Cups, pints, quarts and gallons: how many in each?
Quick answer: in US measures, 1 pint = 2 cups, 1 quart = 4 cups (2 pints), and 1 gallon = 16 cups (4 quarts).
US liquid measure chart
| Unit | Cups | Pints | Quarts | Fluid ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1 | 1/2 | 1/4 | 8 | 237 |
| 1 pint | 2 | 1 | 1/2 | 16 | 473 |
| 1 quart | 4 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 946 |
| 1/2 gallon | 8 | 4 | 2 | 64 | 1,893 |
| 1 gallon | 16 | 8 | 4 | 128 | 3,785 |
A gallon is 3.785 liters, which is a handy fact when a recipe or label uses liters.
An easy way to remember it
Picture a big “G” for gallon. Inside the G, draw four Qs for quarts. Inside each Q, draw two Ps for pints. Inside each P, draw two Cs for cups. Counting them gives you 4 quarts, 8 pints and 16 cups in a gallon. It is sometimes called the “Gallon Man” or “Gallon Kingdom”.
Scaling recipes
- Soup or stock recipe calls for 2 quarts, and you have a 1-cup ladle? That is 8 ladles.
- You want 1 gallon of iced tea. That is 16 cups, or four 1-quart jars.
- A recipe needs 3 cups of milk and you have a pint carton. A pint is 2 cups, so you need a pint and a half.
US and UK measures are different
Do not use this chart for UK recipes. A UK (imperial) pint is 568 ml, which is 20 UK fluid ounces, while a US pint is 473 ml or 16 US fluid ounces. A UK gallon is about 4.55 liters. Read US cup vs metric cup vs UK cup before following a British recipe with US cups.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups are in a half gallon? 8.
How many pints are in a gallon? 8.
How many quarts are in a gallon? 4.
How many cups are in a pound of liquid? It depends on the liquid. A pint of water weighs a little over a pound, but that is not true for oil or honey.
Convert any amount with the gallons to quarts converter, quarts to cups converter or gallons to liters converter. For the tablespoon and teaspoon side of the chart, see how many tablespoons are in a cup.