Looking for an answer to how many gallons are in a liter? How to convert liters to gallons? This detailed guide with conversion charts includes everything you need to know.
Liters and gallons are units of volume measurement. Their use varies from country to country depending on the measurement system adopted. The liter is the part of the metric system which is widely used in majority of the countries.
The gallon, on the other hand, is a part of the imperial system which is used in a few countries like the US, Myanmar, and Liberia. Nonetheless, the use of imperial gallons persists in several other countries as well.
How many gallons are in a liter?
There are 0.264 gallons in 1 liter and 3.785 liters in 1 gallon. This is true for US liquid gallons.
There are 3 different versions of a gallon (US liquid, US dry, and imperial) that are currently used and the answer to the above question may vary depending on that. US dry gallons are not commonly used.
Imperial gallons are used outside of the United States and are largely replaced by the metric system. One liter is equal to 0.2199 imperial gallons and one imperial gallon is equal to 4.546 liters.
What is a liter?
A liter is equal to 0.264 gallons (US), and 1000 milliliters. It is a unit of volume measurement and is part of the metric system. One liter is defined as one cubic decimeter or 1,000 cubic centimeters. Its abbreviation is ”L”.
The liter was introduced during the French Revolution as part of the new metric system. The first definition of a liter was established in 1795, and it was defined as one cubic decimeter. However, in 1901, it was redefined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at the temperature of its maximum density.
Later, in 1964, it was redefined again as one cubic decimeter, bringing it back to its original definition.
The liter is now used worldwide, except in the US, and a few other countries where the gallon is still in common use.
The liter is spelled “liter” in American English and “litre” in British English.
What is a gallon?
A gallon is a unit of volume measurement used primarily in the United States. In the United States for liquids, a gallon is equal to 3.78541 liters, and 128 fluid ounces. This is commonly referred to as the US liquid gallon.
The gallon has a long history and in olden times the size of the gallon was different depending on the product being measured. This led to a lot of inconsistencies. Today, there are three main definitions which are discussed below.
1. US liquid gallon
US liquid gallon is defined as 231 cubic inches and equates to approximately 3.785 liters. It is used commonly in the United States. 128 US fluid ounces make one US liquid gallon.
2. US dry gallon
This is not commonly used in the US. It is 4.405 liters or one-eighth of a US Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches.
3. Imperial gallon
The imperial gallon also referred to as the UK gallon is equal to 4.54609 liters or 277.42 cubic inches. It is larger than the US liquid gallon (about 1.2 times of US liquid gallon). One imperial gallon has 160 imperial fluid ounces.
The imperial gallon is largely replaced by the metric system, however, it is still used to measure fuel and fuel efficiency (as miles per gallon) in some countries.
To summarize, the number of gallons of different versions in one liter = 0.264 US liquid gallons, 0.2199 imperial gallons, and 0.227 US dry gallons.
How to convert liters to gallons?
The liter is part of the metric system and gallons are part of the imperial system so here we are converting between two different systems (just like kilograms to pounds or grams to ounces).
Converting between liters and gallons requires you to know just one thing – either the number of liters in a gallon or the number of gallons in a liter.
For the conversions, we will use the US liquid gallon size. One liter is equal to 0.264 gallons, so to convert any number of liters to gallons you can multiply by 0.264. For example, How many liters are in 5 gallons? For this, we will multiply 0.264 by 5.
0.264 gallons x 5 = 1.32 liters.
Another way of doing the same: We know there are 3.785 liters in a gallon. So, 1 liter will be 1 divided by 3.785, which is 1/3.785 = 0.264 gallons
5 liters will be 5 divided by 3.785 = 1.32 gallons
Liters to gallons conversions with chart
Below you will find conversion charts that show the conversion of several values of liters to gallons. There is mention of US or imperial gallons, however, if you find gallons without clear designation, assume them as US liquid gallons.
You can save or pin this chart for future use.
All the conversions below include US liquid gallons.
- 0.5 liters is equal to 0.132 gallons
- 1 liter is equal to 0.264 gallons
- 1.5 liters is equal to 0.396 gallons
- 2 liters is equal to 0.528 gallons (around half a gallon)
- 2.5 liters is equal to 0.66 gallons
- 3 liters is equal to 0.793 gallons
- 3.5 liters is equal to 0.925 gallons
- 4 liters is equal to 1.056 gallons (around 1 gallon)
- 4.5 liters is equal to 1.189 gallons
- 5 liters is equal to 1.321 gallons
- 6 liters is equal to 1.585 gallons
- 7 liters is equal to 1.849 gallons
- 8 liters is equal to 2.113 gallons
- 9 liters is equal to 2.378 gallons
- 10 liters is equal to 2.642 gallons
- 15 liters is equal to 3.963 gallons
- 20 liters is equal to 5.283 gallons
- 25 liters is equal to 6.602 gallons
How to convert gallons to liters?
One gallon is equal to 3.785 liters (for US liquid gallon). So, to convert gallons to liters, multiply the number of gallons by 3.785. For example, the conversion of 5 gallons to liters:
5 gallons x 3.785 = 18.93 liters.
Other useful kitchen conversions of liter
Here are some other conversions of liter which may be useful.
- 1 liter = 33.814 US fluid ounces
- 1 liter = 4.23 US cups
- 1 liter = 2.113 US pints
- 1 liter = 1.057 US quarts
One liter is slightly larger than a US liquid quart. For rough estimates, you can use a quart in place of a liter. However, if you require precise measurements, you should measure an ingredient and use it.
Takeaway
There are different versions or definitions of gallons, so one should take them into account before making a conversion of liters to gallons.
In the US, US liquid gallon is the one that is commonly used. So, there are 0.264 gallons in one liter in the US.
More conversion guides: