Liters to Gallons Conversion Chart

You are holding a 20-liter jerry can at the hardware store and the pump reads gallons. You need the liters to gallons chart value for 20 liters to gallons right now, not a lecture on metric history. The table below gives you 1 to 100 liters in both US and UK gallons, so you can stop doing mental math and get back to the task.

This first block of the liters to gallons chart covers the range you meet in daily life: fuel cans, water jugs, cooking pots, and small aquariums. Each line shows the exact US gallon figure and the UK gallon figure, because the 20% gap between them is where mistakes happen. A 5-liter bottle is 1.32 US gallons but only 1.10 UK gallons; a 20-liter gas can is 5.28 US gallons but 4.40 UK gallons; a 50-liter aquarium is 13.21 US gallons but 11.00 UK gallons.

Use the 0.264172 US gallon factor for quick mental checks: double the liters, divide by 7.57. For UK, divide liters by 4.546. The table stops at 100 liters because that is where the medium range ends; the next section carries you to 1,000 liters for drums and totes.

Here is the full list, each row rounded to two decimals for practical use:

• 1 L = 0.26 US gal / 0.22 UK gal
• 2 L = 0.53 US gal / 0.44 UK gal
• 3 L = 0.79 US gal / 0.66 UK gal
• 4 L = 1.06 US gal / 0.88 UK gal
• 5 L = 1.32 US gal / 1.10 UK gal
• 6 L = 1.59 US gal / 1.32 UK gal
• 7 L = 1.85 US gal / 1.54 UK gal
• 8 L = 2.11 US gal / 1.76 UK gal
• 9 L = 2.38 US gal / 1.98 UK gal
• 10 L = 2.64 US gal / 2.20 UK gal
• 15 L = 3.96 US gal / 3.30 UK gal
• 20 L = 5.28 US gal / 4.40 UK gal
• 25 L = 6.60 US gal / 5.50 UK gal
• 30 L = 7.93 US gal / 6.60 UK gal
• 40 L = 10.57 US gal / 8.80 UK gal
• 50 L = 13.21 US gal / 11.00 UK gal
• 60 L = 15.85 US gal / 13.20 UK gal
• 70 L = 18.49 US gal / 15.40 UK gal
• 80 L = 21.13 US gal / 17.60 UK gal
• 90 L = 23.78 US gal / 19.80 UK gal
• 100 L = 26.42 US gal / 22.00 UK gal

Notice the pattern: the US number is always about 17% higher because the US gallon is smaller. That is not a rounding quirk; it is the definition.

When you move past the 100-liter mark, you are in industrial territory: water tanks, chemical drums, fuel storage, and aquaculture.17 US gallons, 219.97 UK gallons) against a standard industrial barrel.

The 200 liters to gallons figure is the one people get wrong most often. A 55 US gallon drum is not 200 liters; it is exactly 208.2 liters. That 4% error compounds when you order chemicals or fuel in bulk. Use these values:

• 100 L = 26.42 US gal / 22.00 UK gal
• 200 L = 52.83 US gal / 44.00 UK gal
• 250 L = 66.04 US gal / 55.00 UK gal
• 300 L = 79.25 US gal / 66.00 UK gal
• 400 L = 105.67 US gal / 88.00 UK gal
• 500 L = 132.09 US gal / 110.00 UK gal
• 600 L = 158.50 US gal / 132.00 UK gal
• 700 L = 184.92 US gal / 154.00 UK gal
• 800 L = 211.34 US gal / 176.00 UK gal
• 900 L = 237.75 US gal / 198.00 UK gal
• 1,000 L = 264.17 US gal / 219.97 UK gal

For a 200-liter water tank, the 52.83 US gallon figure means you are carrying roughly one standard drum's worth of volume. For a 1,000-liter IBC tote, the 264.17 US gallon figure matches four and a half 55-gallon drums. The gap between 200 liters and 208.2 liters is why you must read the manufacturer's nominal size, not assume the round number.

The 5 liters to gallons conversion is the one you meet in a supermarket aisle, a water cooler, or a wine box. A 5-liter bottle is 1.32 US gallons or 1.10 UK gallons. That is just over one US gallon, which is why a 5-liter jug never quite fills a 1-gallon container without spilling.

Bottled water companies sell 5-liter jugs for dispensers; a 5-liter carboy is 1.32 US gallons. In the US, a standard water cooler bottle is 5 gallons, which is 18.93 liters, not 5 liters. Do not confuse the two: a 5-liter bottle is about 0.264 of a US cooler bottle. For cooking, a 5-liter stock pot holds 1.32 US gallons, enough for a large batch of soup but not a turkey fryer.

If you are filling a 5-gallon bucket from a 5-liter jug, you will be short by 13.93 liters. The failure case is buying a 5-liter jug thinking it is a gallon and a half; it is not. Use the 0.264172 factor: 5 times 0.264172 is 1.32 US gallons. For UK, 5 divided by 4.546 is 1.10 UK gallons. Both figures matter because a British recipe calling for a gallon of water needs 4.546 liters, not 3.785.

The 20 liters to gallons conversion is the one that matters when you are at a gas station, a hardware store, or a military surplus shop. A 20-liter jerry can is 5.28 US gallons or 4.40 UK gallons. The NATO can is nominally 20 liters, but you will see it labeled as 5 gallons in the US, which is wrong: 5 US gallons is 18.93 liters, so a 20-liter can holds 1.07 more liters than a 5-gallon can.

