Cups, Pints, Quarts & Gallons Converter
The whole US liquid ladder in one place
There are 2 cups in a pint, 4 cups in a quart, and 16 cups in a gallon. Each step up the ladder doubles, then doubles, then quadruples.
The US liquid measures step up in a simple pattern: 2 cups make a pint, 2 pints make a quart, and 4 quarts make a gallon. Everything else follows from those three facts.
Written out: 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fluid ounces.
Reference table
| quarts | cups | pints | quarts | litres |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ qt | 1 cup | 0.5 pt | 0.25 qt | 0.237 L |
| ½ qt | 2 cup | 1 pt | 0.5 qt | 0.473 L |
| 1 qt | 4 cup | 2 pt | 1 qt | 0.946 L |
| 1½ qt | 6 cup | 3 pt | 1.5 qt | 1.42 L |
| 2 qt | 8 cup | 4 pt | 2 qt | 1.89 L |
| 3 qt | 12 cup | 6 pt | 3 qt | 2.84 L |
| 4 qt | 16 cup | 8 pt | 4 qt | 3.79 L |
| 6 qt | 24 cup | 12 pt | 6 qt | 5.68 L |
| 8 qt | 32 cup | 16 pt | 8 qt | 7.57 L |
The ladder in full
A useful mnemonic: picture a gallon as a big G, with four Q shapes inside it, two P shapes inside each Q, and two C shapes inside each P. Draw it once and the whole ladder becomes hard to forget.
- 1 cup = 8 fl oz
- 1 pint = 2 cups = 16 fl oz
- 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 fl oz
- 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fl oz
- ½ gallon = 2 quarts = 8 cups — the standard US milk carton
US and imperial measures are not the same
This is the trap in British and Canadian recipes. An imperial pint is 20 imperial fluid ounces — 568 ml — while a US pint is 16 US fluid ounces, 473 ml. The imperial pint is about 20% larger.
An imperial gallon is 4.55 litres against the US gallon's 3.79 litres, a difference of about 20% again. If a British recipe calls for a pint of milk and you use a US pint, you are nearly a fifth short.
| Measure | US | Imperial | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluid ounce | 29.57 ml | 28.41 ml | US is 4% larger |
| Pint | 473 ml (16 fl oz) | 568 ml (20 fl oz) | Imperial is 20% larger |
| Quart | 946 ml | 1137 ml | Imperial is 20% larger |
| Gallon | 3785 ml | 4546 ml | Imperial is 20% larger |
Dry pints and quarts are a separate thing again
Berries and other produce are sometimes sold by the dry pint or dry quart, which measure volume but are larger than their liquid namesakes. A US dry pint is about 551 ml against the liquid pint's 473 ml.
In practice a punnet labelled 'one pint of blueberries' is sold by that container, not weighed, and weighs roughly 340 g. If a recipe needs precision, weigh the fruit.
Where each unit actually gets used
- Cups — recipe ingredients, almost everything under a litre
- Pints — cream, beer, ice cream containers, berries
- Quarts — stock, soup, stockpot capacities, ice cream tubs
- Gallons — brines, iced tea, big-batch punch, food-service quantities
Frequently asked questions
How many cups are in a quart?
There are 4 US cups in a US quart.
How many cups are in a pint?
There are 2 US cups in a US pint. An imperial pint holds about 2.4 US cups.
How many cups are in a gallon?
There are 16 US cups in a US gallon.
How many quarts are in a gallon?
There are 4 quarts in a gallon, and 2 pints in each quart.
Is a UK pint the same as a US pint?
No. An imperial pint is 568 ml and a US pint is 473 ml, so the imperial pint is about 20% larger.