Volume Converter

Metric, US and imperial volume

This converter supports liters, milliliters, cubic meters and cubic centimeters for metric work, plus US gallons, quarts, pints, cups, fluid ounces, tablespoons and teaspoons for recipes, and the imperial gallon for UK measurements.

It is equally useful in the kitchen, the lab and the workshop — and it makes clear the difference between US and imperial gallons, a common source of error.

Popular volume conversions

• Liters to US gallons and gallons to liters
• Milliliters to cups for cooking
• Cubic meters to liters for tanks and pools

Key features at a glance

• Metric units: liters, milliliters, cubic meters, and cubic centimeters
• US customary: gallons, quarts, pints, cups, fluid ounces, tablespoons, teaspoons
• Includes the imperial (UK) gallon
• Live conversion table updates as you type
• Makes the US versus imperial gallon difference clear
• Runs entirely in your browser, even offline

The US gallon versus the imperial gallon

One of the biggest traps in volume conversion is that the gallon is not a single unit. The US gallon is about 3.785 liters, while the imperial (UK) gallon is about 4.546 liters — roughly 20% larger. A recipe, fuel figure, or container size quoted in 'gallons' can therefore mean noticeably different amounts depending on which country it comes from.

This difference cascades down to pints, quarts, and fluid ounces, which also differ between the two systems. The US fluid ounce and the imperial fluid ounce are not the same, so converting a UK recipe using US measures, or vice versa, introduces errors. This converter keeps the US and imperial units distinct and shows both, so you always know exactly which gallon or ounce you are dealing with.

Cooking measurements and why they vary

Kitchen volume units like cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons are convenient but inconsistent across regions. A US cup is about 237 milliliters, while a metric cup is 250 milliliters and an imperial cup is different again. For most cooking the small differences are forgiving, but in baking — where ratios matter — they can affect the result, which is why many serious recipes give weights instead.

The converter bridges these systems so you can follow a recipe written for one country using the measuring tools you actually own. Translating cups and spoons into milliliters, or the reverse, removes the guesswork and lets you cook from any recipe regardless of where it originated, with the metric figures providing a precise common reference.

Volume beyond the kitchen

Volume conversion reaches well past cooking. Cubic meters and liters measure tanks, pools, aquariums, and shipping capacities, while cubic centimeters (cc) appear in engine displacement and medical dosing. Because a liter is exactly 1,000 cubic centimeters and a cubic meter is 1,000 liters, the metric units interlock cleanly, which is why science and engineering favor them.

Having every unit in one place means you can move from a recipe's milliliters to a tank's cubic meters without switching tools. Whether you are calculating how much water a pool holds, how much liquid a container can store, or how to scale a chemical mixture, the same converter handles it, with each result grounded in exact definitions.

Tips for converting volume

• Check whether a gallon is US (3.785 L) or imperial (4.546 L)
• One liter is about 4.23 US cups or 1.06 US quarts
• A liter equals exactly 1,000 cubic centimeters
• For baking precision, prefer weight over volume where a recipe allows
• US and imperial fluid ounces differ — confirm which a recipe uses

Why choose our volume converter?

Our converter is completely free with no signup, no limits, and no subscription. It runs entirely in your browser, so conversions are instant, it works offline, and the values you enter never leave your device.

It is one of more than 200 free tools on ToopTools, and you can pin it to your My Workspace, a personalized workspace where you keep the tools you use most in a single dashboard. Beside the other unit converters, it covers every volume conversion from a teaspoon to a swimming pool in one place.

Common use cases

People use the volume converter most for cooking, translating cups, tablespoons, and fluid ounces into milliliters and liters so they can follow recipes from any country. It is also essential for fuel, where US and UK gallons differ, and for sizing tanks, pools, and containers.

Scientists and students convert between liters and cubic centimeters for lab work, mechanics read engine displacement in cc, and brewers and gardeners measure liquids in mixed units. Because the converter shows every unit at once and keeps US and imperial separate, it eliminates the most common volume mistakes.

Is the volume converter free?

Yes. It is completely free with no account, no sign-up, and no usage limits. Convert as many volumes as you like at no cost.

What is the difference between a US and imperial gallon?

A US gallon is about 3.785 liters, while an imperial (UK) gallon is about 4.546 liters — roughly 20% larger. The converter keeps them separate so you always know which one you are using.

How many milliliters are in a cup?

A US cup is about 237 milliliters, a metric cup is 250 milliliters, and an imperial cup differs again. The converter lets you pick the right one so recipe measurements come out accurate.

How many liters are in a cubic meter?

Exactly 1,000 liters. The metric volume units interlock cleanly — a liter is 1,000 cubic centimeters and a cubic meter is 1,000 liters — which is why they are favored in science and engineering.

Is a fluid ounce the same in the US and UK?

No. The US and imperial fluid ounces are slightly different sizes, so converting recipes between the two systems requires care. The converter distinguishes them to avoid errors.

Are my conversions kept private?

Yes. Everything is computed in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so the values you enter stay private and the tool works without an internet connection.

How do I convert liters to gallons?

Enter the volume in liters and choose US or imperial gallons as the target, and the converter shows the result instantly. It also handles milliliters, cups, pints, quarts, and cubic units, so you can move between metric and US/UK measures in one step.

Does the volume converter work offline?

Yes. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so once the page has loaded the tool works without an internet connection, and nothing you enter is uploaded — it stays private on your own device.