How Many Ounces are in a Liter? Conversion Guide

Ever been mid-recipe and thought, Wait, how many ounces are in a liter? You’re not alone, this one trips people up all the time. Especially when you’re flipping between U.S. recipes and ones from just about anywhere else.

How many ounces are in a liter?

Here’s the quick answer: 1 liter = 33.814 U.S. fluid ounces.

That’s a weird number, right? That’s because we’re dealing with two different measurement systems. The metric system utilizes a decimal-based system with neat round numbers and conversions like 1 liter = 1000 milliliters.

But there’s a bit more to know, especially if you’re cooking from recipes that use both systems (hello, international food bloggers).

So let’s not stop there. let’s break it down in plain English. You’ll learn the difference between fluid ounces and weight ounces, how metric vs. imperial units affect your cooking, and I’ve even made and included a printable conversion chart. Whether you’re meal prepping or making soup from scratch, you’ll know exactly what you’re pouring.

Let’s back up for a second and make sure we actually know what those units mean.

What is an ounce?

An ounce (oz) is a unit of measurement used to measure weight (for solids) or volume (for liquids). When we’re talking about fluid ounces (fl oz), we’re talking about volume, or how much space a liquid takes up.

There are two types of fluid ounces you’ll see in recipes:

• U.S. fluid ounce = about 29.57 mL
• Imperial (Canadian/UK) fluid ounce = about 28.41 mL

So if you’re pouring out 1 fluid ounce, you’re dealing with just under 30 milliliters of liquid, or about 2 tablespoons worth.

What is a liter?

A liter (or litre in Canada) is a metric unit of volume. It’s what we use in Canada on things like:

• Water bottles (500 mL = 0.5 liters)
• Juice cartons (1 L)
• Measuring cups (usually labeled in milliliters)

1 liter = 1,000 milliliters (mL). It’s a standard unit around the world and super helpful for measuring larger volumes of liquids. If you’ve got a recipe calling for “1 liter of broth”, that’s about 4 metric cups or a standard tetra-pak carton of soup stock.

What’s the Difference Between U.S. and Imperial Ounces?

Here’s where it gets a bit messy (thanks, history). Canada officially uses the metric system, but many of our recipes, kitchen tools, and family traditions still use Imperial measurements, especially when it comes to volume.

Type	1 Fluid Ounce =	Used In
U.S.	29.573 mL	American recipes, cups
Imperial	28.413 mL	Older Canadian/UK recipes

That may not seem like a huge difference, but it adds up fast, especially in baking or larger liquid measurements like a full liter.

Do Canadians Use U.S. or Imperial Ounces?

It depends on the context. Officially, we use the metric system, which consists of milliliters and liters.

• Modern packaging and measuring tools = metric (mL, L)
• Old family recipes and vintage tools = Imperial ounces
• Recipes from U.S. websites = U.S. ounces

Your best bet is to check your measuring cup. Newer ones usually have mL and U.S. ounces labeled. If your cup only shows “oz” and your recipe is Canadian or British, it might be Imperial.

Liter to Fluid Ounce Conversions + Chart

Liters	U.S. Fluid Ounces	Imperial Fluid Ounces

0.25 L

8.5 oz

8.8 oz

0.5 L

16.9 oz

17.6 oz

1 L

33.8 oz

35.2 oz

1.5 L

50.7 oz

52.8 oz

2 L

67.6 oz

70.4 oz

Download the printable fluid ounces to liters conversion chart.

Frequently Asked Questions