A U.S. liquid quart and a U.S. dry quart are different volume units. The liquid quart is approximately 0.946 liter; the U.S. dry quart is approximately 1.101 liters, so they should not be substituted without conversion.
Why the names are confusing
Both units are called quarts and both historically belong to U.S. customary measurement, but they come from different measurement systems. A dry quart is roughly 16 percent larger in volume than a liquid quart.
Which does a recipe mean?
Modern U.S. recipes using quarts of water, milk, stock or other liquids generally mean liquid quarts. Dry produce and bulk commodities may be described in dry measures, so check the context.
How many cups in a liquid quart?
One U.S. liquid quart contains four standard U.S. cups, or 32 U.S. fluid ounces. Those are the familiar kitchen conversions, not a universal rule for every historical or international quart.
What to do with uncertain instructions
If using an old canning recipe or foreign publication, confirm the unit definitions before scaling the batch. Temperature, ingredients and validated processing times matter greatly for home canning safety.
Frequently asked question
Is one U.S. dry quart exactly four U.S. liquid cups?
No. A dry quart is a larger volume than four standard U.S. liquid cups.
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