In US measure, 3 teaspoons make a tablespoon, 2 tablespoons make a fluid ounce, 8 fluid ounces make a cup, 2 cups make a pint, 2 pints make a quart and 4 quarts make a gallon. A pint is 16 fl oz (473 mL), a quart 32 fl oz (946 mL), a gallon 128 fl oz (3.785 L).
Key facts
- 1 US gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fluid ounces (NIST Handbook 44).
- 1 pint = 2 cups = 16 fl oz = 473.2 mL; 1 quart = 4 cups = 32 fl oz = 946.4 mL.
- 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 16 tablespoons = 236.6 mL; 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 14.79 mL.
- A half gallon is 2 quarts, 8 cups or 64 fl oz (1.89 L).
- A UK (imperial) pint holds 20 imperial fl oz, about 568 mL; the imperial gallon is 4.546 L, about 20% larger than the US gallon.
Liquid measurements chart (US)
Every US liquid measure is a whole-number multiple of the one below it. NIST Handbook 44, the federal reference for weights and measures, defines the chain from the fluid ounce up to the 231-cubic-inch gallon; the milliliter values below come from the exact NIST factors.
| Unit (abbreviation) | Equals | Fluid ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaspoon (tsp) | 1/3 tablespoon | 1/6 fl oz | 4.93 mL |
| Tablespoon (tbsp) | 3 teaspoons | 1/2 fl oz | 14.79 mL |
| Fluid ounce (fl oz) | 2 tablespoons | 1 fl oz | 29.57 mL |
| Cup (c) | 16 tablespoons | 8 fl oz | 236.6 mL |
| Pint (pt) | 2 cups | 16 fl oz | 473.2 mL |
| Quart (qt) | 2 pints or 4 cups | 32 fl oz | 946.4 mL |
| Half gallon | 2 quarts or 8 cups | 64 fl oz | 1,893 mL (1.89 L) |
| Gallon (gal) | 4 quarts or 16 cups | 128 fl oz | 3,785 mL (3.785 L) |
For a single conversion, each step has its own page: teaspoons in a tablespoon, tablespoons in an ounce, teaspoons in an ounce, tablespoons in a cup, teaspoons in a cup, ounces in a cup, cups in a pint, cups in a quart, pints in a quart, quarts in a gallon, pints in a gallon and cups in a gallon.
Cup fractions in spoons and milliliters
For the smaller amounts recipes call for, this chart lists common cup fractions in tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces and milliliters:
| Measure | Tablespoons | Teaspoons | Fluid ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | 1/3 | 1 | 0.1667 | 4.929 |
| 1 tablespoon | 1 | 3 | 1/2 | 14.79 |
| 1/8 cup | 2 | 6 | 1 | 29.57 |
| 1/4 cup | 4 | 12 | 2 | 59.15 |
| 1/3 cup | 5 1/3 | 16 | 2 2/3 | 78.86 |
| 1/2 cup | 8 | 24 | 4 | 118.3 |
| 2/3 cup | 10 2/3 | 32 | 5 1/3 | 157.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 12 | 36 | 6 | 177.4 |
| 1 cup | 16 | 48 | 8 | 236.6 |
| 1 pint | 32 | 96 | 16 | 473.2 |
| 1 quart | 64 | 192 | 32 | 946.4 |
| 1 gallon | 256 | 768 | 128 | 3,785 |
US customary units, exact NIST factors. Milliliters rounded to 4 significant figures; nutrition labels round a cup to 240 mL.
How do you remember cups, pints, quarts and gallons?
Use the "Gallon Man" (sometimes drawn as a Gallon Kingdom or Big G). Draw a big letter G for the gallon. Inside it, draw 4 Q's for the 4 quarts. Inside each Q, draw 2 P's for the 2 pints in a quart. Inside each P, draw 2 C's for the 2 cups in a pint. Count everything up and the picture shows 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups.
A shorter version: "2, 2, 4." Two cups make a pint, two pints make a quart, four quarts make a gallon. Add "8 ounces to a cup" and you can work out any liquid amount in your head.
How much is a pint?
A US pint is 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces, which is 473 milliliters. A pint container of ice cream, cream or berries holds that same 2-cup volume. The abbreviation is pt. "Pint" in an American recipe always means this US liquid pint unless the recipe is British. Related pages: ounces in a pint and mL in a pint.
How much is a quart?
