Litres to Pints: The Complete UK Guide
The litre-to-pint conversion is one of the most practically useful calculations in British daily life. Whether you are buying milk at the supermarket, ordering beer at the pub, cooking from an American recipe, or measuring out fluids for DIY projects, understanding the relationship between litres and pints is essential in the UK. This is because Britain occupies a unique position: officially metric since the 1970s but legally retaining the pint for two specific products — draft beer and cider sold in pubs, and milk sold in bottles or cartons.
The Exact Conversion Formula
The UK imperial pint is defined as exactly 568.26125 millilitres (or 0.56826125 litres). This means:
- Litres to UK pints: Multiply litres by 1.75975 (or divide by 0.568261)
- UK pints to litres: Multiply pints by 0.568261 (or divide by 1.75975)
- Litres to US pints: Multiply litres by 2.11338
- US pints to litres: Multiply by 0.473176
The difference between UK and US pints is significant — a UK pint is 568ml while a US pint is only 473ml. This 20% difference matters a great deal when following American recipes or comparing imported beer volumes.
Why UK Pints and US Pints Differ
Both the UK and US systems derived from the original English wine measure, but they diverged in the 19th century when the UK standardised the imperial system (1824 Weights and Measures Act) while America kept an older wine gallon measurement. The US gallon is 3.785 litres while the UK gallon is 4.546 litres — nearly 20% bigger. Since both countries define a pint as 1/8 of their respective gallon, their pints differ by the same proportion. This is why when an American recipe calls for "a pint of cream", they mean 473ml, not the 568ml a British cook would use.
Milk Sales in the UK: Pints vs Litres
Milk in UK supermarkets is sold in both pint and litre-based quantities, with the pint quantities being far more culturally embedded. The standard sizes available are:
- 1 pint = 568ml (small carton, often for tea/coffee use)
- 2 pints = 1.136 litres
- 4 pints = 2.273 litres (the most popular UK milk carton size)
- 6 pints = 3.408 litres (large family size)
- 2 litres = 3.52 pints (metric equivalent, often cheaper)
Most British households with families purchase 4-pint (2.273L) or 6-pint (3.408L) cartons. Door-step milk delivery, which is still active across many UK areas, is ordered in pints and delivered in glass bottles.
Pints in UK Pubs: A Legal Requirement
In England, Scotland, and Wales, the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988 requires that draught beer and cider must be sold in quantities of one-third pint, two-thirds pint, or one pint — or multiples of these. The pint glass must contain exactly 568ml of liquid (though in practice, a government-approved 5% tolerance allows a head of foam). This law makes the pub pint one of the most rigidly defined consumer quantities in the UK. Publicans who short-pour are breaking the law.
The half-pint (284ml) is also very common, particularly for stronger ales and for customers who want a smaller serving. Some craft beer establishments now also offer a two-thirds pint (379ml) measure, which has been legal since 2011.
Cooking and Recipe Conversions
When converting between litres and pints for cooking recipes, precision matters. Here are the most commonly needed recipe conversions:
- 500ml = 0.880 UK pints (just under a pint)
- 1 litre = 1.760 UK pints
- 1.5 litres = 2.640 UK pints
- 2 litres = 3.520 UK pints
- 2.5 litres = 4.399 UK pints
- 3 litres = 5.279 UK pints
For US recipes using "cups" (which are also different between US and UK), 1 US cup = 240ml while many UK recipes historically used a 284ml cup (half a pint). Modern UK recipes standardise on 250ml for a cup. Our cooking measurement converter handles cup conversions separately.
Litres to UK Pints — Full Conversion Table (0.5L to 10L)
The table below covers volumes from 0.5 litres to 10 litres in 0.5L steps, showing UK pints, US pints, and millilitres.
| Litres (L) | UK Pints | US Pints | Millilitres (ml) |
|---|
Everyday Applications: Fuel, Beer, and Cooking
Beyond milk and beer, litres and pints appear throughout British daily life. Petrol stations in the UK sell fuel exclusively in litres, but older British drivers may still mentally convert to gallons using the approximate rule of "a gallon is about 4.5 litres". Car fuel consumption is officially measured in miles per gallon (mpg) in the UK even though fuel is sold in litres — the EU wanted the UK to switch to litres per 100km, but British consumers continue to use mpg.
For home brewing enthusiasts, understanding litres vs pints is essential. A typical home brewing kit produces around 23 litres (40 pints) of beer. Fermentation vessels are labelled in litres while recipe yields are often given in pints. Our calculator handles both directions instantly.
For sports nutrition, water intake recommendations from the NHS suggest adults drink 6 to 8 glasses of water per day, which equates to about 1.2 to 1.5 litres, or roughly 2 to 2.5 pints. Many UK gym-goers track water intake in litres but may receive advice from personal trainers expressed in pints.
Petrol, Car Engine Sizes, and Other Litre Uses
Engine displacement is always measured in litres or cubic centimetres (cc) in the UK. A 1.6-litre engine displaces 1,600cc per revolution. Windscreen washer fluid, engine coolant, and brake fluid are sold in litre quantities. So are paint and varnish, where a standard tin of emulsion is typically 2.5 litres or 5 litres. Understanding that 5 litres is approximately 8.8 UK pints is useful when comparing with older imperial measure paint quantities.