Convert liters to gallons

One liter equals 0.264172 us gallons. To convert any number of liters to us gallons, multiply by 0.26417205.

The converter above works in both directions and updates as you type. Below you will find the formula, a worked example and a reference table of common values.

Volume is the category where the US and imperial systems diverge most damagingly. Gallons, quarts, pints and fluid ounces all exist in two sizes that differ by up to 20%, and nothing in the name warns you which one a figure uses. Recipes, fuel economy figures and container capacities all cross borders regularly, so it is worth checking which system a source is using before converting rather than after.

liters to gallons formula

To go the other way, use liter = us gallon ÷ 0.26417205.

About these units

A litre is exactly one cubic decimetre, or 1,000 cubic centimetres. One litre of water weighs almost exactly one kilogram, which is not a coincidence.

A US gallon is 231 cubic inches, about 3.785 litres. It is noticeably smaller than the imperial gallon, which is a frequent source of fuel-economy confusion.

Liter is also written litre, litres, liters and ltr. US Gallon is also written gallons, gals and us gal.

Sources

1. National Bureau of Standards, "Refinement of Values for the Yard and the Pound", Federal Register, 1 July 1959 — the international yard as exactly 0.9144 m and the avoirdupois pound as exactly 0.45359237 kg.
2. NIST Special Publication 811, Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), 2008 edition — conversion factors for units outside the SI.