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Liters to US cups converter

Convert liters to US cups (liters to cups) with the exact factor, a conversion chart and worked steps.

Drafted with AI writing toolsUpdated Checked examples: 3

L
Try
US cups
cup
US cups: 4.22675283773 cup
Significant figures: 12; Nearest, ties away from zero
Conversion
1 L = 4.2267528377 cup
1 cup in liters
0.2365882365L

1 L is about 4.2267528377 cup. In the other direction, 1 cup ≈ 0.23658824 L.

Liters to US cups

0510152012345Lcup1 → 4.2268
Liters to cups chart Rows: 9
LitersUS cups
0.251.0567
0.52.1134
0.753.1701
14.2268
1.56.3401
28.4535
312.6803
416.907
521.1338
How it's calculated S

  1. Conversion factor

    1 L=4.22675283773 cup1\ \text{L} = 4.22675283773\ \text{cup}

    Rounded here for display; the calculation uses 50 significant digits.

  2. Multiply

    1×4.22675283773=4.22675283773 cup1 \times 4.22675283773 = 4.22675283773\ \text{cup}

About the liters to US cups converter

To convert liters to US cups, multiply by 4.2267528377; to convert back, multiply by 0.2365882365. For example, 1 L is about 4.226753 cup. Displayed factors and results may be rounded.

Liter volumes commonly describe bottles, tanks and liquid purchases. A fractional liter can be useful when comparing container capacities or adapting a recipe. If the destination uses gallons or cups, check the regional definition before deciding how many containers to buy.

For the US customary cup, 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz = 236.5882365 mL. These values are exact.

Both units are defined exactly. Calculations use 50 significant digits and round only for display.

How to convert liters to cups

Multiply liters by 4.226753, or divide by 0.2365882365: cups = L × 4.226753. So 1 L = 4.23 US cups and 2 L = 8.45 cups. That is the US customary cup of 236.5882365 mL; with 250 mL metric cups, a liter is exactly 4 cups.

Where 4.226753 comes from

A US cup is 1/16 of a US gallon of 231 cubic inches, which works out to exactly 236.5882365 mL (NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C). One liter is 1,000 ÷ 236.5882365 = 4.2267528377… cups, a decimal that never ends.

For a quick estimate, a liter is just under 4¼ cups; using 4.25 reads 0.55% high.

Measuring a liter with US cups

A liter is 4 cups plus about 3⅝ tablespoons. In whole spoons, 4 cups + 3 tbsp + 2 tsp comes to 1,000.6 mL, within 0.06% of a liter.

A US quart is exactly 4 cups, or 946.35 mL, so a liter holds 5.7% more than a quart.

Liters to cups chart

LitersUS cups, rounded
0.251.056688
0.52.113376
14.226753
1.56.340129
28.453506
416.907011

Which cup does the recipe mean?

  • US customary cup, 236.5882365 mL: 4.2268 cups per liter, the cup of US recipes and measuring cups.
  • Metric cup, 250 mL: exactly 4 cups per liter, used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada (NSW cooking-measure reference).
  • US nutrition-label cup, 240 mL: 4.1667 cups per liter (21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii)).

On 2 L, US and metric cups differ by 0.45 cup, about 7 tablespoons.

Common mistakes

  • Using the reverse factor. 1 L × 0.2366 gives 0.24 cup. The cup count is always a little over four times the liters.
  • Entering milliliters as liters. Divide mL by 1,000 first: 750 mL is 0.75 L, or 3.17 US cups. The mL to cups converter takes milliliters directly.
  • Measuring a metric-cup recipe with US cups. Each US cup is 5.4% smaller than a 250 mL cup. For 4 metric cups, 1 L, measure 4 US cups plus 3 tbsp and 2 tsp.

Cups to mL goes the other way. For larger volumes, use liters to gallons or quarts to liters, and for ingredient weights the cooking converter.

Worked examples

1 L to cup

Liters (L)
1 L
US cups
4.2267528377 cup

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions

4 L to cup

Liters (L)
4 L
US cups
16.9070113509 cup

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions

0.25 L to cup

Liters (L)
0.25 L
US cups
1.0566882094 cup

Checked against: Exact-fraction computation from the legal unit definitions

Questions

How many US cups are in one liter?

1 L is about 4.2267528377 cup. For the US customary cup, 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz = 236.5882365 mL. These values are exact.

How do I convert liters to US cups?

Multiply by 4.2267528377: 1 L × 4.2267528377 ≈ 4.226753 cup. To convert back, divide by the same factor. The factor shown may be rounded.

How can I estimate liters in US cups without a calculator?

Multiply by 4.2. This is 0.6% below the exact factor (about 4.2267528377), so 1 L comes out as 4.2 cup instead of 4.2268 cup.

Is a cup 240 mL or 236.6 mL?

Both are in use. The US customary cup in recipes is approximately 236.588 mL. US nutrition labels use a rounded "legal cup" of 240 mL (21 CFR 101.9), and the metric cup used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada is 250 mL.

About this calculator

cup=L×4.22675283773\text{cup} = \text{L} \times 4.22675283773

Sources

  1. 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii), Nutrition labeling of food
  2. Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, section 241
  3. New Zealand Ministry of Education, Cooking: Measuring
  4. NSW Health, Healthy Food for Babies and Toddlers: metric cup and spoon measures
  5. NIST SP 811 (2008), Guide for the Use of the International System of Units, Appendix B
  6. NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General tables of units of measurement
  7. BIPM, The International System of Units (SI Brochure), 9th edition

Checked against references

This calculator includes 3 worked examples with independently sourced answers. They run in the test suite, and you can run them here too.

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