Student resources
Grades 3-8
Volume Conversion Chart for Students
Volume tells how much space a liquid or substance takes up. Students often use volume conversions in cooking, science labs, and word problems.
Key ideas
- Metric volume uses milliliters and liters.
- US liquid volume often uses teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.
- Always check whether a problem uses metric or US customary units.
- Use the same system of units before comparing quantities.
Metric Volume
| Unit | Conversion | Common example |
|---|---|---|
| Milliliter (mL) | 1,000 mL = 1 L | Medicine cup |
| Liter (L) | 1 L = 1,000 mL | Water bottle |
| Cubic centimeter (cm^3) | 1 cm^3 = 1 mL | Small science volume |
| Kiloliter (kL) | 1 kL = 1,000 L | Large tank |
US Liquid Volume
| Unit relationship | Conversion | Common example |
|---|---|---|
| Teaspoons to tablespoons | 3 tsp = 1 tbsp | Recipe spice |
| Tablespoons to cups | 16 tbsp = 1 cup | Recipe liquid |
| Cups to pints | 2 cups = 1 pint | Small container |
| Quarts to gallons | 4 qt = 1 gal | Milk or paint |
Practice questions
Convert 2 liters to milliliters.
Calculation: 2 x 1,000 = 2,000
Answer: 2,000 mL
Convert 500 mL to liters.
Calculation: 500 / 1,000 = 0.5
Answer: 0.5 L
Convert 3 cups to fluid ounces.
Calculation: 3 x 8 = 24
Answer: 24 fl oz
Convert 2 gallons to quarts.
Calculation: 2 x 4 = 8
Answer: 8 quarts