Convert between all imperial volume units — fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons — for US and British systems with scale chart and comparison table.
The imperial measurement system uses fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons as its primary volume units. Confusingly, the US and British versions of this system use the same names but different sizes — a US fluid ounce is 29.574 mL while a British fluid ounce is 28.413 mL. This gap compounds as units get larger: a British gallon is 20 % bigger than a US gallon.
Our Imperial Volume Converter lets you pick any imperial unit, choose US or British, and instantly see the value in all other imperial units plus milliliters, liters, teaspoons, and tablespoons. A volume-scale bar chart shows where your quantity sits relative to common containers, and a side-by-side table compares US and British unit sizes for every denomination.
This is the go-to tool for cooks, bartenders, and anyone working with recipes or product specs from different English-speaking countries. Check the example with realistic values before reporting.
Misunderstanding US vs. British imperial sizes can ruin recipes and cause shipping errors. This converter shows both systems side-by-side and provides 9 parallel outputs including metric equivalents. Keep these notes focused on your operational context. Tie the context to the calculator’s intended domain. Use this clarification to avoid ambiguous interpretation. Align this note with review checkpoints.
US hierarchy: 1 gal = 4 qt = 8 pt = 16 cups = 128 fl oz British: same ratios, but 1 UK fl oz = 28.413 mL (vs. 29.574 US)
Result: 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 fl oz = 946.353 mL
One US quart equals 2 pints, 4 cups, or 32 fluid ounces. In metric, that's 946.353 mL—about 5 % less than a liter.
The ladder from fluid ounce to gallon follows powers of 2: 2 tbsp = 1 fl oz, 8 fl oz = 1 cup, 2 cups = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart, 4 quarts = 1 gallon. Understanding this chain lets you scale any recipe up or down efficiently.
Before 1824, England and its colonies used inconsistent measures. The British Imperial Weights and Measures Act of 1824 redefined units based on the Imperial gallon (the volume of 10 pounds of water at 62 °F). The US retained the older Queen Anne gallon (231 cubic inches). This divergence created the 20 % gap between US and UK gallons that persists today.
British cookbooks using "cups" yield larger portions than the same recipe interpreted with US cups. A cake calling for 2 cups flour (UK: 568 mL) versus (US: 473 mL) will differ by nearly half a US cup of flour—enough to change texture noticeably. Always confirm the recipe's country of origin before measuring.
No. A US cup is 236.588 mL; a British cup (half an imperial pint) is 284.131 mL—about 20 % larger.
US: 128 fl oz. British: 160 fl oz (but a smaller fl oz, so the gallon is 20 % larger).
Both descended from old English measures but diverged after American independence. The US kept older definitions while Britain reformed in 1824.
Multiply the imperial quantity by its mL factor (e.g., 1 US cup × 236.588 = 236.588 mL).
A gill is ¼ pint—118.294 mL (US) or 142.065 mL (UK). Rarely used today except in some cocktail recipes.
Mostly: US, UK, and most countries use 15 mL. Australia uses 20 mL.