
The gallon is a unit of measurement for volume that is used in the United States and some Commonwealth countries. There are two types of gallons: the British imperial gallon, which is used in the UK and some Commonwealth countries, and the US gallon, which is used in the United States and some US territories. One UK gallon is equal to 0.16054 cubic feet, while one US gallon is equal to 0.13368 cubic feet. The gallon can be further divided into quarts, pints, cups, and gills, with an imperial gallon containing more fluid ounces than a US gallon.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | The gallon currently has two definitions, in the imperial system and in the US customary system. |
| Symbol | The IEEE standard symbol for both the imperial and US gallons is "gal". |
| British Imperial Gallon | Defined as exactly 4.54609 litres. |
| US Gallon | Legally defined as exactly 231 cubic inches. |
| Conversion | 1 UK gallon = 0.16054 cubic feet, 1 cubic foot = 6.229 UK gallons. |
| Ounces in a Gallon | In the US, there are 128 ounces to a gallon. In the UK, there are 160 ounces to a gallon. |
| Usage | The gallon has ceased to be a primary unit of trade but is still used as a supplementary unit in the UK, Ireland, and some other Commonwealth countries. |
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What You'll Learn

US gallon vs. UK gallon
The gallon is a unit of volume with different definitions in the imperial system and the US customary system. The British imperial gallon, or UK gallon, is defined as exactly 4.54609 litres. It is used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Malaysia, and some Caribbean countries. The US gallon is legally defined as exactly 231 cubic inches or 3.785411784 litres. It is used in the United States and some Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The imperial gallon was historically defined as the volume of water at 62 °F (16.7 °C) whose mass is 10 pounds (4.5359237 kg). This definition was used until 1976. The US gallon, on the other hand, contains 3.785411784 kg (8.3454 lb) of water at 3.983 °C (39.169 °F). This makes the US gallon 83.26742% of an imperial gallon.
Both the imperial and US gallons are divided into four quarts, two pints, and 16 cups. However, there is a difference in the number of fluid ounces in each system. The imperial fluid ounce is defined as 1/160 of an imperial gallon, while the US fluid ounce is defined as 1/128 of a US gallon. This means that there are 20 imperial fluid ounces in an imperial pint and 16 US fluid ounces in a US pint. As a result, one imperial gallon, quart, pint, cup, and gill are all equal to 1.20095 of their US counterparts.
Due to the differences in the sizes of the imperial and US fluid ounces, the imperial gallon and US gallon are not interchangeable in recipes or fuel economy calculations. To convert between the two systems, one must take into account the temperature at which the material will occupy the specified volume. For example, the volume of petroleum products and alcoholic beverages are referenced to 60 °F (15.6 °C) in government regulations. Additionally, conversion calculators are available online to facilitate the conversion between US and UK gallons.
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Converting gallons to litres
A gallon is a unit of volume specifically regarding liquid capacity in both the US customary and imperial systems of measurement. The US gallon is defined as 231 cubic inches, or 3.785 litres. To convert litres to US gallons, multiply the number of litres by 0.264172 or divide by 3.785.
In contrast, the imperial gallon, which is used in the United Kingdom, Canada, some Caribbean nations, and other Commonwealth countries, is defined as 4.54609 litres. One imperial gallon is equal to 0.16054 cubic feet, and one cubic foot is equal to 6.229 UK gallons.
Both the US and imperial gallons are divided into four quarts, with quarts further divided into two pints and pints divided into two cups. A cup is made up of two gills, making one gallon equal to four quarts, eight pints, sixteen cups, or thirty-two gills. However, there is a slight difference between the imperial and US gills. The imperial gill is divided into five fluid ounces, while the US gill is divided into four fluid ounces. This means that an imperial fluid ounce is 96.076% of a US fluid ounce, so one imperial gallon, quart, pint, cup, and gill are all equal to 1.20095 of their US counterparts.
The litre is a unit of volume equal to 1,000 cubic centimetres or 0.264172 US gallons. It is an SI-accepted unit for volume within the metric system. The conversion formula relating gallons and litres is: gallons = 0.264172 x litres.
