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Convert US pints to liters instantly with our free online calculator. Essential for cooking, beverage measurements, recipe conversions, and everyday liquid volume calculations.
0.473176
Liters per Pint
2.11338
Pints per Liter
16 fl oz
Fluid Ounces per Pint
Formula: Liters = Pints × 0.473176
| US Pints | Liters | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 pt | 0.2366 L | Small cup of liquid |
| 1 pt | 0.4732 L | Standard pint glass (beer) |
| 2 pt | 0.9464 L | Quart (2 pints) |
| 3 pt | 1.420 L | Large serving pitcher |
| 4 pt | 1.893 L | Half gallon |
| 5 pt | 2.366 L | Large beverage container |
| 6 pt | 2.839 L | Medium punch bowl |
| 8 pt | 3.785 L | One gallon (8 pints) |
| 10 pt | 4.732 L | Large soup pot |
| 12 pt | 5.678 L | Party-size beverage |
| 16 pt | 7.571 L | Two gallons |
| 20 pt | 9.464 L | Commercial beverage dispenser |
| 24 pt | 11.356 L | Three gallons |
| 32 pt | 15.142 L | Four gallons (restaurant use) |
| 40 pt | 18.927 L | Five gallons (large cooler) |
A pint is a unit of liquid volume used primarily in the United States and United Kingdom, though the two countries define it differently. The US liquid pint is legally defined as exactly 473.176473 milliliters (0.473176 liters), which equals one-eighth of a US gallon or 16 US fluid ounces. The word "pint" comes from the Old French pinte, possibly derived from the Latin picta meaning "painted" (referring to marks on measuring vessels). In everyday American life, pints are commonly used for beer servings, ice cream containers, milk cartons, and measuring fresh produce like berries.
The Imperial pint, used in the UK and other Commonwealth countries, is larger at 568.261 milliliters. This 20% difference can cause confusion when following international recipes or comparing beverage sizes. When Americans travel to the UK and order a pint of beer, they actually get about 3.2 additional fluid ounces compared to a US pint. For this calculator, we focus exclusively on the US liquid pint, which is the standard in American commerce, cooking, and daily measurements.
A liter (also spelled litre in British English; symbol: L or l) is the standard unit of liquid volume in the metric system. One liter is defined as exactly 1,000 cubic centimeters (1 dm³) or 1,000 milliliters. The liter was introduced in France in 1795 as part of the metric system and is now used worldwide for measuring liquids and gases. Common examples include 2-liter soda bottles, engine displacement in cars, and beverage packaging. The relationship between these units is: 1 US pint = 0.473176 liters, or conversely, 1 liter = 2.11338 US pints.
The formula to convert US pints to liters is: Liters = Pints × 0.473176. Simply multiply the number of pints by the conversion factor 0.473176 to get the equivalent volume in liters.
Question: A standard US pint glass holds 1 pint of beer. How many liters is that?
Note: This is just under half a liter, which is why pints are sometimes approximated as "half-liters."
Question: A soup recipe calls for 3 pints of chicken stock. How many liters do you need?
Practical tip: You could measure this as 1 liter plus 420 mL, or about 1.4 liters.
Question: You're making punch using one gallon (8 pints) of juice. How many liters is this?
Useful fact: This is exactly one US gallon, which equals about 3.79 liters.
For a quick estimate, treat each pint as 0.5 liters (500 mL). This is about 6% higher than the actual value but much easier to calculate mentally. For example: 4 pints × 0.5 = 2 liters (exact: 1.893 L). This approximation works well for shopping, rough cooking measurements, and everyday estimates. For precise baking or professional cooking, always use the exact factor of 0.473176.
| Beverage | US Pints | Liters |
|---|---|---|
| Draft beer (standard) | 1 | 0.473 |
| Milk carton (small) | 1 | 0.473 |
| Quart of milk | 2 | 0.946 |
| Ice cream pint | 1 | 0.473 |
| Half-gallon juice | 4 | 1.893 |
| Gallon of milk | 8 | 3.785 |
| Party punch bowl | 16 | 7.571 |
| Large beverage cooler | 40 | 18.927 |
| Recipe Amount | US Pints | Liters |
|---|---|---|
| Small sauce batch | 0.5 | 0.237 |
| Standard soup serving | 1 | 0.473 |
| Medium soup pot | 4 | 1.893 |
| Large stew pot | 6 | 2.839 |
| Stock for sauce (professional) | 8 | 3.785 |
| Large batch cooking | 12 | 5.678 |
| Commercial kitchen stock | 20 | 9.464 |
| Catering-size batch | 32 | 15.142 |
| Container | US Pints | Liters |
|---|---|---|
| Standard water bottle | ~1.05 | ~0.5 |
| Wine bottle (750 mL) | ~1.59 | 0.75 |
| Soda bottle (2-liter) | 4.23 | 2.0 |
| Champagne bottle (magnum) | 3.17 | 1.5 |
| Beer growler (half-gallon) | 4 | 1.893 |
| Milk jug (1 gallon) | 8 | 3.785 |
Many international recipes use metric measurements (liters, milliliters) while American recipes use pints, cups, and fluid ounces. Converting between these systems ensures accurate cooking results, especially in baking where precision matters for chemical reactions like rising and setting.
