Liters to Gallons Converter
Convert liters to US gallons (L to gal), with imperial gallons compared
1 liter = 0.264172 US gallons. To convert liters to gallons, divide the liters by 3.785411784, the exact number of liters in a US gallon.
Liters to Gallons (US) converter
LiveUS liquid gallon = 3.785411784 L exactly.
- 1.0566882 qt
- 2.1133764 pt
- 4.2267528 cup
- 0.21996925 imp gal
- 0.035314667 ft³
How to convert liters to gallons
A US gallon is defined as exactly 231 cubic inches. With the inch fixed at 2.54 cm, that works out to exactly 3.785411784 L. Divide liters by 3.785411784 and you get US gallons; multiplying by 0.264172 gives the same answer to six figures. 20 L, for example, is 5.2834 US gal. Quarts, pints, cubic feet and every other volume unit are on the volume converter.
The trap is that the UK gallon is different. The imperial gallon, still used in the UK for some fuel economy figures and in older recipes, is exactly 4.54609 L, about 20% larger than the US gallon. So 20 L is only 4.3994 imperial gallons. Choose Imperial gallon (UK) on the Gallon switch above for UK figures; the table below shows both. If you are working with car fuel figures, the L/100 km to mpg converter handles the US and UK versions of mpg.
Step by step
- Take the volume in liters.
- Divide by 3.785411784 for US gallons (or by 4.54609 for imperial gallons).
- Round to two or three decimals.
See it on a scale
Worked examples
A 4 L jug of milk or paint, a 50 L car fuel tank and a 208 L steel drum.
4 L ÷ 3.785411784 = 1.0566882 gal
= 1.0566882 gal
50 L ÷ 3.785411784 = 13.208603 gal
= 13.208603 gal
208 L ÷ 3.785411784 = 54.947787 gal
= 54.947787 gal
Why are US and imperial gallons different sizes?
The United States kept the English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, now exactly 3.785411784 L, while Britain replaced it in 1824 with a new imperial gallon, now exactly 4.54609 L.
Before 1824 England had several gallons in use at once, including the 231 in³ wine gallon and a larger ale gallon of 282 in³ (4.621 L). The Weights and Measures Act 1824 swept them away and defined the imperial gallon as the volume of 10 pounds of distilled water at 62 °F. The United States, independent by then, carried on with the wine gallon and never adopted the British reform.
The result is a gap of about 20.1%: one imperial gallon equals 1.20095 US gallons. The split runs all the way down to the small units, since an imperial pint holds 20 imperial fluid ounces against 16 US fluid ounces in a US pint. The cups to fluid ounces converter covers those kitchen-sized measures.
How many liters are in a barrel of oil?
A barrel of oil holds 42 US gallons, which is exactly 158.987294928 liters, or about 159 L. Crude oil prices, production and reserves are all quoted in these barrels (symbol bbl).
The oil barrel is a unit of measure rather than a container you are likely to see. Crude moves by tanker and pipeline, and the 42-gallon figure survives from the early US oil industry. The steel drums in workshops are a different size: a standard 208 L drum holds about 54.95 US gallons, or 1.31 barrels.
| Amount | Liters | US gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 barrel (bbl) | 158.99 L | 42 gal |
| 1 cubic meter | 1,000 L | 264.17 gal (6.2898 bbl) |
| 1,000 barrels | 158,987.29 L | 42,000 gal |
In metric countries, oil volumes are often reported in cubic meters instead, so the cubic-meter row is the one to remember when comparing statistics from different sources.
How do I convert liters to gallons in Excel or Google Sheets?
With liters in A2, enter =A2/3.785411784 for US gallons or =A2/4.54609 for imperial gallons; =CONVERT(A2,"l","gal") also returns US gallons in both programs.
- Round to two decimals:
=ROUND(A2/3.785411784,2), so a 60 L tank shows 15.85. - Both gallons side by side: put
=A2/3.785411784in B2 and=A2/4.54609in C2, then fill both down the column. - Gallons back to liters:
=A2*3.785411784. - With the unit shown:
=TEXT(A2/3.785411784,"0.00")&" gal"displays 20 L as 5.28 gal. - Milliliters first: if the data is in mL, divide by 1,000 inside the formula, as in
=A2/1000/3.785411784.
In CONVERT, gal always means the US liquid gallon. A UK spreadsheet that relies on it will show about 20% more gallons than the imperial figure, so use the 4.54609 divisor for anything British.
