Volume converts between millilitres, litres, cubic centimetres, cubic metres, US/UK gallons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, and quarts. Indian recipes use ml/L; US recipes use cups/oz; lab work uses cc and mL interchangeably.
What is Volume Converter?
Volume is the three-dimensional space something occupies — water in a bottle, petrol in a fuel tank, paint in a can. Different countries use different units, which makes recipes and product specifications confusing across borders.
Liquid volumes have one extra wrinkle: US and UK gallons are different. A US gallon is 3.785 L; a UK (imperial) gallon is 4.546 L — about 20% bigger. The same applies to pints, quarts, and fluid ounces. Always check which gallon a recipe or specification refers to.
Indian product packaging uses ml and L universally, but car fuel mileage is sometimes quoted in km per gallon (US gallon, usually) when comparing to international cars.
Volume conversion factors
- Factor
- Litres per unit—L equivalent
How to use this calculator
Enter the value, pick source and target units.
Enter the volume
Decimals fine. For recipes, common values are 250 mL (1 cup), 5 mL (1 tsp).
Pick units
Be careful with US vs UK gallons — they differ by ~20%.
Common volume conversions
Cooking
1 cup (US) = 240 mL. 1 tablespoon = 15 mL. 1 teaspoon = 5 mL. Bake confidently after converting.
Fuel mileage
Convert mileage to km/L from miles/gallon when comparing imported cars.
Beverages
A US 'pint' of beer = 473 mL. A UK pint = 568 mL. Important when ordering pub food internationally.
Lab work
1 mL = 1 cc. Pediatric medication doses often shown in mL or cc — same thing.
Common mistakes to avoid
Treating fluid ounces as a weight
Fluid ounces measure volume; ounces measure weight. 8 fl oz of honey weighs about 12 oz because honey is denser than water. Only for plain water do they roughly coincide.
Cubing the linear factor wrongly for cubic units
1 m = 100 cm, so 1 m³ = 1,000,000 cm³ (100³) — not 100 or 10,000. Volume conversions cube the linear factor.
Confusing a tablespoon with a teaspoon in medicine doses
1 tablespoon = 15 ml = 3 teaspoons. Dosing syrup by 'spoon' with household cutlery causes 2-3× errors — use the measuring cup or syringe supplied with the medicine.
Glossary
- Litre (L)
- Metric volume = 1 cubic decimetre = 1,000 cm³.
- Millilitre (mL)
- 1/1,000 of a litre. Equal to 1 cubic centimetre (cc).
- US gallon
- 3.785 L. Used for fuel and beverages in the US.
- UK (imperial) gallon
- 4.546 L. ~20% larger than US gallon.
- Cubic metre (m³)
- 1,000 L. Used for water tanks, gas, large industrial volumes.