This 20-liter figure is the single most common source of the one-gallon assumption error. People buy a 20-liter can for a 5-gallon drum, and then they are short by 1.07 liters when they try to transfer. The UK gallon makes it worse: 20 liters is 4.40 UK gallons, so a British reader sees a smaller number and may think the can is smaller than it is.

When you fill a 20-liter can with gasoline, the pump measures liters in most of the world. If you are in the US, the pump measures gallons, and you need to know that 20 liters is 5.28 US gallons. If you are in the UK, 20 liters is 4.40 UK gallons. A 20-liter can will not fill a 5-UK-gallon container, which holds 22.73 liters. The practical instruction: check the label on the can, not the shape. A "5 gallon" plastic can in the US is usually 18.93 liters, not 20. The 20-liter can is a different product.

The 200 liters in gallons figure is the pivot between household and industrial. Two hundred liters is 52.83 US gallons or 44.00 UK gallons. A 55 US gallon drum is 208.2 liters, so a 200-liter container is a different, smaller item: it holds 8.2 liters less than the drum. That is a 4% error, and in chemical ordering, 4% of a truckload is a lot of product.

A 200-liter water tank is a common rain barrel size.But the tank itself is not a drum; a 55-gallon drum is 208.2 liters. If you buy a "200 liter drum" thinking it is a 55-gallon drum, you are short 8.2 liters per container.

The failure case is ordering 200-liter drums for a job that specifies 55-gallon drums. The manufacturer's nominal size for a 55 US gallon drum is 208.2 liters, and the IBC tote is 1,000 liters, not 200. For 200 liters, you are dealing with a rain barrel or a small tank, not an industrial container. Check the spec sheet before you pour.

Real containers come in nominal sizes that never match the round liter numbers. A 55 US gallon drum is 208.2 liters, not 200. A 1,000-liter IBC tote is 264.17 US gallons, not 250. A 5-gallon aquarium is 18.93 liters, not 20. A 20-liter jerry can is 5.28 US gallons, not 5. These gaps are where the failures happen.

Bottles and Jerry Cans

A standard US water cooler bottle is 5 gallons, which is 18.93 liters. A 20-liter jerry can is 5.28 US gallons, so it is slightly larger. A 5-liter bottle is 1.32 US gallons, a quarter of the cooler bottle. The manufacturer labels these by nominal volume, but the actual capacity is exact: 20 liters is 20 liters, not 5 gallons.

Aquariums

Aquarium sizes are measured in US gallons, and a 20-gallon tank is 75.71 liters.The fish-keeping rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon, but that is a guideline, not a law. A 200-liter tank holds 52.84 US gallons, so it can handle roughly 52 inches of adult fish, but overstocking kills fish. The liters to gallons conversion for aquariums is not optional; a 100-liter tank is 26.42 US gallons, and a 50-liter tank is 13.21 US gallons, which are very different bioloads.

55-Gallon Drums and IBC Totes

The 55 US gallon drum is 208.2 liters exactly. The 1,000-liter IBC tote is 264.17 US gallons. These are manufacturer nominal sizes, not legal definitions, but they are consistent across the industry. A 55-gallon drum is not 200 liters, and a 1,000-liter tote is not 250 US gallons.99, because 200 liters is a different container. If you order a 200-liter drum when you need a 55-gallon drum, you are short by 8.2 liters, and that is the 4% error that ruins batches.

The liters to gallons chart always gives two numbers: US and UK. The reason is that a US gallon is 3.785411784 liters, and a UK gallon is 4.54609 liters. The difference is 20.095%, which means the UK number is always about 17% smaller than the US number for the same volume. A 100-liter barrel is 26.42 US gallons but only 22.00 UK gallons, a gap of 4.42 gallons.

When you scan a table, look at the column header first. If it says "gal" without a qualifier, it is probably US, but do not assume. A 5-liter bottle is 1.32 US gallons and 1.10 UK gallons; a 20-liter can is 5.28 US gallons and 4.40 UK gallons; a 200-liter tank is 52.83 US gallons and 44.00 UK gallons. The failure case is reading the UK column when you are in the US, or vice versa, and under- or over-filling by a fifth.

For a rough mental check, remember that 4 liters is about 1.06 US gallons and 4.546 liters is exactly 1 UK gallon. Divide liters by 3.785 for US, by 4.546 for UK. If you only remember one number, use 3.785 for US because that is what most of the world's fuel and water standards use. The UK gallon survives in the UK, Canada, and some Commonwealth countries for fuel economy, but even they use liters for most things now.

The practical instruction: always write the unit next to the number. A table that lists "gallons" without saying which one is a trap. Your notes should never do that either.

Gallons to liters is the reverse of this chart: multiply the gallon figure by 3.785 for US or 4.546 for UK. A 5-gallon bucket is 18.93 liters, and a 55-gallon drum is 208.2 liters. The formulas for liters to gallons are simple: divide liters by 3.785 for US, or by 4.546 for UK. If you are cooking, a US cup is 236.588 mL, and a metric cup is 250 mL, so a liter is 4.23 US cups or exactly 4 metric cups. For baking, use the exact conversion, not a rounded factor.