Liters to Gallons Converter
Liters to Gallons Conversion Chart (US Liquid Gallon)
| Liters | US Gallons | UK (Imperial) Gallons |
|---|---|---|
| 1 L | 0.2642 gal | 0.22 gal |
| 1.75 L | 0.4623 gal | 0.3849 gal |
| 2 L | 0.5283 gal | 0.4399 gal |
| 3 L | 0.7925 gal | 0.6599 gal |
| 4 L | 1.0567 gal | 0.8799 gal |
| 5 L | 1.3209 gal | 1.0998 gal |
| 10 L | 2.6417 gal | 2.1997 gal |
| 20 L | 5.2834 gal | 4.3994 gal |
| 38 L | 10.0385 gal | 8.3588 gal |
| 50 L | 13.2086 gal | 10.9985 gal |
| 100 L | 26.4172 gal | 21.9969 gal |
A “gallon” is not one fixed size worldwide — the US liquid gallon and the UK (imperial) gallon differ by about 20%. Use the calculator above to pick the correct gallon type before relying on a result.
Popular Liters to Gallons Conversions
Converting liters to gallons trips people up because “gallon” doesn’t mean one fixed size everywhere. The calculator above converts liters to US liquid gallons, UK (imperial) gallons, and US dry gallons, and it works in reverse too, so you can convert gallons back to liters from the same box. Type any amount, pick the gallon type that matches your country or your container, and switch direction with the ⇅ button when you need to go the other way.
Below the tool you’ll find the exact formulas for each gallon type, step-by-step working, a conversion chart, and direct answers for the specific amounts people search most often — including 1.75, 2, 3, 4, 5, 38, and 100 liters. There’s also a clear explanation of why a US gallon and a UK gallon give different answers for the same amount of liquid, and how gallons relate to quarts, pints, and cups.
How to Convert Liters to Gallons
A liter is a metric unit of volume. A gallon is a customary unit used mainly in the United States (in two versions — liquid and dry) and historically across the UK and Commonwealth (the imperial gallon). Because a gallon holds more liquid than a liter, converting liters to gallons always produces a smaller number than the amount of liters you started with.
Liters to US Gallons Formula
US Gallons = Liters ÷ 3.78541
Where:
- Liters = the volume you’re starting with, in liters (L)
- 3.78541 = the number of liters in exactly 1 US liquid gallon
- US Gallons = the result, in US liquid gallons (gal)
Suppose you have 10 liters and want to know how many US gallons that is:
US Gallons = 10 ÷ 3.78541 = 2.6417 gal
So 10 liters is about 2.64 US gallons.
Liters to UK (Imperial) Gallons Formula
UK Gallons = Liters ÷ 4.54609
The imperial gallon is larger than the US gallon, so dividing by the bigger number (4.54609 instead of 3.78541) gives a smaller result for the same amount of liters. Using the same 10 liters:
UK Gallons = 10 ÷ 4.54609 = 2.1997 gal
10 liters is about 2.64 US gallons, but only about 2.20 imperial (UK) gallons — the same volume of liquid, two different numbers, depending on which gallon you mean.
Common Liters to Gallons Conversions
These are the exact amounts people look up most, calculated with the US liquid gallon (3.78541 L) unless noted otherwise. Use the calculator above if you need the imperial (UK) or US dry gallon equivalent for any of these.
Popular Liter Amounts Converted to Gallons
1.75 Liters to Gallons
1.75 ÷ 3.78541 = 0.4623 gal (about 0.46 US gallons). In imperial gallons, 1.75 L = 0.3849 UK gal. A 1.75-liter bottle is a common size for spirits in the US, which is why this exact amount gets searched so often.
2 Liters to Gallons
2 ÷ 3.78541 = 0.5283 gal (about 0.53 US gallons, or 0.44 imperial gallons).
3 Liters to Gallons
3 ÷ 3.78541 = 0.7925 gal (about 0.79 US gallons, or 0.66 imperial gallons).
4 Liters to Gallons
4 ÷ 3.78541 = 1.0567 gal (a little over 1 US gallon — 0.88 imperial gallons).
5 Liters to Gallons
5 ÷ 3.78541 = 1.3209 gal (about 1.32 US gallons, or 1.10 imperial gallons).
38 Liters to Gallons
38 ÷ 3.78541 = 10.0385 gal (about 10.04 US gallons, or 8.36 imperial gallons).
100 Liters to Gallons
100 ÷ 3.78541 = 26.4172 gal (about 26.42 US gallons, or 21.997 imperial gallons).
US Gallons vs UK (Imperial) Gallons — Why They Don’t Match
“Gallon” refers to three different volumes depending on where and how it’s used. Picking the wrong one is the single most common reason a liters-to-gallons conversion looks “wrong.”
US Liquid Gallon
The US liquid gallon is defined as exactly 231 cubic inches, which works out to 3.785411784 liters. It’s the gallon used at US gas pumps, on US milk and water jugs, and in US recipes. This is the default gallon most liters-to-gallons calculators (including this one) use unless you specify otherwise.