Liters to US gallons conversion chart
Common liter amounts, from a bottle to a 1,000 L tote, converted to US gallons at four decimal places. For smaller amounts, the mL to liters converter comes first.
| Liters (L) | Gallons (US) (gal) |
|---|---|
| 0.5 L | 0.1321 gal |
| 1 L | 0.2642 gal |
| 2 L | 0.5283 gal |
| 3 L | 0.7925 gal |
| 3.785 L | 0.9999 gal |
| 4 L | 1.0567 gal |
| 5 L | 1.3209 gal |
| 6 L | 1.585 gal |
| 8 L | 2.1134 gal |
| 10 L | 2.6417 gal |
| 12 L | 3.1701 gal |
| 15 L | 3.9626 gal |
| 19 L | 5.0193 gal |
| 20 L | 5.2834 gal |
| 25 L | 6.6043 gal |
| 30 L | 7.9252 gal |
| 40 L | 10.5669 gal |
| 45 L | 11.8877 gal |
| 50 L | 13.2086 gal |
| 55 L | 14.5295 gal |
| 60 L | 15.8503 gal |
| 65 L | 17.1712 gal |
| 70 L | 18.492 gal |
| 75 L | 19.8129 gal |
| 80 L | 21.1338 gal |
| 90 L | 23.7755 gal |
| 100 L | 26.4172 gal |
| 150 L | 39.6258 gal |
| 200 L | 52.8344 gal |
| 500 L | 132.086 gal |
| 1,000 L | 264.1721 gal |
Liters vs gallons: what is the difference?
The liter is a metric unit tied to the meter, and the US gallon is a customary unit tied to the inch. Here is how they compare beyond the conversion factor.
| Attribute | Liters | Gallons (US) |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | L | gal |
| System | Metric | US customary |
| Defined as | 1 L (0.001 m³) | 231 in³ (3.785411784 L) |
| One unit equals | 0.26417205 gal | 3.7854118 L |
| Standardized by | BIPM; the CGPM fixed 1 L as exactly 1 dm³ in 1964 | NIST Handbook 44 in the US |
| Divides into | 1,000 milliliters | 4 quarts, 8 pints, 16 cups or 128 US fluid ounces |
| Same name, other sizes | None; a liter is identical everywhere | Imperial gallon (4.54609 L) and US dry gallon (about 4.405 L) |
| Where it is used | Fuel, drinks and engine sizes in nearly every country, including Canada and the UK | US fuel pumps, milk and water jugs, and EPA fuel-economy labels |
| Typical everyday values | 1.5 L water bottle; 50 L car fuel tank | 1 gal milk jug; 5 gal water-cooler bottle |
5 key differences
- A US gallon is 3.785 times the size of a liter, so a gallon figure is always much smaller than the liter figure for the same volume.
- The liter is defined from the meter (one cubic decimeter), while the US gallon is defined from the inch (231 cubic inches).
- Liters split decimally into milliliters, whereas gallons halve repeatedly into quarts, pints and cups.
- Fuel economy in liter countries is quoted as liters per 100 km, which falls as efficiency improves, while the US quotes miles per gallon, which rises.
- Only the gallon changes size between the US and the UK; the liter never needs a country label.
Liters to US gallons vs imperial gallons
The same liter amount gives about 20% more US gallons than imperial gallons. The last column shows the gap. 18.9 L is a standard 5 US gallon water-cooler bottle and 208 L is a 55 US gallon drum.
| Liters | US gallons | Imperial gallons | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 L | 0.264 US gal | 0.22 imp gal | 0.044 gal |
| 2 L | 0.528 US gal | 0.44 imp gal | 0.088 gal |
| 4 L | 1.057 US gal | 0.88 imp gal | 0.177 gal |
| 5 L | 1.321 US gal | 1.1 imp gal | 0.221 gal |
| 10 L | 2.642 US gal | 2.2 imp gal | 0.442 gal |
| 18.9 L | 4.993 US gal | 4.157 imp gal | 0.835 gal |
| 20 L | 5.283 US gal | 4.399 imp gal | 0.884 gal |
| 25 L | 6.604 US gal | 5.499 imp gal | 1.105 gal |
| 40 L | 10.567 US gal | 8.799 imp gal | 1.768 gal |
| 50 L | 13.209 US gal | 10.998 imp gal | 2.21 gal |
| 60 L | 15.85 US gal | 13.198 imp gal | 2.652 gal |
| 75 L | 19.813 US gal | 16.498 imp gal | 3.315 gal |
| 100 L | 26.417 US gal | 21.997 imp gal | 4.42 gal |
| 208 L | 54.948 US gal | 45.754 imp gal | 9.194 gal |
| 500 L | 132.086 US gal | 109.985 imp gal | 22.101 gal |
| 1,000 L | 264.172 US gal | 219.969 imp gal | 44.203 gal |
How big is a gallon: US, imperial or dry?
It depends which gallon you mean: the US liquid gallon is exactly 3.785411784 L, the imperial gallon exactly 4.54609 L and the US dry gallon about 4.4049 L.