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How many ounces in a gallon?
The gallon is a unit of measurement for volume that is used in the US Customary System and the British Imperial System. The gallon has historically had many definitions and redefinitions, but currently, there are two: the imperial gallon and the US gallon.
The imperial gallon, used in Britain and some other Commonwealth countries, is defined as exactly 4.54609 litres. There are four imperial quarts in a gallon, two imperial pints in a quart, and 20 imperial fluid ounces in an imperial pint, making an imperial fluid ounce one-hundred-and-sixtieth of an imperial gallon. This means that there are 160 imperial fluid ounces in an imperial gallon.
The US gallon, on the other hand, is legally defined as exactly 231 cubic inches. The US gallon is divided into four quarts, and the imperial and US quarts are equal in volume. However, the imperial quart is divided into two imperial pints, while the US quart is divided into two US pints. The imperial pint contains 20 imperial fluid ounces, while the US pint contains 16 US fluid ounces. Therefore, there are 128 US fluid ounces in a US gallon.
To summarise, the number of ounces in a gallon depends on whether you are using the imperial or US gallon. There are 160 ounces in an imperial gallon and 128 ounces in a US gallon.
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How much does a gallon of water weigh?
The weight of a gallon of water depends on several factors, including the temperature of the water and whether you are using the imperial or US customary system of measurement.
Historically, a gallon was defined as the volume of water at 62 °F (16.7 °C) whose mass is 10 pounds (4.5359237 kg). However, this definition has changed over time, and today, the gallon is defined differently in the imperial system and the US customary system.
In the imperial system, a gallon is defined as exactly 4.54609 litres. This system is used in Britain and some other Commonwealth countries. Using this definition, a gallon of water would weigh approximately 8.34 pounds or 3.78 kilograms.
In the US customary system, a gallon is legally defined as exactly 231 cubic inches. This system is used in the United States and some other US territories. Using this definition, a gallon of water would weigh approximately 8.34 pounds or 3.78 kilograms.
It's important to note that the weight of a gallon of water can vary slightly depending on temperature and other factors, but these values provide a good estimate. Additionally, while the metric system is used globally, the US continues to use the US customary system for measurements, which includes gallons and pounds.
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How many gallons does a pool hold?
A gallon is a unit of measurement used to measure volume. There are two main definitions: the imperial gallon and the US gallon. One UK gallon is equal to 4.54609 litres or 0.16054 cubic feet, while one US gallon is equal to 0.13368 cubic feet.
To calculate the number of gallons of water in a pool, you need to first calculate the volume of the pool. The formula for this will depend on the shape of the pool. For a rectangular pool with one depth, the formula is Length x Width x Depth x 7.5 = Volume in gallons. If the rectangular pool has two depths, you must first calculate the average depth by adding the depth of the shallow end to that of the deep end and dividing the sum by 2. You then multiply the length and width of the pool by the average depth and multiply this figure by 7.5 to get the volume in gallons.
For a round pool, the formula is 3.14 x (radius)2 x depth x 7.5 = volume in gallons. To get the radius, divide the diameter by 2.
If you have an oval, kidney-shaped, or otherwise irregularly shaped pool, you can imagine it broken down into two or three smaller, regularly shaped parts and calculate the volume of each of these parts individually before adding the volumes together to get the total volume of the pool.
You can also calculate the volume of the pool in cubic feet or inches and then convert this to gallons. To convert cubic feet to US gallons, multiply the number of cubic feet by 7.48. To convert cubic feet to UK gallons, multiply by 6.229. To convert cubic inches to US gallons, divide the number of cubic inches by 231. To convert cubic inches to UK gallons, divide by 277.4.
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Frequently asked questions
A gallon in the British Imperial system is 4.54609 litres.
There are four quarts in a gallon.
In the US, there are 128 fluid ounces in a gallon. In the UK, there are 160 fluid ounces in a gallon.
A gallon of water weighs about 8.34 pounds or 3.78 kilograms.











































