About

Volume conversion is often complicated by regional naming conventions that use the same word for different quantities. The term "Gallon" is dangerous if not qualified; a US Liquid Gallon differs from a US Dry Gallon, and both differ significantly from the Imperial (UK) Gallon used in Britain and Canada. Using the wrong standard can result in a 20% error margin, which is unacceptable in chemical mixing, automotive fluid changes, or large-scale food production. This tool eliminates ambiguity by requiring the user to specify the exact Gallon type before calculating the Liters (L).

Formulas

The conversion relies on specific constants defined by international weights and measures agreements.

V_L = V_gal × C

Where C depends on the type:

{

3.7854 for US Liquid4.4049 for US Dry4.5461 for Imperial

Reference Data

Gallon Type	Volume in Liters (L)	Primary Usage
US Liquid Gallon	3.78541	Fuel, Milk, Beverages (USA)
US Dry Gallon	4.40488	Agriculture, Grains, Small Fruits (USA)
Imperial (UK) Gallon	4.54609	Fuel, Beer, Industry (UK, Canada)

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are in the United States, choose "US Liquid Gallon". If you are in the UK or Canada, older vehicles or manuals might refer to "Imperial Gallons". Note that most modern European contexts use Liters exclusively.

Dry measures historically evolved separately from liquid measures. The US Dry Gallon is based on the "Winchester bushel", an old English standard for grain, whereas the Liquid Gallon is based on the "Queen Anne wine gallon". They are fundamentally different units despite sharing the name.

The calculator uses constants accurate to roughly 8 decimal places. You can adjust the output display to show 2, 3, or 4 decimal places depending on whether you are cooking (low precision) or mixing chemicals (high precision).