Cups to Liters Converter
Convert cups to liters (L) using US customary, US legal, metric, or Imperial cup standards.
Conversion Result
📐 Conversion Formulas
Cups to Liters:
Cup Standards (mL per cup):
- US Customary: 236.5882365 mL (0.2366 L)
- US Legal: 240 mL exactly (0.24 L)
- Metric: 250 mL exactly (0.25 L)
- Imperial: 284.130625 mL (0.2841 L)
📝 Step-by-Step Calculation
Enter a value and convert to see the step-by-step breakdown.
Understanding Cups and Liters
Converting cups to liters is common in cooking, especially when working with recipes from different countries. Since "cup" means different things depending on the standard used, it's important to know which cup definition applies to your recipe.
Cup Standards Explained
There are four main cup definitions in use worldwide:
- US Customary Cup: 236.588 mL (8 US fl oz) – the standard in American recipes
- US Legal Cup: 240 mL exactly – used for FDA nutrition labeling
- Metric Cup: 250 mL exactly – used in Australia, Canada, and many international recipes
- Imperial Cup: 284.131 mL (10 Imperial fl oz) – historical British measure, now rarely used
How Many Cups Make 1 Liter?
The number of cups in a liter depends on the cup standard:
- 1 liter = 4.227 US customary cups
- 1 liter = 4.167 US legal cups
- 1 liter = 4 metric cups (exactly)
- 1 liter = 3.520 Imperial cups
Practical Examples
Here are some common conversions for cooking:
- 1 US cup = 0.237 L (just under a quarter liter)
- 2 US cups = 0.473 L (nearly half a liter)
- 4 US cups = 0.946 L (almost 1 liter)
- 4 metric cups = 1 L exactly
Quick Reference Table
Common cup to liter conversions:
| Cups | US Customary (L) | US Legal (L) | Metric (L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.237 | 0.240 | 0.250 |
| 2 | 0.473 | 0.480 | 0.500 |
| 3 | 0.710 | 0.720 | 0.750 |
| 4 | 0.946 | 0.960 | 1.000 |
| 5 | 1.183 | 1.200 | 1.250 |
| 6 | 1.419 | 1.440 | 1.500 |
| 8 | 1.893 | 1.920 | 2.000 |
| 10 | 2.366 | 2.400 | 2.500 |
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the cup standard: A US customary cup is 0.237 L, a US legal cup is 0.24 L, a metric cup is 0.25 L, and an Imperial cup is 0.284 L.
Multiply the number of cups by the mL per cup, then divide by 1000 to get liters. For US customary cups: L = cups × 236.588 ÷ 1000.
Approximately 4.23 US customary cups, 4.17 US legal cups, exactly 4 metric cups, or 3.52 Imperial cups make 1 liter.
A US customary cup is 236.588 mL, while a metric cup is exactly 250 mL. The metric cup is about 5.7% larger than the US cup.
4 US customary cups = 0.946 L. 4 metric cups = exactly 1 L. 4 US legal cups = 0.96 L.
Use the cup standard from the recipe's country of origin. American recipes use US cups; Australian and Canadian recipes typically use metric cups. When in doubt, check the recipe source.
Related Converters
Explore more volume conversion tools: