0.264 US gallons — divide liters by 3.785 for gallons.
- 6The UK pint (0.568 L) differs from the US pint (0.473 L) — confirm the recipe or specification's country of origin.
How it's calculated
US gallons = liters ÷ 3.78541. 1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt.
About the Liters to Gallons
Liters to gallons conversion bridges the gap between the metric volume system used by most of the world and the US customary system that uses gallons, quarts, and pints. The conversion factor — 1 US gallon = 3.78541 liters — is the key relationship, with 1 liter = 0.264172 US gallons as the inverse.
Fuel economy comparison is the most consequential practical application of liters-to-gallons conversion. European and international car reviews express efficiency in liters per 100 kilometers (L/100km), while US reviews use miles per gallon (mpg). These are fundamentally different ways of expressing the same thing: L/100km measures fuel consumed per distance, while mpg measures distance achieved per fuel unit. Converting between them requires the formula mpg (US) = 235.215 ÷ L/100km, which combines the km-to-mile and liter-to-gallon conversions. A car rated at 6 L/100km achieves approximately 39.2 mpg US — solidly fuel-efficient by both standards.
Beverage volumes in liters are standard globally and increasingly present in US markets. The 2-liter soda bottle, introduced in the 1970s as a metric convenience size, became one of the most recognized package sizes in the US despite the country's general resistance to metrication. Today, US consumers encounter liters in soda bottles (2 L), water bottles (0.5 L, 1 L, 1.5 L), sparkling water, and imported beverages. Knowing that 1 liter = 0.264 gallons = 33.8 fl oz = 4.23 cups contextualizes these quantities in US terms.
Chemical, cleaning, and agricultural products are frequently sold in both US gallon and liter formats, especially in markets with mixed US and international customers. Pool chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, and cleaning concentrates may be available in 1-gallon (3.785 L), 5-liter (1.32 gallon), or other volumes. When comparing prices across different size formats, converting to a common volume unit enables proper cost-per-liter comparison.
Cooking and home use create liter-to-gallon conversion needs when recipes or product instructions specify liters and equipment is calibrated in gallons, or vice versa. Large-scale cooking (catering, batch cooking, home brewing) frequently involves quantities in the 4–20 liter range (roughly 1–5 gallons). Home brewers in the US may follow recipes specifying batch sizes in gallons, while imported equipment or ingredients may be labeled in liters.
Frequently asked questions
How many gallons is 20 liters?
20 liters ÷ 3.78541 = 5.283 US gallons. Common conversions: 4 L = 1.057 gallons, 10 L = 2.642 gallons, 20 L = 5.283 gallons, 50 L = 13.21 gallons, 100 L = 26.42 gallons.
How many liters in a US quart?
1 US quart = 0.946353 liters. A quart is ¼ of a US gallon = 2 US pints = 32 US fl oz = 946 ml.
How many gallons is a 2-liter soda bottle?
2 liters ÷ 3.78541 = 0.528 US gallons = approximately ½ gallon. The 2-liter bottle is a metric-origin format that became the standard family-size soda bottle in the US, where it's now sold alongside gallon bottles (3.785 L).
How do I convert L/100km fuel economy to mpg?
mpg (US) = 235.215 ÷ L/100km. Examples: 5 L/100km = 47.04 mpg, 6 L/100km = 39.2 mpg, 7 L/100km = 33.6 mpg, 8 L/100km = 29.4 mpg, 10 L/100km = 23.5 mpg. This is a combined distance-and-volume conversion, which is why the number 235.215 (not a simple ratio) appears.
How many liters is a US pint vs a UK pint?
US pint = 0.473 liters (16 US fl oz). UK/Imperial pint = 0.568 liters (20 UK fl oz). A UK pub pint is 20% larger than a US pint — a significant difference when ordering drinks or following UK vs US recipes that call for a 'pint'.