Have you ever wondered how many ounce in a liter of fluid or liquid? I know this is not Science class, but knowing these ”seeming unimportant” things could be important. So how many ounces do we have in a liter, read up and find that out?
I always like to give a little background of concepts for your better comprehension. But here, what will be obtainable is the definition of necessary terms, here we go;
What is a Ounce?
The term “ounce” is of the Latin origin from the word “uncia” which means “a twelfth part.” It can also be used in several different systems of measurements, but the most widely used systems for “ounce” are the international troy ounce and the international avoirdupois ounce. This suggests that one avoirdupois ounce is approximately 28.3495231 grams.
Similarly, we use two systems in measuring fluid ounces. For example, one unit of a fluid ounce is approximately 29.5735297 ml. using the U.S Customary system while it is just approximately 28 ml. using the Imperial system. This makes one beg for the use of one unified, standard system of measurement which is not entirely applicable today.
To make it easier, an Ounce is;
- a unit of weight equal to 437.5 grains or 1/16 pound (28.35 grams) avoirdupois.
- a unit of 480 grains, 1/12 pound (31.1 grams) troy or apothecaries’ weight.
- a fluid ounce.
- a small quantity or portion.
In discussing how many ounces are in a liter, It is important that we clearly understand that there are two types of ounces, which are the fluid ounce and the regular ounce.
What is a Fluid Ounce
The US fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to 1/16 of a pint or 1/8 of a cup. One fluid ounce is equal to just under 29.6 milliliters, but in nutrition labeling, one fluid ounce is rounded to exactly 30 milliliters.
The fluid ounce was originally the volume occupied by one ounce of some substance, for example, wine (in England) or water (in Scotland). The ounce in question also varied depending on the system of fluid measures, such as that used for wine versus ale.
Various ounces were used over the centuries, including the tower ounce, troy ounce, avoirdupois ounce, and ounces used in international trade, like the Paris troy, made the situation further complicated by the medieval practice of “allowances”, whereby a unit of measure was not necessarily equal to the sum of its parts. For example, the 364-pound woolsack (165 kg) had a 14-pound allowance (6.4 kg) for the weight of the sack and other packaging materials.
Fluid ounces are a subcategory of ounces but the common term ounce is used to address both of these units and this is what leads to a misunderstanding among the buyers and seller
To that effect, we must discuss the differences between a fluid ounce and an ounce are.
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The Difference Between fluid Ounces and Ounces
The difference between a fluid ounce and an ounce is that a fluid ounce is used for the measurement of fluids and their volumetric properties, whereas an ounce is used for the measurement of the mass and weight of the solid materials.
A fluid ounce is a standard unit for measuring the capacity of a liquid. This capacity is generally volume. It is very widely used in the USA and other western countries to measure the number of liquids. A fluid ounce is the one we are referring to whenever we ask how many ounces are in a liter.
Meanwhile, an ounce is a standard unit for the primary measurement of the mass of a physical quantity. It is further subdivided into many categories for different types of materials and can even be used to describe the amount of food a person takes.
When you look through the pack of your liquid products like can drinks or milk sold in liters, you will often find the abbreviation ”fl oz” that is because fluid ounce is represented by fl oz, whereas an ounce is represented by an ordinary oz.
Types of Fluid Ounces
Because our focus is mainly on the fluid ounce as that is the ounce that majorly concerns liters, we will go further to look at the types of fluid ounces we have.
There are different types of fluid ounces used, namely troy and avoirdupois. The mass of a fluid ounce of water is approximated as one avoirdupois ounce. This measures around 28.35 grams.
There are two measurement standards for fluid ounces today. One is the imperial fluid ounce, and the other one is the US customary fluid ounce.
An imperial fluid ounce is equivalent to 1/160th of an imperial gallon. It is also equivalent to 1/40th of an imperial quart, and 1/10th of an imperial cup.
The equation happened in 1824 when the British Parliament defined the imperial gallon as the volume of ten pounds of water at standard temperature. The gallon was divided into four quarts, the quart into two pints, the pint into four gills, and the gill into five ounces; thus, there were 160 imperial fluid ounces to the gallon.
A US customary fluid ounce is equivalent to 1/128th of a US gallon. It is also equivalent to 1/32nd of a US quart, and 1/8th of a US cup. The fluid ounce is used to measure the volumetric quantity of water, wines, beverages, and more.
The US fluid ounce is based on the US gallon, which in turn is based on the wine gallon of 231 cubic inches that was used in the United Kingdom before 1824. With the adoption of the international inch, the US fluid ounce became 1⁄128 gal × 231 in3/gal × (2.54 cm/in)3 = 29.5735295625 ml exactly, or about 4% larger than the imperial unit.
No wonder the Google ounce calculator use this standard.
What is a Liter
One cubic decimetre is a cube of 10 x 10 x 10 centimeters. One liter of water then has a mass of exactly one kilogram.
