Convert L to fl oz litres ↔ US fluid ounces Free Online Secure
Type a value in litres and read it in US fluid ounces at once. The factor is exact by definition, the arithmetic happens in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Nothing uploaded
Convert to US fluid ounces
Common values — Convert L to fl oz (litres ↔ US fluid ounces)
| L | fl oz |
|---|---|
| 1 | 33.8140227018 |
| 2 | 67.6280454037 |
| 3 | 101.442068106 |
| 5 | 169.070113509 |
| 10 | 338.140227018 |
| 20 | 676.280454037 |
| 50 | 1690.70113509 |
| 100 | 3381.40227018 |
Where these units come from
The litre has an awkward history. From 1901 it was defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water at its densest, which sounds elegant but came out at 1.000028 cubic decimetres — close enough to be confusing and far enough to spoil careful work. In 1964 the definition was abandoned and the litre became exactly one cubic decimetre, which it has been ever since. The gallon has a messier story still: the US gallon descends from the English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, while Britain redefined its own in 1824 as the volume of ten pounds of water. Nobody reconciled the two, so a US gallon is 3.785411784 litres and an imperial gallon 4.54609 — about a fifth larger. The gallon, pint, cup, fluid ounce and spoons on this page are the US ones.
Where you meet them
Millilitres and litres run through daily life almost invisibly: bottles, fuel, paint, dosage, the capacity of a kettle. Cubic metres belong to water bills, concrete, shipping and the air a ventilation system has to move. Cubic centimetres name engine displacement, cubic feet appear in freight and in appliance capacities, and cups and spoons live almost entirely in recipes — which is exactly where the difference between a US cup and a metric one quietly ruins a cake.
Questions people ask
Is a litre of water really a kilogram?
Very nearly. The kilogram was first defined as the mass of one litre of water, and the two are still close: water at about 4 °C is 0.99997 kilograms per litre. It is not exact today because the kilogram is now defined from a physical constant. Warm water is slightly lighter, so the rule is a good approximation and not a law.
Is a fluid ounce a measure of weight?
No, it is a measure of volume, even though ounce also names a weight. A US fluid ounce is 29.5735 millilitres; the imperial one is slightly smaller, at 28.4131. The shared name is a historical accident, and for water the two roughly match, since a fluid ounce of water weighs close to an ounce.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Why American soda comes in litres: the two-litre bottle in ounces
American shops sell milk by the gallon and juice by the ounce, yet soft drinks come in bottles of 1, 2 and 3 litres. The odd mix started in the 1970s, when bottlers switched to plastic and metric sizes together, and it left shoppers with a puzzle: how much is a 2 litre bottle in the ounces on a can of cola? To convert L to fl oz multiply by 33.814. A litre is 33.8 ounces, a 2 litre bottle 67.6, and a 3 litre one 101.4. This page multiplies as you type, and the text below takes the soda aisle as the way into price per ounce, party planning and the difference between a litre and a quart.
The page covers the rule with examples, a note on each unit, a comparison, a tour of the drinks aisle and the slips to avoid. All arithmetic happens in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to convert L to fl oz: multiply by 33.814
The rule
One litre is 33.8140227 US fluid ounces, because an ounce is 29.5735 millilitres. To convert L to fl oz, multiply the litres by 33.81, or by 34 and take off half a percent. So 1 L is 33.8 oz, 2 L is 67.6 oz, 3 L is 101.4 oz and 0.5 L is 16.9 oz. In the other direction, divide ounces by 33.81.
Worked examples
A 1.25 litre bottle holds 42.3 ounces. A 1.5 litre bottle holds 50.7. A 2 litre bottle holds 67.6, which is 5.6 cans of 12 ounces. A 10 litre jug holds 338 ounces. For a quick figure, multiply by 34 and subtract 0.5 percent.
Why not 35.27
The number 35.27 is the number of ounces of weight in a kilogram. A litre of water holds 33.8 fluid ounces, and weighs 35.3 ounces of weight. The fluid ounce is a volume, and the factor for litres is 33.81.
