How Many Cups Are in a Liter of Water?

By Staff WriterLast Updated May 27, 2020 7:17:37 PM ET
Liter Water

There are approximately 4.2 US cups of water in a liter. However, if you want a more accurate answer, the number of cups in a liter of water is 4.2268. This unusual liquid proportion may throw some off, especially those who want precision when measuring recipe requirements. One easy workaround for this issue would be to have a digital kitchen scale, or have measuring cups for US, metric and imperial systems. Still, don’t you just wish there were universal volume measurements?

Metric System

Most countries have been using the metric system for quite some time. Even the United Kingdom has been actively promoting metrication for several decades. One reason why most countries favor the metric system is its simplicity. The units of measurement are based on a principle of 10s, where the next unit increment either increases or decreases by a power of 10. The example below shows how this works for volume measurements.

10 milliliters = 1 centiliter

10 centiliters = 1 deciliter

10 deciliters = 1 liter

The seeming symmetry in the increments arguably makes it easier for most people to get a better grasp of measurements, as well as make quick mental calculations. Interestingly, the metric system also has a standard “cup” measurement, which is 250 milliliters. In the metric system, therefore, there are exactly 4 cups in a liter of water.

Imperial System

Although the metric system of measurement is being encouraged in the UK, there are those who still hold on to the imperial measurements, especially when it comes to recipe portions. The following shows the basic volume units in the imperial system.

5 imperial fluid ounces = 1 imperial gill

4 imperial gills = 1 imperial pint

2 imperial pints = 1 imperial quart

4 imperial quarts = 1 imperial gallon

The UK imperial system also has its own “cup” measurement. Using the metric system, the UK imperial system cup is about 284.13 milliliters, which means that a liter has approximately 3.5 imperial cups.

How Do the US Customary Units Compare?

The US customary units, like the imperial system, do not have the same symmetrical unit increments as the metric system. The US customary volume units are as follows:

4 US fluid ounces = 1 US gill

2 US gills = 1 US cup

2 US cups = 1 US pint

2 US pints = 1 quart

4 US quarts = 1 gallon

It’s important to keep in mind that the US customary volume units for liquids do not have the same measurements as the imperial system, even though both use similar terms for the unit increments. For instance, the US cup is about 236.586, which gave the answer to the title question of 4.2268 cups per liter.

Why are These Numbers Important?

Suppose you see a recipe online for a dish that you want to try. You then realize that the portions of the liquid ingredients that it calls for are in units with which you’re not familiar. Understanding and knowing how to convert the different units of measurements will be crucial to nailing down the recipe.

What will be even be trickier is figuring out whether the cups that the recipe calls for are in imperial or US customary units. Some traditional recipes that are lifted from old cookbooks may be using the imperial units, rather than its US customary unit counterparts.

The Takeaway

As mentioned earlier, having a digital scale and measuring implements for both US customary and metric systems in the kitchen removes much of the guesswork when following recipe directions. As far as figuring out whether the measurements that the recipe requires are in US customary or imperial units is concerned, you may have to go resolve it trial and error.