After the metric system was introduced in France in 1791, it took a couple of years for the entire country to implement it in everyday use. After much backlash, it was decided that the cubic meter was too big for everyday use. By 1795 it was announced that the former ‘cadil’ (0.001 cubic meters) had been given a new name, ”liter”.
Liters are most commonly used for items (such as fluids and solids that can be poured) which are measured by the capacity or size of their container, whereas cubic meters (and derived units) are most commonly used for items measured either by their dimensions or their displacements.
The liter is an SI accepted unit for volume for use with the metric system. A liter is sometimes also referred to as a liter. Liters can be abbreviated as l or L.
Remember we said a liter is the volume of one cubic decimetre, so to better explain that, the volume of a cubic decimetre is 10 centimeters × 10 centimeters × 10 centimeters (1 L ≡ 1 dm3 ≡ 1000 cm3). Hence 1 L ≡ 0.001 m3 ≡ 1000 cm3 and 1 m3 (i.e. a cubic meter, which is the SI unit for volume) is exactly 1000 L.
What does a Liter look like
Liters are often written as L (for short), so “5 L” means ” 5 Liters” (some people use lowercase l, but that looks too much like 1). Milk, soda, and other liquid products are often sold in liters.
When was Liter first Introduced
The metric system was first introduced in France in 1791. That system did not have its unit of capacity or volume because volume can be measured in cubic meters.
In 1793, work to make the metric system compulsory in France was started by the Temporary Commission of Republican Weights and Measures, but due to public demand, the commission said that the cubic meter was too big for everyday use.
They also said that a new unit based on the old city should be used instead. One call was to be 0.001 cubic meters. This was equivalent to a cube with sides 10 cm. The civil was also known as the pine or the citron. The pinte had been an old French unit of measure of capacity. In 1795 the definition was revised.
Regular household Items that hold 1 litre
- A Quart of Milk
- Glass Jars
- Dish Soap Containers
- Water Bottles or Thermoses
- Shampoo Bottles
- Ziplock Bag
- Plastic food storage containers
How many Ounce in a Liter
Firstly, As we have already established, an “Ounce” can be both a unit of mass and also a unit of volume.
For the mass,
1 Liter (water) = 35.274 oz. (avoirdupois.)
Now for volume,
There are two different types of fluid ounces today, There is the U.S. fluid ounce which was defined around 1707 by Queen Anne and is based on a subdivision of the “Queen Anne Wine Gallon.” (The Queen Anne Wine Gallon is divided into exactly 128 fl. oz.) More commonly known today, simply, as the U.S. liquid gallon.
The two measurement standards for fluid ounces today are, the imperial fluid ounce, and the other one is the US customary fluid ounce.
An imperial fluid ounce is equivalent to 1/160th of an imperial gallon. It is also equivalent to 1/40th of an imperial quart, and 1/10th of an imperial cup.
The Imperial fluid ounce was created by the British to standardize measures in the United Kingdom at the time, It was introduced with the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 which was the foundation of the known (mostly obsolete) Imperial System of Weights and Measures. This fluid ounce isn’t commonly used in the United Kingdom anymore these days as Metrication has taken over.
A US fluid ounce is 1⁄16 of a US liquid pint and 1⁄128 of a US liquid gallon or approximately 29.57 ml, making it about 4.08% larger than the imperial fluid ounce.
So to answer the question “How many Ounces in a Liter?”, we will do well to explain it thus;
1 Liter = 33.814 U.S. fluid ounces (round to 33.8 fl. oz.)
1 Liter = 35.195 Imperial fluid ounces. (35.2 fl. oz. – obsolete)
From the explanation above, the Imperial fluid ounce only weighs slightly more than the U.S fluid ounce as the Imperial fluid ounce is based on 10 pounds of water, While the U.S. fluid ounce is defined as weighing exactly 8.345 pounds of water.
How to Convert Liters to Fluid Ounces
Having to convert liters to fluid ounces, could also be another way of deciphering how many ounces are in a liter.
To convert a liter measurement to a fluid ounce measurement, multiply the volume by the conversion ratio.
Since one liter is equal to 33.814023 fluid ounces, you can use this simple formula to convert:
Fluid ounces = number of liters × 33.814023
The volume in fluid ounces is equal to the liters multiplied by 33.814023.
For example, here’s how to convert 7 liters to fluid ounces using the formula above.
7 L = (5 × 33.814023) = 236.698fl oz
Some liter measurements converted to fluid ounces
Liters Fluid Ounces
1 L. 33.81 fl oz
2 L. 67.63 fl oz
3 L. 101.44 fl oz
4 L. 135.26 fl oz
5 L. 169.07 fl oz
6 L. 202.88 fl oz
7 L. 236.7 fl oz
8 L. 270.51 fl oz
9 L. 304.33 fl oz
10 L. 338.14 fl oz