A quick sanity check
The ounce is the smaller unit, so the number grows by almost thirty-four times. If your “convert L to fl oz” calculation result grew only four or eight times, you used the quart or cup factor.
The litre
The metric survivor in the soda aisle
The litre is the metric unit of volume. In the United States it survives in soft drinks, bottled water, wine and spirits, while nearly everything else is sold by the gallon, quart, pint or ounce.
Where it appears
Soft drinks, wine bottles, water, spirits and some fuel and chemicals.
The fluid ounce
The unit on the can
The US fluid ounce is 29.57 millilitres. It is used for single servings: a can is 12 ounces, a bottle 16.9 or 20, a fountain drink 16 to 64. Labels often give both ounces and millilitres.
Where it appears
Cans, bottles, cups and nutrition labels.
Litre and fluid ounce compared
A litre holds nearly 34 fluid ounces. A 2 litre bottle is therefore 5.6 cans, a number that helps with party planning. Because the litre is a bit more than a quart, 32 ounces, a 1 litre bottle holds about 6 percent more than a quart carton, and shoppers often confuse the two.
The factor is not round, so mental estimates are approximate: multiply by 34 and take off half a percent. For exact work use 33.8140227.
Where the conversion appears
Bottles in the soda aisle
Common bottle sizes are 1 litre, 33.8 ounces; 1.25 litres, 42.3; 1.5 litres, 50.7; 2 litres, 67.6; and 3 litres, 101.4. Single-serve bottles are 16.9 ounces, half a litre, or 20 ounces. A 2 litre bottle gives 8.45 cups of 8 ounces. When you convert L to fl oz, the bottle can be set against cans and cups at once.
Price per ounce
A 2 litre bottle at 1.99 dollars costs 2.9 cents an ounce. A pack of twelve 12 ounce cans, 144 ounces, at 7 dollars costs 4.9 cents. A 20 ounce bottle at 2 dollars costs 10 cents. The big bottle is the cheapest per ounce, and the single bottle the dearest. Shelf tags often show only the unit price, which is worth checking.
Parties and gatherings
A party of 20 guests with two 12 ounce drinks each needs 480 ounces, 14.2 litres, which is seven 2 litre bottles and a bit more, so eight. Add water for those who do not want a sweet drink. A cooler of ice takes an extra bottle's worth of space. Planning in litres and converting to ounces tells you how many cups to buy.
How the litre got into the soda aisle
In the 1970s soft drink makers moved from glass bottles to plastic, and the new bottles were designed in metric sizes, at a time when the United States was considering metrication. The 2 litre bottle replaced the half-gallon, 64 ounces, which is 1.89 litres, so the new bottle gave 6 percent more for a similar price. Soft drinks stayed metric when most other products did not.
Medical and lab volumes
An intravenous bag of 1 litre holds 33.8 ounces and a bag of 500 ml 16.9. Hospitals measure fluids in millilitres, but American patients may know volumes in ounces. A urine collection of 2 litres, 67.6 ounces, in 24 hours is a typical lab request. Volumes in clinical settings are measured and prescribed by professionals, and conversions are only for reading a number.
In a spreadsheet
Put litres in column A and use =A2*33.8140227 in column B. For the reverse, =B2/33.8140227. A column with =B2/12 gives cans of 12 ounces. A column with =price/B2 gives price per ounce. Format ounces with one decimal, prices with three, and keep the source column for audit.
Rounding
The factor is exact, so rounding is your choice. Bottle labels round to one decimal, so 2 litres is 67.6 ounces, not 67.628. Unit prices are rounded to a tenth of a cent. Round at the end of the calculation, and treat a price difference of less than a tenth of a cent per ounce as no difference.
A mental shortcut
Multiply litres by 34 and subtract half a percent: 2 litres is 68 less 0.3, 67.7. For 1.5 litres, 51 less 0.25, 50.75. Another picture: a litre is three 12 ounce cans minus a few spoonfuls, and 2 litres almost six cans. The shortcut is within a tenth of a percent, fine for judging shelf tags.
