Equivalent in Liters:
Table of Contents
The formula
Multiply US quarts by the liter-per-quart factor:
L = qt × 0.946353
- L — liters (1 L = 1 dm³ = 1000 mL).
- qt — US liquid quarts (not UK imperial, not US dry).
- 0.946353 — exact value: 1 US qt = 57.75 in³ = 0.946352946 L.
To reverse (liters to quarts): qt = L × 1.05669. Or use the liters to quarts converter.
Worked example
Default input: 1 US quart.
- Apply the formula: 1 × 0.946353 = 0.9464 liters.
- That is 946 mL — a liter bottle minus 54 mL (a little under 2 tablespoons).
Practical check: 4 quarts × 0.946353 = 3.785 L = exactly 1 US gallon. ✓
Quarts to liters conversion table
| US Quarts | Liters |
|---|---|
| 0.5 qt | 0.473 L |
| 1 qt | 0.946 L |
| 1.5 qt | 1.419 L |
| 2 qt | 1.893 L |
| 3 qt | 2.839 L |
| 4 qt | 3.785 L (1 gal) |
| 5 qt | 4.732 L |
| 6 qt | 5.678 L |
| 8 qt | 7.571 L |
| 10 qt | 9.464 L |
| 16 qt | 15.142 L |
| 20 qt | 18.927 L |
| 32 qt | 30.283 L |
History & standards — the US vs UK quart gotcha
The word quart comes from the Latin quartus (fourth), reflecting its role as one-quarter of a gallon. The problem is that US and UK gallons differ by about 20%, so their quarts do too:
- US liquid quart: 0.946353 L = 32 US fl oz = 2 US pints = 4 US cups. Standard in the United States for engine oil, milk containers, and cooking.
- UK / Imperial quart: 1.13652 L = 40 imperial fl oz = 2 imperial pints. About 20% larger. Used in older British recipes and some Commonwealth countries.
- US dry quart: 1.10122 L — used for dry agricultural commodities. Not this converter’s scope.
The litre was defined in France in 1795 as 1 dm³ and confirmed by the BIPM today as 0.001 m³. All metric countries use it; 1 mL = 1 cm³.
Common applications
- Engine oil. US oil is sold in 1-qt bottles. A European car requiring 4.7 liters of oil takes ≈4.97 quarts — buy 5 bottles and measure carefully.
- Cooking & canning. Mason jars come in pint (0.473 L) and quart (0.946 L) sizes. A recipe requiring 1 liter of stock fills just over one quart jar.
- Homebrewing. A standard 5-gallon homebrew batch = 20 quarts = 18.93 liters. Yeast starters are typically made in 1–2 liter increments.
- Paint. Paint is sold in quart cans in the US. Coverage estimates from international paint brands are often given per liter — multiply by 0.946 to get per-quart coverage.
Limitations & gotchas
- US vs UK quart: 20% difference. A UK quart is 1.137 L vs the US quart of 0.946 L. Following a UK recipe’s “2 quarts” with US quarts gives you 1.89 L instead of the intended 2.27 L — a significant shortfall.
- 1 quart ≈ 1 liter is a rough approximation. The 54 mL difference (about 5.7%) is trivial for a cup of soup but meaningful when mixing chemicals, medications, or precise baking recipes.
- Oil capacity. Always verify whether your vehicle manual uses liters or US quarts. A 5.0 L oil capacity takes about 5.28 US quarts — round up to 6 bottles and add precisely to the dipstick mark.
Sources & references
- NIST, “SI Units — Volume.” nist.gov.
- BIPM, “SI Units.” bipm.org.
FAQs
One US liquid quart equals 0.946353 liters — just under a full liter. A liter is about 5.7% larger than a US quart.
US and UK quarts both equal one-quarter of their respective gallon, but those gallons differ by 20%. A US quart = US gallon ÷ 4 = 3.78541 ÷ 4 = 0.946353 L. A UK (imperial) quart = imperial gallon ÷ 4 = 4.54609 ÷ 4 = 1.13652 L. This calculator uses US quarts only.
2 US quarts × 0.946353 = 1.8927 liters — just under 2 liters. Two quarts = 1 US half-gallon.
4 US quarts = 1 US gallon = 3.78541 liters. This is a useful anchor: 4 qt = 1 gal = 3.785 L.
No, but they are close. A US quart is 0.946353 L (5.7% smaller than a liter). A UK quart is 1.13652 L (13.7% larger than a liter). For rough cooking purposes many people treat 1 quart ≈ 1 liter, but for precise mixing that 54 mL difference matters.
Exactly 4 US quarts = 1 US gallon (3.78541 L). Exactly 4 imperial quarts = 1 imperial gallon (4.54609 L). The 4:1 ratio holds in both systems.