Convert volume units — liters, gallons, cups, milliliters, cubic meters, pints, quarts.
| Unit | Name | Value |
|---|---|---|
| L | Liter | 0.236588 |
| mL | Milliliter | 236.588 |
| m³ | Cubic Meter | 0.000236588 |
| gal(US) | US Gallon | 0.062499967 |
| gal(UK) | UK Gallon | 0.052042085 |
| qt | US Quart | 0.24999974 |
| pt | US Pint | 0.5 |
| fl oz | Fluid Ounce | 8 |
Common us cup values converted to liter — factor: 1 cup = 0.2366 L
| US Cup (cup) | Liter (L) | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0625 cup | 0.01479 L | Tablespoon |
| 0.125 cup | 0.02957 L | Eighth cup |
| 0.25 cup | 0.05915 L | Quarter cup |
| 0.333 cup | 0.07878 L | Third cup |
| 0.5 cup | 0.1183 L | Half cup |
| 1 cup | 0.2366 L | One cup |
| 2 cup | 0.4732 L | One pint |
| 4 cup | 0.9464 L | One quart |
| 8 cup | 1.893 L | Half gallon |
| 16 cup | 3.785 L | One gallon |
| 32 cup | 7.571 L | 2 gallons |
| 64 cup | 15.14 L | 4 gallons |
| 128 cup | 30.28 L | 8 gallons |
| 256 cup | 60.57 L | Large drum |
| 512 cup | 121.1 L | Large drum |
Converting us cup to liter comes up frequently in cooking, chemistry, medicine, and engineering. A recipe written in metric units may need to be adapted for a kitchen using liter, or a laboratory protocol may specify volumes in us cup that need to be measured with equipment calibrated in liter.
In everyday use, knowing that 5 cup = 1.183 L and 10 cup = 2.366 L covers most common situations. For bulk calculations, 100 cup = 23.66 L is a useful anchor. The reverse conversion — liter back to us cup — uses the factor 4.227, so 1 L = 4.227 cup.
All conversions use the internationally recognized factor of exactly 1 cup = 0.2366 L. Calculations are performed in IEEE 754 double-precision floating point, giving accuracy to at least 8 significant figures — more than sufficient for any practical application.
Formula: Liter = US Cup × 0.236588
Multiply any us cup value by 0.236588 to get liter. One us cup equals 0.236588 L.
Reverse: US Cup = Liter × 4.2267571
Cups × 0.2366 = liters. Round to × 0.24 for quick estimates.
Four cups ≈ 0.946 L (just under a liter).
1 cup of water = 237 mL = 0.237 L.
Follows American recipes using cups for flour, sugar, milk, and butter.
Tests and standardizes recipes in cup measurements before international publication.
Uses cup portions as standardized serving-size references for dietary counseling.
Teaches beginner cooks using cups as intuitive, equipment-free measuring tools.
Converts cup-based recipes to liter or kilogram quantities for industrial production.
Converts US cup measurements to metric mL when cooking American recipes abroad.
The US customary cup is defined as exactly 8 US fluid ounces, or 236.588 mL. It was standardized by Fannie Farmer in her 1896 cookbook The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book.
The cup is the backbone of US baking: nearly every American recipe uses cup measurements for flour, sugar, butter, and liquids. Standard sets include 1 cup, ½ cup, ⅓ cup, and ¼ cup.
Interesting fact: Australia uses a metric cup of 250 mL, slightly larger than the US cup, which can cause recipe confusion in international cooking.
The liter was introduced by the French metric system in 1793, defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at 4°C. The word derives from the older French unit litron, from Medieval Latin litra. It was redefined in 1964 as exactly 1 cubic decimeter.
France adopted the liter as part of revolutionary metric standardization, spreading across Europe with Napoleonic expansion. Today it is the standard unit for liquids in most of the world, from soda bottles to fuel pumps.
Interesting fact: A liter of water at 4°C weighs almost exactly 1 kilogram, which is why the kilogram was originally defined through it.