Reference values
0.5 L is 16.9 oz, 1 L is 33.8 oz, 1.25 L is 42.3 oz, 1.5 L is 50.7 oz, 2 L is 67.6 oz, 3 L is 101.4 oz, 5 L is 169 oz and 10 L is 338 oz. If you convert L to fl oz and land far from this ladder, repeat the multiplication.
Checking by reversing
To make sure your “convert L to fl oz” calculation result is right, divide it by 33.81. If 2 L gave 67.6 oz, then 67.6 divided by 33.81 returns 2.0. A second check is the size of the answer: it should be almost thirty-four times bigger. If it is four times, you used the quart factor.
Vending machines and convenience stores
A vending machine sells 20 ounce bottles, 591 ml, 12 ounce cans, 355 ml, and sometimes half-litre water, 16.9 ounces. A convenience store stocks 1 litre, 2 litre and 3 litre bottles for the family. The 2 litre costs about the same as two 20 ounce bottles but holds 67.6 ounces against 40, a 69 percent gain. Doing the sum with the factor shows the saving at a glance.
School and office water
An office water dispenser of 19 litres, 642 ounces, serves 80 cups of 8 ounces. A school that wants to give 300 pupils a cup of water at lunch, 2,400 ounces, 71 litres, needs four dispensers' worth. Facilities staff buy in litres or gallons and serve in cups or ounces, so they convert L to fl oz regularly to plan deliveries.
Camping and picnic planning
A family picnic for six with two drinks each of 12 ounces needs 144 ounces, 4.3 litres, two 2 litre bottles and a bit. Add water for the walk, 1 litre each, 203 ounces. The litre sizes from the store convert into servings in a flash, and a bottle of 3 litres, 101 ounces, serves eight cups.
Soda fountain refills
A fast-food restaurant fills a cup of 32 ounces, 0.95 litres, from a fountain, and customers get free refills. A person who drinks three refills uses 96 ounces, 2.8 litres, more than a 2 litre bottle. A chain that serves 1,000 such drinks a day uses 32,000 ounces, 946 litres, a day, and calculates syrup use accordingly.
Litre against quart
A litre is 33.8 ounces, a quart 32. A litre bottle of soda looks like a quart carton of milk but holds 1.8 ounces more, about a mouthful. Two litres is 67.6 ounces against the half-gallon's 64, 3.6 ounces more, and if you convert L to fl oz for each you can see it. When prices are close, the litre bottle is the better deal by 5 to 6 percent, and the conversion makes the comparison plain.
Home carbonation and kegs
A home carbonation machine makes 1 litre, 33.8 ounces, per bottle and a cylinder of gas carbonates 60 litres, 2,029 ounces, 16 gallons. A keg of 19 litres, 642 ounces, holds 53 bottles of 12 ounces. Home brewers and soda makers use litres and ounces in the same breath, so the factor serves to compare equipment from different countries.
Gifts and holiday packs
Gift packs of sparkling drinks come as 6 bottles of 1 litre, 203 ounces, or 12 cans of 12 ounces, 144 ounces. A gift basket with two 750 ml bottles, 50.7 ounces, and four cans holds 98.7 ounces, 2.9 litres, in all. The shop prices them by the pack, so converting the volumes lets a buyer compare the value of different baskets.
Drink dispensers and party tubs
A beverage dispenser of 2 gallons holds 256 ounces, 7.6 litres, enough for 32 cups. A party tub of ice holds 30 litres, 1,014 ounces, and chills 20 bottles of 2 litres. Hosts plan in litres when they buy, in ounces when they serve, and a cheat sheet with the common conversions taped inside a cupboard is very handy.
Sugar in a bottle
A cola with 10.6 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres has 212 grams in a 2 litre bottle, 67.6 ounces. That is about 53 teaspoons, or 39 grams per 12 ounce can, 5.6 cans' worth. Health advice on sugar is given per day in grams, so the bottle total puts the figure in perspective: a quarter of a bottle already exceeds the recommended limit for many adults.
Water in bottles and jugs
Bottled water comes in 16.9 ounce bottles, half a litre, and in 1, 1.5 and 3 litre sizes. A 24 pack of 16.9 ounce bottles is 405 ounces, 12 litres, 3.2 gallons. A 5 gallon bottle for a cooler is 18.9 litres, 640 ounces. A family drinking 8 cups each day uses 64 ounces per person, so a 2 litre bottle, 67.6 ounces, is one day's supply.
