Liters and US Gallons Converter
Using the Liters and US Gallons Converter
This converter allows for seamless conversion between the most common units of volumes for both the metric and US systems of measurement.
First, select whether you prefer the American spelling of ‘Liter’ or the British spelling of ‘Litre’ at the top of the converter.
In the ‘Convert From’ section, select your input value as either Liters (L) or US Gallons. Choose your output in the Convert To section of the converter out of the same two options.
You may also just go with the preselected options or click on the icon of the two arrows moving in opposite directions in order to swap the input and output units.
Type the value of the input unit into the Value to convert section, select the number of decimal places you want your result rounded towards, and click on CONVERT.
Your result will come out as a decimal number rounded to the desired number of decimal places in your output unit. Click on the COPY icon next to the result to conveniently copy it for later use.
Additionally, you can also see the conversion rate at the bottom of the result section, which serves as a key to manual conversion between the two units.
Converting Liters and US Gallons Manually
The conversion rates between Liters and Gallons will lead to the formulae needed for manual conversions. Here are the rates along with their origins.
| Unit | Equivalent (2 decimal places) | Ratio (decimal) | Ratio (integer) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Liter | 0.26 Gallons | 1:0.26 | 5:13 |
| 1 Gallon | 3.79 Liters | 1:3.79 | 100:379 |
The two formulae that can be created out of these rates go as follows:
US ~gallons = liters * 0.26
liters = gallons * 3.79
Let’s have a look at two solved examples to demonstrate manual conversion in practice.
EXAMPLE 1: Convert 83 Liters into US Gallons.
Using the first formula is a wise choice, as the input value is not the subject there, which makes for an easier calculation than using the second formula in this case.
US gallons = liters * 0.26 \\= 83 * 0.26 \\= 21.58 ~US gallons.
EXAMPLE 2: Convert 7.5 US Gallons into Liters.
In this case, using the second formula is better, as the input value of US Gallons is not the subject.
liters = gallons * 3.79 \\= 7.5 * 3.79 \\= 28.425 liters.
A Short History of Gallons and Liters
The Gallon, an imperial unit of volume, has its origins in medieval England. It was first defined in the 13th century as the volume of a container used for trading wine and other goods.
As time went by, the definition of the Gallon changed, with the imperial Gallon being defined in 1824 as the volume occupied by 10 pounds of water at a specific temperature. This led to the first uniform definition of the Gallon.
The Liter, on the other hand, was introduced as part of the metric system, which was developed during the French Revolution in the late 18th century. It was properly defined in 1901 as part of the International System of Units and is now used as a standard unit of volume in most countries around the world.
The Liter is defined as a volume of 1,000 cm3 or 1 dm3.
Both Gallons and Liters have undergone several redefinitions throughout history, with the current definitions being based on precise measurements and standardized methods. These units continue to play an important role in our daily lives, with Gallons still being used predominantly in the United States and a few other countries, and Liters being used globally as a standard unit of volume in the metric system.
This leads to the question of the two Gallons.
The USA was originally a UK colony, hence it was using and adapting the same units of measurement. Around the time the USA gained its independence, there was a lot of pressure on distinction from the UK and also a sort of rebellious nature towards cooperation with the former colonizer.
Due to this, during the 19th and 20th centuries, both countries were using identically named units of measurement but decided on different definitions.