To convert liters to US gallons, divide by 3.785 (or multiply by 0.264172). So 10 liters is 2.64 US gallons, 50 liters is 13.21 gallons and 100 liters is 26.42 gallons. If you mean UK (imperial) gallons, divide by 4.546 instead, and 10 liters becomes 2.20 gallons. Check which gallon you need first, because the two differ by 20%.
How many liters are in a gallon? #
| Gallon | Liters | Defined as |
|---|---|---|
| US gallon | 3.785411784 L | 231 cubic inches, exactly |
| UK (imperial) gallon | 4.54609 L | 4.54609 L, exactly |
The US gallon is 231 cubic inches, and since the inch is exactly 2.54 cm, that works out to exactly 3.785411784 liters (NIST SP 811). The UK gallon is defined directly in liters by the Weights and Measures Act 1985. One imperial gallon is 1.2009 US gallons.
The mental shortcut #
Liters to US gallons: divide by 4, then add about 6%. 40 L ÷ 4 = 10, plus 0.6 gives 10.6 gallons (exact: 10.57). If that’s too fiddly, multiply by 0.26, which runs about 1.6% low.
US gallons to liters: multiply by 3.8. 15 gallons becomes 57 L (exact: 56.78). That’s only 0.4% high, close enough for filling anything.
Liters to gallons chart #
| Liters | US gallons | UK gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.264 | 0.220 |
| 2 | 0.528 | 0.440 |
| 4 | 1.057 | 0.880 |
| 5 | 1.321 | 1.100 |
| 10 | 2.642 | 2.200 |
| 15 | 3.963 | 3.300 |
| 20 | 5.283 | 4.399 |
| 25 | 6.604 | 5.499 |
| 40 | 10.567 | 8.799 |
| 50 | 13.209 | 10.998 |
| 60 | 15.850 | 13.198 |
| 75 | 19.813 | 16.498 |
| 100 | 26.417 | 21.997 |
| 200 | 52.834 | 43.994 |
| 1,000 | 264.172 | 219.969 |
Gallons to liters chart #
| Gallons | US gallons in liters | UK gallons in liters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 1.89 | 2.27 |
| 1 | 3.79 | 4.55 |
| 2 | 7.57 | 9.09 |
| 5 | 18.93 | 22.73 |
| 10 | 37.85 | 45.46 |
| 12 | 45.42 | 54.55 |
| 15 | 56.78 | 68.19 |
| 20 | 75.71 | 90.92 |
| 29 | 109.78 | 131.84 |
| 40 | 151.42 | 181.84 |
| 50 | 189.27 | 227.30 |
| 55 | 208.20 | 250.03 |
| 100 | 378.54 | 454.61 |
Where you’ll meet this conversion #
Fuel. US pumps sell by the gallon, and most of the world sells by the liter. A 45 L fill-up in Canada is 11.9 US gallons. To compare prices, multiply the price per liter by 3.785: 1.60 per liter is 6.06 per US gallon. Fuel economy has its own awkward conversion, covered in mpg to L/100km.
Aquariums. US tanks are sold by the gallon, European ones by the liter. A 20-gallon tank holds 75.7 L, a 29-gallon tank 109.8 L and a 55-gallon tank 208.2 L. That’s the glass volume. Once you add substrate and decorations, the water volume is less, which matters when you dose treatments.
Water heaters and drums. A 40-gallon US water heater holds 151 L and a 50-gallon one 189 L. A 55-gallon drum is 208 L.
Water jugs and buckets. A 5-gallon water-cooler jug or hardware-store bucket is 18.9 L, which is why the same jugs are sold as “19 L” elsewhere.
What about quarts and pints? #
The US gallon divides into 4 quarts, 8 pints or 16 cups:
| US unit | Liters |
|---|---|
| 1 gallon | 3.785 |
| 1 quart | 0.946 |
| 1 pint | 0.473 |
| 1 cup | 0.237 |
A liter is 1.057 US quarts, just a little more than a quart. That’s why a 1-liter bottle and a 1-quart carton look nearly the same on a shelf. The UK splits its larger gallon the same way, 4 quarts or 8 pints, so a UK pint is 568 mL. The full comparison is in US gallon vs imperial gallon.
Worked examples #
Your car’s tank holds 60 L and you want gallons. 60 ÷ 3.785 = 15.85 US gallons.
A British recipe for a big batch of stock calls for 2 gallons of water. That’s imperial: 2 × 4.546 = 9.09 L, or 2.4 US gallons.
You’re buying a 200 L rain barrel. 200 ÷ 3.785 = 52.8 US gallons.
A US paint can says 1 gallon covers 400 square feet. In metric, that’s 3.79 L for about 37 square meters.
Converting liters and gallons on your phone #
Convert Units Calculator converts liters, milliliters and cubic meters to US gallons, quarts, pints, cups and fluid ounces in its Volume category, all using the exact 3.785411784 L gallon. Version 1.0.5 adds UK gallons, pints and fluid ounces beside the US ones, so you can see both gallon answers at once instead of guessing which one a source meant. It works offline, which helps at a foreign fuel station.
For smaller volumes, see ml to oz.
Frequently asked questions #
How many liters are in a gallon? #
A US gallon is 3.785 liters (exactly 3.785411784). An imperial (UK) gallon is 4.546 liters (exactly 4.54609).
How many gallons is 1 liter? #
One liter is 0.264 US gallons, or 0.220 imperial gallons. It takes about 3.8 liters to make a US gallon.
Is 4 liters a gallon? #
Close. 4 liters is 1.057 US gallons, about 5.7% more than a gallon. Some countries sell milk in 4 L jugs, which hold slightly more than a US gallon jug.
How many gallons is 20 liters? #
20 liters is 5.28 US gallons or 4.40 imperial gallons.
How many liters are in a 5-gallon bucket? #
A 5 US gallon bucket holds 18.9 liters when filled to its rated capacity.