Bars, restaurants, and beverage manufacturers need to convert between pints and liters for serving sizes, inventory management, and packaging. Understanding that a US pint (473 mL) differs from an Imperial pint (568 mL) is crucial for international trade and tourism.
When comparing prices between products sold in pints (ice cream, beer, milk) and those sold in liters (soda, juice, imported beverages), conversion helps determine the better value. A liter is about 2.1 pints, so direct comparison reveals the true cost per volume.
When traveling abroad, understanding volume conversions helps with ordering drinks, following local recipes, and adapting to different measurement systems. Americans visiting metric countries benefit from knowing that their "pint" of beer will actually be measured in milliliters or centiliters.
Approximating a pint as half a liter (500 mL) is fine for rough calculations and gives results within 6%. For recipes requiring exact measurements, use the precise factor.
This inverse relationship (actually 2.11 pints per liter) helps verify your conversions. If you convert pints to liters and get a larger number, you made an error.
When working with international recipes or colleagues, always clarify which pint system you're using. The 20% difference between US and Imperial pints can significantly affect results.
A US pint (473 mL) is not the same as an Imperial pint (568 mL). Using the wrong conversion factor will give you results that are off by 20%, enough to ruin recipes or cause inventory errors.
While there's an old saying "a pint's a pound the world around" (referring to water), this only applies to weight-to-volume for water. For other liquids, density varies, so you cannot convert pints directly to pounds without knowing the specific gravity.
The US also defines a "dry pint" (550.6 mL) used for measuring produce like berries. This calculator uses liquid pints (473 mL), which are standard for beverages and cooking liquids.
One US liquid pint equals exactly 0.473176 liters. This is the legally defined conversion in the United States. A US pint is approximately 473 milliliters, which is just under half a liter (500 mL). The exact value comes from the definition of a US gallon as 231 cubic inches.
No. A US liquid pint (473.176 mL) is smaller than an Imperial pint (568.261 mL) used in the UK, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries. An Imperial pint is about 20% larger than a US pint. This difference stems from the divergence between US customary units and British Imperial units in the 19th century.
Multiply the number of pints by 0.473176. For example: 2 pints × 0.473176 = 0.946352 liters. For a quick mental estimate, multiply pints by 0.5 (half a liter per pint), which gives you a result within 6% accuracy. So 4 pints × 0.5 ≈ 2 liters (exact: 1.893 L).
One liter equals approximately 2.11338 US pints. This means a liter is slightly more than two pints. For quick conversions, remember that 1 liter ≈ 2.1 pints. A 2-liter soda bottle, for example, contains about 4.23 US pints.
The pint has different definitions because the US and UK measurement systems diverged in 1824. The US kept the older wine gallon standard (231 cubic inches), while Britain adopted the Imperial gallon (277.42 cubic inches). Since a pint is defined as 1/8 of a gallon, the two pint sizes differ proportionally.
In the US, pints are commonly used for beer, milk, ice cream, berries, and other fresh produce. A standard beer serving in many bars is one pint (16 fluid ounces). Ice cream is typically sold in pint containers. Pints are also used in cooking recipes, particularly for measuring liquids and semi-liquids.
A US liquid pint contains exactly 16 US fluid ounces. This is a fixed conversion: 1 pint = 16 fl oz. By comparison, an Imperial pint contains 20 Imperial fluid ounces. When converting recipes or beverage sizes, it's important to know which system is being used.
For most home cooking, treating 1 pint as 0.5 liters (500 mL) is close enough. However, for precise baking or professional cooking, use the exact conversion of 0.473176 liters per pint. The 6% difference can matter in recipes requiring exact ratios, like bread dough or custards.
This calculator uses the US liquid pint definition: 1 US pint = 0.473176473 liters (exactly). For Imperial (UK) pints, use 0.56826125 liters per pint. For critical applications like pharmaceutical measurements or commercial food production, verify conversions with certified measurement standards.