Volume Converter

Litres, Gallons and the Cup Problem

Volume conversion has a trap that catches people out: the cup and tablespoon are not the same size everywhere. An Australian cup is 250 mL and an Australian tablespoon is 20 mL, while a US cup is about 237 mL and a US tablespoon is 15 mL. Recipes rarely say which they mean. This converter includes both so you can pick correctly — select the AU or US version to match your recipe.

Everyday Volume Conversions

Litres to gallons is one of the highest-volume conversions searched, usually by people reading US car, fuel, or appliance specs. Cooking volumes — mL to cups, tbsp to cups, mL to teaspoons — are the other big group. The reference table shows the common ones at a glance.

How to Use This Converter

1. Enter your value in the "From" box.
2. Pick the unit you’re starting with — litres, millilitres, cups, tablespoons, gallons and more.
3. Pick the target unit in the "To" box, choosing the AU or US version where it matters.
4. Read the result instantly as you type.
5. Swap the units with one click to reverse the conversion.

Worked Example: Litres to US Gallons

You’re reading a US car specification that lists a 15-gallon fuel tank and want to know the capacity in litres. Select US gallons in the "From" box and litres in the "To" box, then enter 15. The converter multiplies by 3.785 to give about 56.8 litres. Going the other way, a 40-litre tank is about 10.6 US gallons.

The Cup and Tablespoon Trap

Volume conversion hides a genuine pitfall that trips up cooks constantly: the cup and the tablespoon are not the same size in every country. An Australian cup is 250 millilitres and an Australian tablespoon is 20 millilitres, but a US cup is about 237 millilitres and a US tablespoon is only 15 millilitres. Recipes almost never state which system they use, so a recipe that works perfectly with Australian measures can go wrong when made with American cups, and vice versa. The difference is small per spoon but adds up across a recipe, and it matters most in baking where ratios are precise. This converter includes both the Australian and US versions of cups and tablespoons so you can pick the one that matches your recipe’s origin. When in doubt, weigh ingredients in grams instead, since weight is unambiguous — which is exactly what our cooking converter is designed to help with.

Quick Reference Table

Everyday Volume Conversions Worth Knowing

Some volume conversions turn up constantly, so they’re handy to recognise. A litre is a bit over a quart and about a quarter of a US gallon, so a 5-litre container is roughly 1.3 US gallons. In the kitchen, 250 millilitres is one Australian cup, 500 millilitres is two, and a litre is four. A tablespoon is 20 millilitres in Australia and a teaspoon is 5 millilitres everywhere. For fuel and larger liquids, remember that a US gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon — 3.785 litres versus 4.546 — which is why American fuel-economy figures look different from Australian ones even before other differences. The converter covers all of these precisely, but these landmarks help you estimate on the fly.