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Volume Units

The base unit for volume in the International System of Units (SI) is the cubic meter (m³). All SI-compliant units of measurement of volume are derived from the cubic meter and its parts and multiples, such as the cubic kilometer or the cubic centimeter. In the Anglo-American world, on the other hand, non-metric units such as cubic mile, cubic inch, barrel, gallon and pint are used for volume, so these are often used instead of metric units to represent volume. In addition, the American units differ from the British units for historical reasons, which is complicated by the fact that the volume units are different for solids (grain, etc.) and for liquids.

Operating 'Aid' for the Calculator

Enter the volume to be converted and select from and into which volume unit this value is to be converted. The volume converter provides the common metric and the most common Anglo-American volume units for the calculation. Further information on the various units is hidden behind the calculator's help buttons marked with a question mark.

What are Metric Volume Units?

The metric system is a system of units with the cubic meter as the basic unit of volume. Among others, the following volume units belong to it:

Cubic Kilometer (km³)

One cubic kilometer (km³; spelled kilometre in Commonwealth English and kilometer in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one kilometer.

1 km³ = 1000 m × 1000 m × 1000 m

Cubic Hectometer (hm³)

A cubic hectometer (hm³; spelled hectometre in Commonwealth English and hectometer in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 100 meters.

1 hm³ = 100 m × 100 m × 100 m

Cubic Decameter (dam³)

One cubic decameter (dam³; spelled decametre in Commonwealth English and decameter in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 10 meters.

1 dam³ = 10 m × 10 m × 10 m

Cubic Meter (m³)

One cubic meter (m³; spelled metre in Commonwealth English and meter in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one meter.

1 m³ = 1 m × 1 m × 1 m

Cubic Decimeter (dm³)

One cubic decimeter (dm³; spelled decimetre in Commonwealth English and decimeter in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 10 cm.

1 dm³ = 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm

Cubic Centimeter (cm³)

One cubic centimeter (cm³; spelled centimetre in Commonwealth English and centimeter in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 1 cm.

1 cm³ = 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm

Cubic Millimeter (mm³)

One cubic millimeter (mm³; spelled millimetre in Commonwealth English and millimeter in American English) corresponds to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 1 mm.

1 mm³ = 1 mm × 1 mm × 1 mm

Hectoliter (hl)

One hectoliter (hl; spelled hectolitre in Commonwealth English and hectoliter in American English) corresponds to 100 liters and is commonly used in the beverage industry to measure the annual per capita consumption of a beverage.

Liter (l)

One liter (l; spelled litre in Commonwealth English and liter in American English) corresponds to one cubic decimeter (dm³) and thus to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 10 cm.

Deziliter (dl)

One deciliter (dl; spelled litre in Commonwealth English and liter in American English) is equal to 0.1 liters and is used as a unit of measurement in chemistry, among other fields.

Centiliter (cl)

One centiliter (cl; spelled centilitre in Commonwealth English and centiliter in American English) is equal to 0.01 liters. A shot glass usually has a volume of 2 cl.

Milliliter (ml)

One milliliter (ml; spelled millilitre in Commonwealth English and milliliter in American English) corresponds to one cubic centimeter (cm³) and thus to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 1 cm.

Microliter (μl)

One microliter (μl; spelled microlitre in Commonwealth English and microliter in American English)) corresponds to one cubic millimeter (cm³) and thus to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 1 mm.

Other Metric Units

There are numerous other SI volume units that ultimately represent a multiple or fractional part of the cubic meter. For this purpose, so-called unit prefixes, i.e., prefixes for the cubic meter, are formed, as shown in the examples above. In this way, even the smallest volumes, such as cubic nanometers, can be represented. These unit prefixes are also used to represent multiples or fractions of a liter.

Common Anglo-American Volume Units

The common Anglo-American units for volume differ from the metric representations by the use of miles, yards, feet or inches. They are not part of the international system of units and therefore do not conform to SI.

Cubic Mile (mi³)

One cubic mile (mi³) is equal to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one mile.

Cubic Yard (yd³)

One cubic yard (yd³) is equal to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one yard.

Cubic Feet (ft³)

One cubic foot (ft³) is equal to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one foot.

Cubic Inch (in³)

One cubic inch (inch³) is equal to the volume of a cube with an edge length of one inch.

