Liters to Gallons Converter
Convert liters to gallons, or gallons to liters, in US or UK (imperial) gallons, with quarts, pints and fluid ounces.
Results
| Item | Value |
|---|
Quick Answer
Divide liters by 3.785 to get US gallons. 1 L is 0.2642 US gal, 4 L is 1.057 gal, 10 L is 2.642 gal and 20 L is 5.283 gal. To turn US gallons into liters, multiply by 3.785411784: 1 gal is 3.785 L and 5 gal is 18.93 L. A UK gallon is bigger, 4.54609 L, so 10 L is 2.200 UK gallons.
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Table of Contents
- Liters to Gallons Converter
- Quick Answer
- Related Calculators
- How This Liters to Gallons Converter Works
- How to Use the Liters to Gallons Converter
- Liters to Gallons Formulas
- Key Terms
- Worked Example
- Real-Life Examples
- Liter vs Gallon
- Liters to Gallons Chart
- US Gallons vs Imperial Gallons
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Frequently Asked Questions
- References & Sources
How This Liters to Gallons Converter Works
Fuel, water tanks, aquariums, paint and drinks are sold in liters in most of the world and in gallons in the US. Choose the direction and the kind of gallon, enter the amount and press Calculate. The converter gives the answer to three decimal places, the same volume in the other kind of gallon, and the quarts, pints, fluid ounces and milliliters.
Quick explanation: a US gallon is a bit under 4 liters.
- L to US gal: divide by 3.785 (or multiply by 0.264172).
- US gal to L: multiply by 3.785.
- UK gallons: use 4.546 instead.
How to Use the Liters to Gallons Converter
- Choose liters to gallons or gallons to liters.
- Choose US or UK (imperial) gallons.
- Enter the amount.
- Press Calculate.
- Read the converted volume, plus the other gallon, quarts, pints, fluid ounces and mL.
Liters to Gallons Formulas
- US gallon: 1 gal = 231 cubic inches = 3.785411784 L exactly
- UK gallon: 1 gal = 4.54609 L exactly
- Gallons from liters: gal = L ÷ 3.785411784 (US) or L ÷ 4.54609 (UK)
- Liters from gallons: L = gal × 3.785411784 (US) or gal × 4.54609 (UK)
- Smaller units: 1 gal = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 128 US fl oz (or 160 UK fl oz)
Key Terms
- Liter (L): a metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 milliliters.
- US gallon: 231 cubic inches, 3.785411784 liters.
- Imperial gallon: the UK gallon, 4.54609 liters.
- Quart (qt): a quarter of a gallon; 0.946 L in the US.
- Pint (pt): an eighth of a gallon; 473 mL in the US and 568 mL in the UK.
Worked Example
A car’s fuel tank holds 50 liters. How many US gallons is that?
- 50 ÷ 3.785411784 = 13.209 US gal
- In UK gallons: 50 ÷ 4.54609 = 10.998 gal
- In US quarts: 13.209 × 4 = 52.83 qt
Going the other way, a 5 gallon water jug holds 5 × 3.785411784 = 18.927 L.
Real-Life Examples
- Fuel: 40 L of gas is 10.57 US gallons.
- Aquariums: a 200 L tank is 52.8 US gallons.
- Drinks: a 2 L bottle is 0.528 US gallons, about half a gallon.
- Buckets: a 5 gallon bucket holds 18.9 L.
Liter vs Gallon
- Liter (L): the metric unit, 1,000 mL or one cubic decimeter.
- US gallon: 3.785 L, so 1 L = 0.2642 US gal.
- UK gallon: 4.546 L, so 1 L = 0.2200 UK gal.
Liters to Gallons Chart
Exact factors: US gallon 3.785411784 L, UK gallon 4.54609 L.
| Liters | US gallons | UK gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 L | 0.264 | 0.220 |
| 2 L | 0.528 | 0.440 |
| 3.785 L | 1.000 | 0.833 |
| 4 L | 1.057 | 0.880 |
| 5 L | 1.321 | 1.100 |
| 10 L | 2.642 | 2.200 |
| 15 L | 3.963 | 3.300 |
| 20 L | 5.283 | 4.399 |
| 25 L | 6.604 | 5.499 |
| 40 L | 10.567 | 8.799 |
| 50 L | 13.209 | 10.998 |
| 60 L | 15.850 | 13.198 |
| 75 L | 19.813 | 16.498 |
| 100 L | 26.417 | 21.997 |
| 200 L | 52.834 | 43.994 |
US Gallons vs Imperial Gallons
The US gallon comes from the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches. The UK replaced its gallons in 1824 with the imperial gallon, the volume of 10 pounds of water, now fixed at 4.54609 liters. An imperial gallon is about 20% larger: 1 UK gallon = 1.2009 US gallons. That is why fuel economy in miles per gallon looks better in the UK than in the US for the same car.
Liters are now the legal unit for fuel in the UK and Ireland, but older documents, boats and recipes still use imperial gallons. In the US, gallons remain the everyday unit for milk, fuel and water heaters. Always check which gallon a figure means before converting, because the difference adds up fast for large volumes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the wrong gallon. UK gallons are about 20% bigger than US gallons.
- Multiplying liters by 3.785. Liters become a smaller number in gallons.
- Rounding to 4 L per gallon. 100 gallons would come out 21 L too high.
- Mixing dry and liquid gallons. This converter uses the liquid gallon.
- Assuming a liter equals a quart. A liter is 1.057 US quarts.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 liter is 0.2642 US gallons or 0.2200 UK gallons.
A US gallon is 3.785 liters; a UK gallon is 4.546 liters.
Divide liters by 3.785411784 for US gallons, or by 4.54609 for UK gallons.
10 L is 2.642 US gallons.
20 L is 5.283 US gallons.
5 US gallons is 18.927 liters.
Yes, slightly. 1 L is 1.057 US quarts.
100 L is 26.42 US gallons.
1 UK gallon is exactly 4.54609 liters.
References & Sources
| Source | Used For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| NIST, Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8 | US gallon = 3.785412 L; imperial gallon = 4.54609 L. | https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811/nist-guide-si-appendix-b-conversion-factors/nist-guide-si-appendix-b8 |
| NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement | US liquid gallon of 231 cubic inches and its subdivisions. | https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/nist-handbook-44-current-edition |