How this calculation works
Both units are mapped to a shared base unit using fixed conversion factors. US and imperial volume units are distinct; area factors are squared length factors.
Converted value = value × source factor ÷ destination factorA worked example
1 litres = approximately 1000 millilitres.
Good to know
Results use fixed factors and rounded decimal display. Region-specific land measures and fluid/dry units not listed here are not inferred.
Reference: NIST: Guide for the use of SI (opens in a new tab) ↗
A litre is a thousand cubic centimetres
A cube 10 cm on each side occupies 10 × 10 × 10 = 1,000 cm³, equal to one litre. A cubic metre instead contains 1,000 litres. Cubing the length scale explains why those units differ so much.
The same physical amount can therefore appear as 1 L, 1,000 mL or 0.001 m³. Choose the scale that makes the number useful for the task.
US and imperial gallons are different
One US liquid gallon is 3.785411784 L; one imperial gallon is 4.54609 L. A source that says only “gallon” leaves an important ambiguity. The two choices are explicitly separated here.
This converter does not turn a volume into a mass. One litre of two different materials can have different masses; that further calculation needs an appropriate density. Temperature and mixture conditions can also affect a real measured volume.
A few questions, answered
Are dry gallons included?
No. The listed US gallon is the liquid-volume definition.
Can I convert litres directly to kilograms?
Not without density. This tool converts between volume units only.