Looking for an answer to how many liters are in a gallon? This guide will tell you everything you need to know about liters, gallons, and how to convert gallons to liters.
How many liters are in a gallon?
A gallon is equal to 3.7854 liters. This refers to the US liquid gallons.
There are 3 different definitions of gallon and the number of liters in each may vary. In the US, US liquid gallons are the most commonly used to measure liquids.
Here are the gallons and equivalent liters in them.
- 1 US liquid gallon = 3.78541 liters
- 1 Imperial gallon = 4.54609 liters
- 1 US dry gallon = 4.405 liters
Measurement systems
There are two main systems of measurement – metric and imperial. The metric system is used in most countries while the imperial system is used in only a few countries (the US, Liberia, and Myanmar).
The metric system uses milliliters and liters for volume measurement while the imperial system uses fluid ounces, cups, quarts, pints, and gallons to measure volume.
What is a gallon?
A gallon is a measurement unit for volume, mainly used in the United States. A US liquid gallon which is commonly used in the US is equal to 3.78541 liters, or 128 fluid ounces.
Historically, the gallon’s size varied based on the substance being measured, leading to inconsistencies. At present, it has three different variations which are discussed below.
1. US liquid gallon
The US liquid gallon is defined as 231 cubic inches and is equivalent to 3.785 liters. It is the standard measurement used across the United States, with one U.S. liquid gallon comprising 128 US fluid ounces.
2. US dry gallon
The US dry gallon is not as frequently used. It is equivalent to 4.405 liters or one-eighth of a U.S. Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches.
3. Imperial gallon
Often referred to as the UK gallon, the imperial gallon is larger than the U.S. liquid and dry gallon, and is equal to 4.54609 liters or 277.42 cubic inches. One imperial gallon contains 160 imperial fluid ounces.
Despite the wide adoption of the metric system, some countries continue to use the imperial gallon for fuel measurement and calculating fuel efficiency (miles per gallon).
What is a liter?
A liter is equal to 0.264 gallons (in the US) and contains 1000 milliliters. It is a unit of volume in the metric system and is often written as “L”.
It came into existence during the French Revolution and was originally defined in 1795 as one cubic decimeter. However, it was redefined in 1901 as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at the temperature of its maximum density. Yet in 1964, the original definition of one cubic decimeter was brought back.
Although the liter has widespread global usage, there are a handful of exceptions, including the U.S., Liberia, and some other countries where the gallon is still the go-to volume measurement unit.
Liters vs gallons
Let’s briefly discuss the similarities and differences between liters and gallons
The differences between liters and gallons are:
- The liter is part of the metric system while the gallon is part of the imperial system.
- A liter is equal to 0.264 gallons and a gallon is equal to 3.7854 liters, thus a gallon is a bigger unit.
- Liters are more widely used as compared to gallons which are used in a few countries.
The similarities between the two are:
- Both liters and gallons are units of volume measurement.
- Both are mainly used to measure liquids.
How to convert gallons to liters?
One US liquid gallon is equal to 3.7854 liters. For converting US gallons to liters, we can multiply the gallons by 3.7854 to get the value in liters.
Here is an example? To convert 3 gallons to liters, we can multiply 3 by 3.7854.
3 gallons x 3.7854 = 11.3562 liters.
If you want to convert liters to gallons, check this conversion guide with charts or you can divide the value in liters by 3.7854 to get gallons.
Gallons to liters conversion with chart
Below you will find conversion charts that show the conversion of gallons to liters. Make sure to pin or save the chart for future reference.
The calculations below refer to the US liquid gallon.
- ¼ (quarter) gallon is equal to 0.946 liters
- ⅓ gallon is equal to 1.262 liters
- ½ (half) gallon is equal to 1.893 liters
- ¾ gallon is equal to 2.839 liters
- 1 gallon is equal to 3.7854 liters
- 1.5 gallons is equal to 5.678 liters
- 2 gallons is equal to 7.571 liters
- 2.5 gallons is equal to 9.464 liters
- 3 gallons is equal to 11.356 liters
- 3.5 gallons is equal to 13.249 liters
- 4 gallons is equal to 15.142 liters
- 4.5 gallons is equal to 17.034 liters
- 5 gallons is equal to 18.927 liters
- 6 gallons is equal to 22.713 liters
- 7 gallons is equal to 26.498 liters
- 8 gallons is equal to 30.283 liters
- 9 gallons is equal to 34.069 liters
- 10 gallons is equal to 37.854 liters
Other useful conversions of a gallon
- 1 gallon = 4 quarts
- 1 gallon = 8 pints
- 1 gallon = 16 cups
Frequently asked questions
The gallon size below refers to US liquid gallon unless specified otherwise.
- How many liters are in a half-gallon?
- There are 1.893 liters in a half-gallon.
- How many liters are in a gallon of water?
- One gallon of water has 3.7854 liters.
- How many liters are in a gallon of gas (gasoline)?
- There are 3.7854 liters in a gallon of gas.
- How many liters are in a gallon in the US?
- There are 3.7854 liters in a gallon in the US.
- How many liters are in a gallon in Canada?
- There are 4.546 liters in a gallon in Canada.
- How many liters are in an imperial gallon?
- There are 4.546 liters in an imperial gallon.
- Is a gallon bigger than a liter?
- Yes, a gallon is bigger than a liter. One gallon has 3.7854 liters in it.
- Are 4 liters equal to 1 gallon?
- No, 4 liters are not equal to one gallon. One US liquid gallon is smaller than 4 liters and an imperial gallon is bigger than 4 liters.
Takeaway
There are 3.7854 liters in one gallon (US liquid gallon). The number of liters in a gallon can vary depending on the type of gallon (whether it is a US liquid gallon, US dry gallon, or imperial gallon). To convert US liquid gallons to liters, multiply the number of gallons by 3.7854 to get the value in liters.
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