U. S. Capacity Measurement Conversion Reference
U. S. Capacity Measurement Conversion Reference
This table provides conversions between various units of
capacity measurement. Some of the smaller measures are commonly found in cooking
recipes.
U. S. Liquid Capacity Measures
Convert From->
Convert To \/ |
Milliliter (ml) |
Teaspoon (t or tsp) |
Tablespoon (T, Tbl, or Tbsp) |
Fluid Ounce (fl oz) |
Cup (C) |
Pint (pt) |
Quart (qt) |
Liter (l) |
Gallon (gal) |
Milliliter (ml) Official |
|
4.927
|
14.781
|
29.5625
|
236.5 |
473 |
946 |
1,000 |
3,785 |
Milliliter (ml) Household (see
notes) |
|
5 |
15 |
30 |
240 to 250 |
480 to 500 |
960 to 1,000 |
1,000 |
|
Teaspoon (t or tsp) |
2.02963 e-1 |
|
3 |
6 |
48 |
96 |
192 |
202.963 |
768 |
Tablespoon (T, Tbl, or Tbsp) |
6.76544 e-2 |
0.33333 |
|
2 |
16 |
32 |
64 |
67.6544 |
256 |
Fluid Ounce (fl oz) |
3.38266 e-2 |
0.16667 |
0.5 |
|
8 |
16 |
32 |
33.8266 |
128 |
Cup (C) |
4.22833 e-3 |
2.08333 e-2 |
0.0625 |
0.125 |
|
2 |
4 |
4.22833 |
16 |
Pint (pt) |
2.11416 e-3 |
1.04167 e-2 |
3.125 e-2 |
0.0625 |
0.5 |
|
2 |
2.11416 |
8 |
Quart (qt) |
1.05708 e-3 |
5.20833 e-3 |
1.5625 e-2 |
3.125 e-2 |
0.25 |
0.5 |
|
1.05708 |
4 |
Liter (l) |
0.001 |
4.927 e-3 |
1.4781 e-2 |
2.95625 e-2 |
2.365 e-1 |
4.73 e-1 |
9.46 e-1 |
|
3.785 |
Gallon (Gal) |
2.64201 e-4 |
1.30208 e-3 |
3.90625 e-3 |
7.8125 e-3 |
0.0625 |
0.125 |
0.25 |
0.264201 |
|
U. S. Dry Capacity Measures |
Convert From->
Convert To \/ |
Milliliter (ml) |
Teaspoon (t or tsp) |
Tablespoon (T, Tbl, or Tbsp) |
Cup (C) |
Pint (pt) |
Liter (qt) |
Quart (qt) |
Peck (pk) |
Bushel (bu) |
Milliliter (ml) Official |
|
5.7292 |
17.18175 |
275 |
550 |
1,000 |
1,101 |
8,809 |
35,238 |
Milliliter (ml) Household (see
notes) |
|
5 |
15 |
240 to 250 |
480 to 500 |
1,000 |
960 to 1,000 |
|
|
Teaspoon (t or tsp) |
2.02963 e-1 |
|
3 |
48 |
96 |
202.963 |
192 |
1,536 |
6.144 |
Tablespoon (T, Tbl, or Tbsp) |
6.76544 e-2 |
3.33333 e-1 |
|
16 |
32 |
67.6544 |
64 |
512 |
2,048 |
Cup (C) |
4.22833 e-3 |
2.08333 e-2 |
6.25 e-2 |
|
2 |
4.22833 |
4 |
32 |
128 |
Pint (pt) |
2.11416 e-3 |
1.04167 e-2 |
3.125 e-2 |
0.5 |
|
2.11416 |
2 |
16 |
64 |
Liter (l) |
1.101 e-3 |
5.7292 e-3 |
1.71818 e-2 |
2.75 e-1 |
5.50 e-1 |
|
1.101 |
8.809 |
35.238 |
Quart (qt) |
9.08265 e-4 |
5.20833 e-3 |
1.5625 e-2 |
0.25 |
0.5 |
9.0825 e-1 |
|
8 |
32 |
Peck (pk) |
1.1352 e-4 |
6.51042 e-4 |
1.95313 e-3 |
3.125 e-2 |
6.25 e-2 |
1.1352 e-1 |
0.125 |
|
4 |
Bushel (bu) |
2.83785 e-5 |
1.6276 e-4 |
4.88281 e-4 |
7.8125 e-3 |
1.5625 e-2 |
2.83785 e-2 |
0.03125 |
0.25 |
|
How to use the table
Locate the unit of measure that you want to convert
from along the top of the chart. Then look down that column until you
reach the row of the unit of measure that you wish to convert to. The
number at the intersection of column and row is the conversion multiplier.
For example, if you have a recipe that calls for 7 cups of water and you need
to convert that to quarts, look down the "quart" column in the Liquid Capacity
Measures table until you find the "cup" row, where you will find the value 0.25.
Multiply 7 by 0.25 and you will find that 7 cups equals 1.75 quarts.
If the recipe called for two pecks of flour and you want to find that in
cups, look down the "pecks" column in the Dry Capacity Measures table until you
find the "cup" row, where you will find the value 32. Multiply 2 by 32 and you
will find that 2 pecks equals 64 cups.
Conversions between capacity measurement systems
Capacity conversions
are complicated because dry capacity measures are different than liquid capacity
measures, and the U. S. English and British English (U. K.) Capacity measures
aren't the same either.
For example, a U. S. Liquid Capacity measures for a cup equals 236.5
milliliters, while a U. S. Dry Capacity measure for a cup contains 275
milliliters.
It should be mentioned that within the U. S. English and British English (U.
K.) dry or liquid capacity measures, ratios remain the same. That is, a cup
contains 48 teaspoons in U. S. dry and liquid measurement systems, and in U. K.
dry and liquid measurement systems. This means that if you stay within the
relative confines of one of these systems, you won't encounter the ugly
realities of absolute capacity measurements that are encountered when you
attempt to convert between any of the capacity measuring systems, including to
or from metric measures. It does mean that a recipe sent to someone living in
the US from a relative in the UK may have some conversion problems if metric
measures were not used.
In the metric system, the measures (Liter, Milliliter) represent the same
amount of capacity regardless of whether the material being measured is dry or
liquid. Subsequently, it can be easier to convert from one of the English
systems to another by first converting to metric, and then converting to the
desired English measurement system.
Notes:
- Measuring cups and spoons that are sold today in the United States are
typically really the same containers sold for measuring fractions of liters in
other countries, but for the U. S. market they also have a heavily rounded U.
S. English equivalent measure printed on them.
For example, a metal container for measuring one cup is probably actually a
250 ml (1/4 Liter) measuring cup, which is about 6% larger than the
traditional cup for liquids, and smaller for dry materials. That error is
usually small enough as to not cause problems in typical food recipes. Modern
Tablespoons and Teaspoons are also typically slightly larger (or smaller) than
claimed, actually holding 15 ml and 5 ml respectively. The most commonly used
"rounded" values are shown in the "Household" Liters and Milliliters rows of
the table.
This inaccuracy is why medical personnel do not like patients using kitchen
spoons to measure out liquid medicines, because the resulting dose can vary
considerably from what was prescribed.
- Some values are shown in scientific notation, which is a number followed
by the letter "e" and a value, which indicates the number of positions to the
left or right the decimal point actually goes. If the sign following the "e"
is negative, it means the decimal point must be moved to the left by the
stated number of positions. For example, 2.64201e-4 really represents the
value 0.000264201.
- British (U. K.) Capacity measures differ from the U. S. measures shown
above. For example, the Imperial Gallon contains 4.545 Liters, while the U. S.
Gallon contains 3.785 Liters.
Imprecise Measurements
Barrel - 31 U. S. gallons of fermented beverage or 42 U. S. gallons of
petroleum.
Keg - 30 gallons or less.
Pinch - Traditionally the amount of a powdered ingredient that can be grasped
between the thumb and finger. Typically only used with dry ingredients.
Taste - An amount of salt, spice or other seasoning added to a cooking recipe
that alters the taste in a desired way, as in "Season to Taste". The amount of
material actually used varies based on a number of factors, including the batch
size.
Related Topics
Length and
Distance Measurement Conversion Reference (HTML)
Area
Measurement Conversions (HTML)
Computing
the size of Non-Square Areas (HTML)
This is the place for new code to END