American Volume Measures for Liquids

American and British (imperial) units of volume for liquids have largely the same designation, but differ from each other. For example, historically, wine and beer barrels were defined as the basic unit. However, in the case of the oil barrel, herring barrels have also contributed to the definition.

Barrel Oil (bbl)

In addition to the barrel of oil (oil barrel), there are numerous different definitions for American and British barrels, which in turn depend on whether wine, beer, grain or numerous other goods are measured. However, the unit of measurement of a barrel of oil has proven itself for international trade worldwide.

US Gallon (US gal)

The US liquid gallon is defined as 231 cubic inches (inch³) and is equal to 3.785411784 liters.

US Quart (US qt)

The US liquid quart is equal to a quarter gallon, or 0.946352946 liters.

US Pint (US pt.)

The U.S. liquid pint is equal to one-half quart, or 0.473176473 liters.

American Volume Measures for Solids

Besides the different definitions of gallon, quart, pint and many other units between the USA and the imperial (British) countries, there is also the fact that in the USA, in particular, a different definition applies to various dry commodities, such as grain.

US Dry Gallon (US dry gl.)

The US dry gallon (US dry gl.), also known as the corn gallon, was used in the US for grain and other dry commodities until recently.

US Dry Quart (US dry qt.)

The US dry quart (US dry qt.), also known as the corn quart, is based on the dry gallon and was used in the US for grain and other dry commodities until recently.

US Dry Pint (US dry pt.)

The US dry pint (US dry qpt.), also known as the corn pint, is based on the dry gallon and was used in the US for grain and other dry commodities until recently.

American Volume Measures for Liquids and Solids

The following American volume measures apply to both liquids and solids.

US Cup (US.cup)

The US Cup is still frequently used in American cooking recipes. It is equivalent to about 237 milliliters and differs from the UK cup, which is equivalent to about 284 milliliters.

US Fluid Ounce (US fl.oz.)

In addition to the ounce as a unit of weight, there is also the so-called "fluid ounce". The fluid ounce as a unit of volume is still frequently used in pharmacies in the Anglo-American region, for example. The US fluid ounce corresponds to just under 30 milliliters.

US Tablespoon (US tbsp.)

The tablespoon ("tablespoon") is a popular unit of volume in the Anglo-American world. The US tablespoon differs from the British or imperial tablespoon. The US tablespoon is equivalent to about 14.8 milliliters.

US Teaspoon (US tsp.)

The teaspoon is a popular unit of volume in the Anglo-American world. The US teaspoon differs from the British or imperial teaspoon. The US teaspoon is equivalent to around 4.9 milliliters.

British Volume Measures

Gallon, quart, pint and many other units differ between the USA and the imperial (British) countries.

Imperial Gallon (Imp gal)

One British (imperial) gallon is approximately equal to the volume of a cube with an edge length of 16.5 centimeters.

The British gallon is commonly used in Great Britain, Ireland, Canada and Guyana.

1 UK Gallon = 4 UK Quarts = 8 UK Pints = 4.54609 Liters

Imperial Quart (Imp qt)

The British (imperial) quart is based on the British gallon, a medieval beer measure. It is to be distinguished from the American quart, whose definition comes from the wine trade.

Imperial Pint (Imp pt)

The British (imperial) pint is based on the British gallon, a medieval beer measure. It is to be distinguished from the American pint, whose definition comes from the wine trade.

1 Pint = 0.56826 Liter

Imperial Cup (Imp cup)

The British (imperial) cup (imp cup) is still often found in British recipes. It corresponds to about 284 milliliters. The British cup differs from the American cup, which corresponds to around 237 milliliters.

Imperial Fluid Ounce (Imp fl oz)

The ounce is commonly known as a unit of weight. But the ounce is also used as a unit of volume, the so-called "fluid ounce". The fluid ounce for measuring volume is still frequently used in pharmacies in Anglo-American countries, for example. The British (imperial) fluid ounce is equivalent to around 28.4 milliliters.

Imperial Tablespoon (Imp tbsp)

The tablespoon ("tablespoon") is a popular unit of volume in the Anglo-American world. The British (imperial) tablespoon differs from the US tablespoon. The British tablespoon is equivalent to about 17.8 milliliters.

Imperial Teaspoon (Imp tsp)

The teaspoon is a popular unit of volume in the Anglo-American world. The British (imperial) teaspoon differs from the US teaspoon. The British teaspoon is equivalent to about 5.9 milliliters.