A US quart is 4 cups, 2 pints or 32 fluid ounces, which is 946 milliliters, just under a liter. As the name suggests, it is a quarter of a gallon. The abbreviation is qt. A liter is slightly bigger: about 1.06 quarts, or 4.23 cups. See ounces in a quart, mL in a quart and cups in a liter.
Pint vs quart: which is bigger?
A quart is bigger: it holds 2 pints. A pint is 2 cups (16 fl oz, 473 mL) and a quart is 4 cups (32 fl oz, 946 mL). If a recipe calls for a quart of stock and you have pint containers, you need two of them.
| Pint (pt) | Quart (qt) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cups | 2 | 4 |
| Fluid ounces | 16 | 32 |
| Milliliters | 473 mL | 946 mL |
| Share of a gallon | 1/8 | 1/4 |
How much is a gallon?
A US gallon is 128 fluid ounces, 16 cups, 8 pints or 4 quarts, which is 3.785 liters. NIST Handbook 44 defines it as 231 cubic inches. A half gallon, the common milk-carton size, is half that: 64 fl oz, 8 cups or 2 quarts (1.89 L). Conversion pages: ounces in a gallon and liters in a gallon. A gallon of water weighs about 8.34 lb; see how much a gallon of water weighs.
What is the difference between a US and an imperial pint and gallon?
Imperial measures, still seen in UK recipes, are larger. NIST Handbook 44 gives the imperial gallon as 160 imperial fluid ounces and 4.546 liters, about 1.2 US gallons, against 128 fl oz and 3.785 L for the US gallon. The imperial fluid ounce is slightly smaller (28.41 mL vs 29.57 mL), but an imperial pint holds 20 of them instead of 16.
| Unit | US | Imperial (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Fluid ounce | 29.57 mL | 28.41 mL |
| Pint | 16 US fl oz, 473 mL | 20 imperial fl oz, 568 mL (about 2.4 US cups) |
| Quart | 32 US fl oz, 946 mL | 40 imperial fl oz, 1,137 mL |
| Gallon | 128 US fl oz, 3.785 L | 160 imperial fl oz, 4.546 L |
So 1 imperial gallon is 4.546 liters, about 1.2 US gallons, and an imperial pint is about 1.2 US pints (19.2 US fl oz). US cups also differ from the 250 mL metric cup used in Canada and Australia; our guide to US vs metric cups explains when that matters.
How many milliliters are in each measure?
Use 4.93 mL per teaspoon, 14.79 mL per tablespoon, 29.57 mL per fluid ounce and 236.6 mL per cup; those are the exact NIST values, rounded. Nutrition labels use rounder numbers: FDA rules (21 CFR 101.9) set a labeling teaspoon at 5 mL, tablespoon at 15 mL, fluid ounce at 30 mL and cup at 240 mL. Either set works in the kitchen, but don't mix them within one recipe. Pages for each: mL in a teaspoon, mL in a tablespoon, mL in an ounce, mL in a cup, mL in a liter and ounces in a liter.
How to measure liquids accurately
Measure liquids in a clear liquid measuring cup with a spout and lines printed below the rim. Set it on the counter, pour, and read the line at eye level. NIST's metric kitchen tips note that using the wrong type of cup, a dry cup for liquid or the reverse, is a common source of error. For amounts under 1/4 cup, measuring spoons are more accurate. More in dry vs liquid measuring cups and tablespoon vs teaspoon.
Butter is measured differently: one US stick is 1/2 cup, so a cup of butter is 2 sticks. See tablespoons in a stick of butter. For dry ingredients by weight, use the cups-to-grams pages.
Questions people ask
How many cups are in a pint?
Two. A US pint is 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces (473 mL).
How many pints are in a quart?
Two. A quart is 2 pints, 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces (946 mL).
How big is a pint of ice cream?
A pint container holds 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces, by volume.
What is 1 imperial gallon in liters?
NIST gives it as 4.546 liters (4.54609 L exactly), about 1.2 US gallons.
What is the abbreviation for pint and quart?
Pint is pt and quart is qt. Gallon is gal, cup is c, and fluid ounce is fl oz.
How much is a half gallon?
A half gallon is 2 quarts, 4 pints, 8 cups or 64 fluid ounces, about 1.89 liters.
Sources
- NIST: Handbook 44 (2024), Appendix C, general tables of units of measurement
- NIST: Guide to the SI, Appendix B.9, factors for units listed by kind of quantity
- NIST: Metric kitchen, culinary measurement tips
- eCFR: 21 CFR 101.9, nutrition labeling of food
- Kansas State University Research and Extension: Cooking basics, measuring tools and how to use them