UK Imperial Gallon
The imperial gallon is defined as exactly 4.54609 liters — about 20% larger than the US liquid gallon. It’s the gallon historically used across the UK, Ireland, Canada, and much of the Commonwealth. Fuel in the UK has been sold in litres since metrication, but fuel economy is still frequently quoted in miles per (imperial) gallon, which is why the imperial gallon conversion still matters for UK drivers.
US Dry Gallon
The US dry gallon equals about 4.40488 liters and is derived from the old Winchester bushel. It’s rarely used today outside of specific agricultural and historical contexts — if you’re converting a liquid (water, fuel, milk, paint), you almost never want this one.
Converting Gallons to Liters
The same calculator works in reverse — switch “Direction” to Gallon → Liter, or use the ⇅ button, and the same gallon-type dropdown applies.
US Gallons to Liters Formula
Liters = US Gallons × 3.78541
1 US gallon = 3.7854 liters, and 5 US gallons = 5 × 3.78541 = 18.9271 liters.
UK Gallons to Liters Formula
Liters = UK Gallons × 4.54609
1 UK (imperial) gallon = 4.5461 liters, and 5 imperial gallons = 5 × 4.54609 = 22.7305 liters.
Liters, Gallons, and Other Volume Units
Gallons, Quarts, Pints, and Cups
Gallons don’t exist in isolation — in the US customary system, a gallon breaks down into smaller units that follow a simple doubling pattern:
- 1 US gallon = 4 quarts
- 1 quart = 2 pints
- 1 pint = 2 cups
- 1 US gallon = 16 cups
The imperial system follows the same structure (1 imperial gallon = 4 imperial quarts = 8 imperial pints), but because the imperial gallon itself is larger, every imperial quart, pint, and cup is correspondingly larger than its US counterpart too. If a recipe or a conversion table mixes metric liters with quarts, pints, or cups, converting everything to liters or milliliters first — then to gallons at the end — avoids compounding rounding errors.
Liters and Gallons at a Glance
What Is a Liter?
The liter (symbol L or l) is a metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters, or one-thousandth of a cubic meter. It’s the standard volume unit used for everyday liquids — fuel, bottled water, milk, soft drinks — throughout most of the world outside the United States.
What Is a Gallon?
The gallon (symbol gal) is a customary unit of volume with three legally defined sizes: the US liquid gallon (3.78541 L), the US dry gallon (4.40488 L), and the UK imperial gallon (4.54609 L). Unless a source specifies otherwise, “gallon” in an American context almost always means the US liquid gallon, and current official figures for both the US and imperial gallon are published by NIST in NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C.
Where You’ll See Liters and Gallons Mixed
Fuel and Vehicles
US drivers see fuel priced and pumped in gallons and fuel economy rated in miles per gallon (MPG). Most of the rest of the world, including the UK, fills up in litres and rates economy in liters per 100 km or, in the UK specifically, still often in miles per imperial gallon. Converting between the two matters most when comparing a US-spec vehicle’s MPG rating to a fuel receipt in litres.
Cooking and Recipes
US recipes that scale up to large batches — soups, stocks, brines, big-batch drinks — sometimes call for a quantity in gallons, while ingredient packaging or a recipe sourced from outside the US lists everything in liters or milliliters. Converting the whole recipe to one system before you start avoids mixing US and metric measurements mid-recipe.
Water, Hydration, and Tanks
Bottled water is sold in round metric sizes almost everywhere (500 mL, 1 L, 1.5 L, 5 L), while US water coolers, aquariums, and fuel or storage tanks are often rated in gallons. Converting a tank or container’s gallon rating to liters (or the reverse) is the quickest way to compare a US-spec product spec sheet against a metric one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you convert liters to gallons?
Divide the number of liters by 3.78541 to get US gallons, or by 4.54609 to get UK (imperial) gallons. For example, 10 liters ÷ 3.78541 = 2.6417 US gallons.
What is the formula to convert liters to gallons?
US Gallons = Liters ÷ 3.78541. UK (Imperial) Gallons = Liters ÷ 4.54609. Use the first formula unless you specifically need the imperial gallon.
What do you multiply liters by to get gallons?
Multiply liters by 0.264172 to get US gallons, or by 0.219969 to get UK (imperial) gallons. Multiplying by these decimal factors gives the same result as dividing by 3.78541 or 4.54609 — pick whichever is easier for you to work with.
How many gallons is 1 liter?
1 liter = 0.2642 US gallons, or 0.22 UK (imperial) gallons.
How do you convert gallons to liters?
Multiply US gallons by 3.78541 to get liters, or multiply UK (imperial) gallons by 4.54609. For example, 5 US gallons × 3.78541 = 18.9271 liters.
Is a UK gallon the same size as a US gallon?
No. The UK (imperial) gallon is 4.54609 liters, about 20% larger than the US liquid gallon at 3.78541 liters. Always check which gallon a source means before comparing figures between the US and the UK.
How many liters are in a US gallon versus a UK gallon?
1 US liquid gallon = 3.78541 liters. 1 UK (imperial) gallon = 4.54609 liters. The difference is exactly 0.76068 liters per gallon.
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