Quarts to Liters Converter

Convert US quarts to liters instantly, with a reference table for stockpots, motor oil and food storage.

US quarts

Liters

1 qt = 0.9464 L

Multiply US quarts by 0.94635295 to get liters.

The link carries the values you entered, so whoever opens it sees the same result. Nothing is stored on our side — the numbers travel in the link itself.

US quarts to liters reference table

The conversions people look up most often, rounded to 4 decimal places.

Common US quarts to liters conversions
US quart (qt)	Liter (L)
0.5 qt	0.4732 L
1 qt	0.9464 L
1.5 qt	1.4195 L
2 qt	1.8927 L
3 qt	2.8391 L
4 qt	3.7854 L
5 qt	4.7318 L
6 qt	5.6781 L
8 qt	7.5708 L
10 qt	9.4635 L
12 qt	11.3562 L
16 qt	15.1416 L
20 qt	18.9271 L

The US quarts people look up most

1 qt = 0.9464 L: The US quart is about 5% smaller than a litre, so a quart of milk is not a litre of milk.
2 qt = 1.8927 L: Asked constantly, usually by someone halving or doubling an American recipe.
3 qt = 2.8391 L: A common slow-cooker and stockpot capacity, and the size most American recipes are written to fill.
4 qt = 3.7854 L: A US gallon, 3.785 L. The imperial gallon Britain used until 1995 was 4.546 L, which is why old fuel figures never match.
5 qt = 4.7318 L: The size most US paint is sold in - close to the European 5 litre tin, but not equal to it.
6 qt = 5.6781 L: Larger stockpots and drink dispensers, where US listings rarely print a metric equivalent.

How the quarts to liters calculation works

A US liquid quart is 0.946352946 liters — a quarter of a US gallon:

liters = US quarts × 0.946353

A quart is almost a litre, which makes it the conversion people are most tempted to skip. It is 5.4% short, and that shortfall compounds: over a 5-quart recipe you are 270 ml adrift, which is more than a cup.

The imperial quart is 1.1365 litres — 20% larger, following the imperial gallon. This converter uses the US quart.

Where it comes up:

Motor oil. American cars take oil in quarts; a 5-quart change is 4.73 L. Buying a 5 L jug in Europe gives you slightly more than the manual's 5 quarts, which is fine — but a 4 L jug is only 4.23 quarts and will leave you short.
Stockpots and slow cookers. A 6-quart cooker is 5.68 L; a 4-quart pot is 3.79 L. European equivalents come in round litres, so a 6 L cooker is a little larger than a 6-quart one.
Milk and juice. A US quart carton is 946 ml, against the 1 L carton standard elsewhere — a 5.4% smaller container for what looks like the same product.
Ice cream in the US is sold by the quart or half-gallon; a "half gallon" has quietly shrunk to 1.75 quarts (1.66 L) in many brands.

For a mental estimate, treat a quart as a litre and knock off 5%. And remember: 4 quarts to a gallon, 2 pints to a quart, 2 cups to a pint.

Frequently asked questions

Is a dry quart different from a liquid quart?

Yes. The US dry quart is 1.101 L, about 16% larger than the liquid quart this converter uses, and it is the one produce is sold by - berries, shelled nuts and similar go by dry quarts and dry pints. Anything poured uses the liquid quart. Imperial measure has no dry quart at all: the imperial quart of 1.1365 L covers both.

Does an oil change need exactly the quoted number of quarts?

It needs to land between the dipstick marks, and that band is typically about a litre on a car engine - so a 4.73 L fill from five quarts and a 5 L jug both sit inside it. Overfilling past the maximum is the risk worth avoiding, since it can aerate the oil. Fill just short, run the engine, then check on level ground once it has settled.

Is the quart still used in Britain?

Almost nowhere. British milk is sold in pints and litres rather than quarts, and the imperial quart of 1.1365 L survives mainly in old recipes and in the phrase about a quart in a pint pot. If a British recipe predates the 1970s and calls for a quart, it means 1.14 L and not the 0.95 L an American quart gives - a 20% error in the unhelpful direction.

Quarts to Liters Converter