How Many U.S. Cups Are in an Imperial Quart?

One imperial (UK) quart equals approximately 4.804 U.S. customary cups. It is larger than a U.S. liquid quart, which equals exactly four U.S. cups. The difference matters when converting an older British recipe or comparing containers.

The numbers, side by side

1 imperial quart = 1.1365225 liters = 1,136.5225 mL ≈ 4.8038 U.S. customary cups. By comparison, 1 U.S. liquid quart = 0.946352946 liters = exactly 4 U.S. customary cups. An imperial quart therefore holds about 20% more than a U.S. liquid quart.

How to convert imperial quarts to U.S. cups

Multiply the number of imperial quarts by 4.8038. For example, 2 imperial quarts × 4.8038 ≈ 9.61 U.S. cups. For a recipe requiring greater precision, measure 1,136.5 mL for each imperial quart instead of trying to approximate a fifth measuring cup.

Why don’t recipes just say four cups?

Because the word cup also changes meaning by country and context. A traditional imperial cup is half an imperial pint, or about 284.13 mL; four of those fill an imperial quart. A U.S. customary cup is about 236.59 mL. A metric cup used in many contemporary recipes is 250 mL. Never assume an older British recipe and an American measuring cup use the same volume.

What should you do when adapting a recipe?

First check whether the original recipe actually specifies imperial units; many modern UK recipes use milliliters and grams. If it uses imperial quarts, convert to milliliters and measure with a marked jug. For baking, weigh ingredients when a reliable gram amount is available, because volumes for flour and other dry ingredients can vary.

Frequently asked questions

Is an imperial quart the same as a dry quart?

No. A U.S. dry quart is a separate unit, about 1.101 liters. An imperial quart is about 1.137 liters, and a U.S. liquid quart is about 0.946 liter.

How many milliliters are in a U.S. customary cup?

236.5882365 mL by its volume definition; U.S. nutrition labeling often uses a rounded 240 mL cup, a separate convention.

References: NIST: Volume Measurement and UK Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1.