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How Many Ounces Are in a Liter?

November 10, 2026

A liter is about 33.81 U.S. fluid ounces. That is a little more than 1 U.S. quart, which is 32 fluid ounces. A liter is exactly 1,000 milliliters.

A clear unmarked glass pitcher filled with water sitting on a white kitchen counter in a bright kitchen — A liter of water is about 33.81 U.S. fluid ounces, a little more than a quart.

Quick conversion

Measure	Equals
1 liter	1,000 milliliters
1 liter	about 33.81 U.S. fluid ounces
1 liter	about 4.23 U.S. cups
1 U.S. quart	32 U.S. fluid ounces, or 0.946 liter
1 U.S. gallon	128 U.S. fluid ounces, or 3.785 liters
1 liter	about 35.20 imperial fluid ounces

A U.S. fluid ounce is 29.5735 milliliters, so 1,000 ÷ 29.5735 ≈ 33.814 U.S. fluid ounces. Figures follow NIST conversion tables. If you only have a quart measuring cup, a liter will go a little past the 4-cup (32-ounce) line. See liters in a gallon and milliliters in a fluid ounce. The kitchen measurement conversion chart has the rest of the metric kitchen list.

Liters, quarts and cups

Four U.S. cups are 32 fluid ounces, short of a liter by about 1.81 fluid ounces, or roughly 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon. In everyday cooking, some people treat a liter and a quart as close enough; in baking or canning, use the exact figure. A U.S. cup is about 237 milliliters, so a liter is a little more than 4 cups.

Water being poured from a clear unmarked glass pitcher into a clear unmarked drinking glass on a white kitchen counter — A liter pours out to a little more than a U.S. quart, or about 33.81 fluid ounces.

U.S. ounces and imperial ounces

The word ounce can mean two different fluid measures. U.S. recipes use U.S. fluid ounces (33.81 per liter). Imperial fluid ounces, used in some British measures, are slightly smaller, so a liter is about 35.20 imperial fluid ounces. Check which system the recipe uses before you convert.

Frequently asked questions