- US liquid gallon: exactly 231 in³. It is the gallon for fuel, milk and water in the US, and it holds 4 quarts, 8 pints, 16 cups or 128 US fluid ounces.
- Imperial gallon: exactly 4.54609 L, the value set by the UK Weights and Measures Act 1985. It holds 160 imperial fluid ounces or 8 imperial pints, and you still meet it in UK fuel-economy figures and older Canadian ones.
- US dry gallon: 268.8025 in³. It is rarely used today except as the basis for dry pints and quarts of produce.
So when someone says “gallon”, check where the figure comes from. A UK car rated at 50 miles per imperial gallon only manages about 41.6 miles per US gallon, because the US gallon is smaller.
Aquarium sizes: US gallons in liters and water weight
Aquariums are sold by US gallons. Here is each common size in liters, with the approximate weight of the water alone (1 L of fresh water ≈ 1 kg). Add the tank, gravel and stand, and check your floor before placing a large tank.
| Tank size | Liters | Water (kg) | Water (lb) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 US gal | 18.9 L | 18.9 kg | 42 lb |
| 10 US gal | 37.9 L | 37.9 kg | 83 lb |
| 20 US gal | 75.7 L | 75.7 kg | 167 lb |
| 29 US gal | 109.8 L | 109.8 kg | 242 lb |
| 40 US gal | 151.4 L | 151.4 kg | 334 lb |
| 55 US gal | 208.2 L | 208.2 kg | 459 lb |
| 75 US gal | 283.9 L | 283.9 kg | 626 lb |
| 125 US gal | 473.2 L | 473.2 kg | 1,043 lb |
How can you estimate liters to gallons without a calculator?
Divide the liters by 4 and add 5% of the result for US gallons, or multiply by 0.22 for imperial gallons. Both land within about 1% of the exact answer.
- Divide by 4, then add 5%. 1/4 is about −5.4% below the true factor; adding 5% brings it within 1%. 60 L → 15 + 0.75 = 15.75 US gal (exact: 15.85).
- Imperial gallons: multiply by 0.22. 0.22 is almost exactly 1/4.54609, so 50 L ≈ 11 imp gal (exact: 10.998).
- Water weight: a US gallon of water is about 8.35 lb, and an imperial gallon about 10.02 lb. The kg to lbs converter handles other weights.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using the US factor on a UK or Canadian figure, or the other way round.
- Multiplying by 3.785 when you mean to divide. Gallons are the bigger unit, so the number of gallons is always smaller than the liters.
- Converting fuel economy with a volume factor alone. Fuel economy inverts between the systems; the mpg to L/100 km converter does it correctly.
Sources and further reading
The standards and references behind the numbers on this page. Links open in a new tab.
Standards and official sources
- NIST Handbook 44: Specifications, Tolerances and Other Technical RequirementsNIST
- NIST SP 811: Guide for the Use of the International System of UnitsNIST
- Weights and Measures Act 1985legislation.gov.uk
- The International System of Units (SI Brochure)BIPM
- General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM)BIPM
Liters to gallons FAQs
Short, exact answers to what people ask most.
How many gallons is 1 liter?
One liter is 0.264172 US gallons, a little over a quarter of a gallon. It is 0.219969 imperial gallons.
How many liters are in a gallon?
A US gallon is exactly 3.785411784 liters. An imperial (UK) gallon is exactly 4.54609 liters.
How many gallons is 20 liters?
20 liters is 5.2834 US gallons, or 4.3994 imperial gallons.
How many gallons is a 50 liter fuel tank?
A 50 liter tank holds 13.21 US gallons, or 11 imperial gallons.
Is 4 liters a gallon?
Close, but not quite. 4 liters is 1.0567 US gallons, about 5.7% more than one gallon. A US gallon is 3.785 L.
Is a UK gallon bigger than a US gallon?
Yes. An imperial gallon is 4.54609 L and a US gallon is 3.785411784 L, so the UK gallon is about 20% larger.
How many gallons is 100 liters?
100 liters is 26.4172 US gallons, or 21.9969 imperial gallons.
How many gallons is 5 liters?
5 liters is 1.32086 US gallons, about 1⅓ gallons. In imperial gallons it is 1.09985.
How many gallons is 1,000 liters?
1,000 liters, one cubic meter, is 264.172 US gallons or 219.969 imperial gallons. It is a common size for an IBC tote.
How many gallons is 3 liters?
3 liters is 0.792516 US gallons, a little over three quarters of a gallon.
Related conversions
US gallon (231 in³) from NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C, and the 42-gallon petroleum barrel from NIST SP 811; the imperial gallon (4.54609 L) from the UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 and its origin in the Weights and Measures Act 1824; the liter as one cubic decimeter from the BIPM SI Brochure. Last updated . How we verify our numbers.