Skip to content
UnitCalculators.com

Litres to US gallons

Multiply litres by 0.264172 to get US gallons.

1 L = 0.264172 galBIPM SI · NIST HB 44
L
1.3209gal

5 L = 1.3209 gal

How to convert litres to US gallons

The US gallon is the US liquid gallon, exactly 231 cubic inches (3.785411784 litres). The litre is a cubic decimetre (0.001 m³), the SI-accepted metric unit of volume.

Worked example — 5 L: 5 × 0.264172 = 1.3209 gal.

Litres to US gallons table

Common conversions. The reverse table is on US gallons to litres.
LitresUS gallons
1 L0.264172 gal
2 L0.528344 gal
3 L0.792516 gal
4 L1.0567 gal
5 L1.3209 gal
10 L2.6417 gal
20 L5.2834 gal
50 L13.2086 gal
100 L26.4172 gal

Reverse and related

About litres and US gallons

Litre (L)

1 L = 0.264172 gal

Definition. A cubic decimetre (0.001 m³), the SI-accepted metric unit of volume

History and origin

The litre was introduced in France in 1795 as a unit of volume, defined as one cubic decimetre. It is not an SI base unit but is accepted for use with the SI.

Current use

Litres measure drinks and bottles, fuel and engine sizes across the metric world, and appear on beverage containers almost everywhere.

Source: BIPM SI Brochure (2019); the litre is an SI-accepted unit (1 L = 1 dm³)

US gallon (gal)

1 gal = 3.7854 L

Definition. The US liquid gallon, exactly 231 cubic inches (3.785411784 litres)

History and origin

The US gallon derives from the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, a value the United States kept when Britain moved to a larger imperial gallon in 1824. It equals exactly 3.785411784 litres.

Current use

The gallon is the everyday US unit for fuel, milk and paint; the imperial gallon used in the UK and Canada is about 20 percent larger.

Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §2 (U.S. Customary Units) and §5 (Tables of Equivalents)

Where people use this

Litres: drinks and bottles, fuel, engine sizes. US gallons: fuel in the US, large containers, paint. A 3.79 L jug is 1 US gallon.

How we know this is right
The factor is fixed by the standards that define the units, not chosen — so it is exact, not a measurement:
1 gal = 3.785411784 L, so 1 L = 1 ÷ 3.785411784 = 0.264172 gal.

Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.

Sources: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §2 (U.S. Customary Units) and §5 (Tables of Equivalents); BIPM SI Brochure (2019); the litre is an SI-accepted unit (1 L = 1 dm³).

Questions people ask

How many gallons is 1 litre?

One litre is about 0.264 US gallons. To convert litres to US gallons, divide by 3.785.

How many gallons is 5 litres?

5 litres is about 1.32 US gallons, and 10 litres is about 2.64 gallons.

How many litres in a US gallon?

One US gallon is about 3.785 litres.

Is a US gallon the same as a UK gallon?

No. The imperial (UK) gallon is about 4.55 L, roughly 20% larger than the US gallon.

All litre conversions