Liquid Volume Measurements in the US Customary System
Liquid Volume Measurements in the US Customary System
US Customary Units of Volume
Volume measures the capacity occupied by liquid, solid, or gas. Cubic inches, cubic feet, and cubic yards are commonly used for measuring volume. Also, there are units for measuring volumes of liquids and units for measuring volumes of dry material.
US Customary Units of Liquid Volume
Gallons, quarts, pints, cups, fluid ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons are used to measure volume. We need to use liquid measuring cups and spoons for basic liquid measurements and conversions. Remember, there are weight measuring cups too, and make sure you use the correct one.
The most significant units of volume in the US Customary System of Measurements are,- cups
- pints
- quarts
- gallons
We use these for liquid measurements every single day. Whether we're cooking, gardening, or filling a pool, we have to know the right unit to use. If you're trying to fill a swimming pool, you're probably going to want to use a gallon more so than you would want to use a cup. Remember, a cup is a small amount, and a gallon is quite large. When you're cooking, chances are you're probably going to use more cups and pints than you are going to use a gallon unless you're making a large amount of something. Therefore, if you measure the water in the aquarium, you measure it with a gallon. If you're measuring the amount of soup that you're making is probably a cup.
You definitely have to know the right unit of volume to use. If you're not careful, you can end up putting too much something into your recipe, and it can lead to a disaster.
- cups
- pints
- quarts
- gallons
We use these for liquid measurements every single day. Whether we're cooking, gardening, or filling a pool, we have to know the right unit to use. If you're trying to fill a swimming pool, you're probably going to want to use a gallon more so than you would want to use a cup. Remember, a cup is a small amount, and a gallon is quite large. When you're cooking, chances are you're probably going to use more cups and pints than you are going to use a gallon unless you're making a large amount of something. Therefore, if you measure the water in the aquarium, you measure it with a gallon. If you're measuring the amount of soup that you're making is probably a cup.
You definitely have to know the right unit of volume to use. If you're not careful, you can end up putting too much something into your recipe, and it can lead to a disaster.
You definitely have to know the right unit of volume to use. If you're not careful, you can end up putting too much something into your recipe, and it can lead to a disaster.
What is a cup?
 |
| 1 cup = 8 fl oz |
Let's start with cups. A cup is a small unit for measuring liquid. A cup is eight fluid ounces (1 US liquid cup = 8 US liquid ounces). It's not very big, and some examples are the amount of milk that you put in your cereal, or if you get yourself a glass of water, you usually drink about a cup. It's not a lot. If you were trying to fill something large with a cup, it would take you a very long time to do it.
What is a pint?
 |
| 1 pint = 2 cups |
The next one is a pint. A pint is two cups (1 US liquid pint = 2 US liquid cups). So, if a cup is eight fluid ounces, then a pint would be 16 fluid ounces. A pint is usually about a bottle of water. If you go to the store and you buy a bottle of water, that's about that size. If you drink soda, a pint, it's a little bit more or less the same. It's twice as much as a cup, but it's still not a whole lot.
What is a quart?
 |
| 1 quart = 2 pints |
The third unit that we want to discuss is quarts. A quart is two pints (1 US liquid quart = 2 US liquid pints). So, in every quart, there's going to be four cups. Now quart is a pretty good size. If you buy a water bottle, one of those reusable water bottles, that's usually a quart, it's 32 fluid ounces. It's a good deal. If you go to the store and buy a bottle of Gatorade or some other kind of sports drink, the larger ones contain a quart. Some people buy ice cream in a quart size as well. So a quart is a pretty good amount.
What is a gallon?
 |
| 1 gallon = 4 quarts |
And the last one we're going to discuss is a gallon. A gallon is four quarts (1 US liquid gallon = 4 US liquid quarts). To convert gallons to quarts, multiply the gallon value by 4. A gallon is a relatively large amount of volume. It's a lot, a gallon is 128 fluid ounces. Some people try to drink a gallon of water every day. It's a lot of water to try to drink. If you go to the grocery store and you buy a container of milk, most often times it's gonna come in a gallon size. Therefore, it will be enough to last you for a couple of days. If you go to a party and somebody asks you to bring a drink, you're probably going to bring a gallon size of lemonade or kool-aid or something like that.