Convert litres to gallons
Turn volumes from litres into US gallons.
Calculator inputs
Results
Enter your values and press “Calculate” to see the result.
In short
- What it calculates
- Turn volumes from litres into US gallons.
- Formula used
US gallons = litres ÷ 3.785411784- Example
- 50 litres to US gallons:
Litres to gallons converter
Fuel prices, tank capacities and the consumption of American vehicles are quoted in gallons, a unit that comes in two different sizes.
How it works
The volume in litres is divided by 3.785411784, the US gallon. The British imperial gallon is larger: 4.54609 litres.
Formula
US gallons = litres ÷ 3.785411784
1 US gal = 3.78541 L
1 imperial gal = 4.54609 L
Worked example
50 litres to US gallons:
50 ÷ 3.785411784 = 13.209 gallons
In imperial gallons that would be 11.00.
Explanation
There are two gallons and they are not alike
The US gallon is 3.785 litres and the British imperial gallon 4.546. The difference is twenty per cent, enough to ruin any consumption or cost calculation. The American one descends from the eighteenth-century English wine gallon, while the imperial was redefined in 1824 on the volume of ten pounds of water.
Fuel consumption changes completely
A car doing 30 miles per US gallon uses 7.84 litres per hundred kilometres. The same 30 with an imperial gallon would be 9.42. Comparing a British spec sheet with an American one without knowing which is which leads to false conclusions about which car uses less.
Where each appears
The United States uses its own for fuel, milk and paint. The United Kingdom has sold petrol in litres for decades, but the imperial gallon survives when discussing consumption, and remains the unit of pub conversations about cars.
Fluid ounces, also different
The US fluid ounce is 29.57 millilitres and the imperial 28.41. In recipes the difference is tolerable; in medication or chemistry it is not.
Frequently asked questions
Which gallon should I use?
The US gallon in the Americas and the imperial gallon in the UK. They differ by almost 20%, so mixing them up matters.
How do I convert miles per gallon to litres per 100 km?
Divide 235.21 by the mpg figure: 30 mpg is 7.84 litres per 100 km.
Which gallon does the UK use?
The imperial gallon of 4.546 litres, even though petrol has been sold in litres for decades. Fuel economy is still discussed in imperial miles per gallon.
What is 30 mpg in litres per 100 km?
7.84 litres with a US gallon and 9.42 with an imperial gallon. Check which one the source uses before comparing.
Need to calculate something else?
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