Gallons to Liters

About this conversion

Gallon talk is part of American daily life: fuel is sold by the gallon, milk comes in gallon jugs, paint coverage is quoted in gallons per room, and aquarium capacity is measured in gallons. The rest of the world pumps gasoline by the liter, so the first thing a Canadian or European notices at a US pump is the unfamiliar unit, followed by the unfamiliar price. A frequent trap hides here too: the US gallon of 3.785 liters is smaller than the old imperial gallon of 4.546 liters still referenced in British and Commonwealth texts, which is why historical fuel figures cannot be compared directly. Aquarium keepers and pool owners also discover that a large volume in gallons is an even larger-sounding number in liters, because a gallon is only about 3.8 liters. The converter applies the exact modern definition, and the table below lists the tank sizes, tank fills and paint quantities that people check most.

Quick reference

Common values at a glance

Real-world example

Questions & answers

Frequently asked questions