Convert Liters (L) to Gallons (gal)

One liter is equal to approximately 0.264172 US gallons. This means it takes about 3.785 liters to make one US gallon. Note that the US gallon (3.785 liters) is different from the imperial gallon (4.546 liters) used in the United Kingdom. This converter uses the US gallon, which is the more commonly referenced gallon in international contexts.

A US gallon equals approximately 3.78541 liters, while an imperial gallon (used in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) equals approximately 4.54609 liters. The imperial gallon is about 20% larger than the US gallon. This difference arose because the two systems historically used different definitions for the gallon. When comparing fuel economy or liquid volumes across countries, it is important to know which gallon is being referenced.

A US gallon of gasoline contains approximately 3.78541 liters. In countries that use the metric system, fuel is sold by the liter, so understanding this conversion is important for comparing fuel prices internationally. For example, if gasoline costs $3.50 per gallon in the US, that is roughly equivalent to $0.92 per liter. This conversion is also essential for comparing fuel economy figures (MPG vs. L/100km).

For cooking, multiply the number of liters by 0.264172 to get US gallons. A quick approximation is that 4 liters is roughly 1 gallon. For smaller quantities, it may be more practical to convert to cups or quarts: 1 liter is approximately 4.227 US cups or 1.057 US quarts. Many international recipes list ingredients in liters or milliliters, so these conversions help adapt recipes for US kitchens.

A standard 5-gallon bucket holds approximately 18.927 liters. This is calculated by multiplying 5 by 3.78541 liters per gallon. Five-gallon buckets are commonly used in the US for carrying water, paint, and bulk food storage. In metric countries, the equivalent container would be approximately a 19-liter or 20-liter bucket.