Wine and spirits in litres
Wine bottles are 750 millilitres, 25.4 ounces, and spirits 750 or 1,000 millilitres, 25.4 or 33.8 ounces. A 1.75 litre bottle, called a handle, holds 59.2 ounces. A bottle of 1.5 litres, a magnum, holds 50.7. In a bar, a standard pour of 1.5 ounces, 44 ml, gives 22 shots from a 1 litre bottle, 39 from a handle.
Juice and milk alternatives
Juice is sold in 52 and 64 ounce cartons, 1.54 and 1.89 litres, and in 1 and 1.5 litre bottles in some brands. A litre of oat milk, 33.8 ounces, is 4.2 cups. Comparing a litre carton with a 64 ounce one shows that 33.8 ounces is a little over half of 64, so two litres, 67.6 ounces, are needed to match one half-gallon with a margin of 3.6 ounces.
Cooking and kitchen liquids
Olive oil is sold in 1 litre bottles, 33.8 ounces, 4.2 cups. A recipe needing a third of a cup of oil, 2.7 ounces, takes one twelfth of the bottle. Vinegar of 500 ml, 16.9 ounces, is two cups. A cook who buys European oil and uses an American recipe can convert L to fl oz for the bottle to see how many recipes it will cover.
Fuel and car fluids
Fuel is sold by the gallon in the United States, but oil and coolant come in quarts, litres and ounces. A 5 litre jug of oil, 169 ounces, 5.3 quarts, replaces the usual 5 quarts, 160 ounces, with room to spare. Windscreen washer fluid of 1 litre, 33.8 ounces, 4.2 cups, tops up a small reservoir. The conversions are always helpful when parts catalogues mix units.
Aquaria and ponds
A fish tank of 40 litres holds 1,353 ounces, 10.6 gallons. Water conditioner is dosed per gallon or per 10 gallons, so the aquarist converts litres to gallons and then to ounces for the cap. A bottle of 8 ounces, 237 ml, of conditioner treats 240 gallons. Aquarists often switch between litres, gallons and ounces in a single calculation, and the first conversion has to be correct.
More values for convert L to fl oz
A longer list of conversions
If the value you need is not in the first list, these further conversions may be close enough to read off directly:
- 0.1 L = 3.3814 fl oz
- 0.5 L = 16.907 fl oz
- 3 L = 101.442 fl oz
- 4 L = 135.256 fl oz
- 7 L = 236.698 fl oz
- 15 L = 507.21 fl oz
- 20 L = 676.28 fl oz
- 75 L = 2,536.05 fl oz
- 200 L = 6,762.8 fl oz
- 500 L = 16,907 fl oz
- 2,000 L = 67,628 fl oz
- 10,000 L = 338,140 fl oz
Mistakes when you convert L to fl oz
Mixing fluid and weight ounces
A litre of water is 33.8 fluid ounces but weighs 35.3 ounces. Use the fluid ounce for volume.
Treating a litre as a quart
A quart is 32 ounces, a litre 33.8. They differ by almost 6 percent.
Dividing instead of multiplying
The ounce is the smaller unit, so the number grows. If 2 L became 0.06, you divided.
Short answers
What is 1 litre in fluid ounces?
33.81 fluid ounces.
How do I convert L to fl oz?
Multiply by 33.81.
What is 1 fluid ounce in litres?
0.02957 litres.
What does 2 L come to in fluid ounces?
67.6 oz.
Does the page send my figure anywhere?
No, everything happens in your browser.
Related tools and a final note
Other volume converters sit nearby: Convert L to ft³, Convert L to cm³, Convert ml to fl oz, Convert cups to fl oz, Convert fl oz to cups, Convert km to mi, Convert mi to km, Convert °C to °F, Convert °F to °C. To go the other way, use Convert fl oz to L.
To recap: you convert L to fl oz by multiplying by 33.81 and you write the unit beside the result. Everything is computed locally, with no account and no upload.