What Is US Quart (qt)?
A US quart is a unit for measuring volume. It is mostly used in the United States to measure liquids and some loose dry items. One US liquid quart is equal to one quarter of a US liquid gallon. It is bigger than a cup and a pint, but smaller than a gallon. The quart helps people measure medium amounts, for example milk, soup or engine oil.
Definition
In simple words, a US quart tells you how much space something fills. It belongs to the US customary system, which grew out of older English measures.
Today the US liquid quart is defined using the liter, which is part of the metric system.
- 1 US liquid quart = exactly 0.25 US liquid gallon
- 1 US liquid quart = exactly 2 US liquid pints
- 1 US liquid quart = exactly 32 US fluid ounces
- 1 US liquid quart ≈ 0.946352946 liters (about 0.95 L)
- 1 US liquid quart ≈ 946 milliliters (mL)
There is also a US dry quart used for dry goods like grains.
- 1 US dry quart = exactly 1/32 of a US bushel
- 1 US dry quart ≈ 1.101 liters (about 1.10 L)
The dry quart is a little larger than the liquid quart, so they are not the same thing.
History / Origin
The word quart comes from the Latin word for fourth
. This is because a quart was meant to be one quarter of a larger container, usually a gallon.
Long ago in Europe, there were many different quarts. Different towns used slightly different sizes, which was confusing for trade and taxes. In England, rulers slowly tried to make the sizes more regular. An important step came in the early 1700s with the wine gallon
used for drinks. This idea of one gallon and its quarters traveled to the American colonies.
After the United States became independent, the country kept using many of the old English style measures. Over time, the US fixed its own exact sizes based on scientific standards. These exact sizes were later tied to the metric system. Today, the US quart is defined exactly using liters, even though people still talk about quarts, pints and gallons in daily life.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The most common short way to write US quart is:
- qt for one quart
- qts or still qt for more than one quart, for example 3 qt or 3 qts
Sometimes you may see extra letters to make the meaning clearer:
- qt US or US qt to show it is a US quart, not a UK quart
- liq qt or liquid qt for the liquid quart
- dry qt for the dry quart
In normal US recipes and on most packages, just qt is used, and it usually means the US liquid quart.
Current Use Around the World
The US quart is mainly used in countries that still follow US style units. These include:
- The United States
- Partly in Liberia and Myanmar
Common everyday uses in the US include:
- Food and drink milk, cream, ice cream, soup, cooking oil, juice
- Cooking and baking recipes for stocks, broths, and large portions
- Automotive products motor oil, transmission fluid and other car liquids
- Gardening and home some fertilizers, paints, and cleaning liquids
Most other countries use liters and milliliters instead of quarts. You may still see quarts in older books, English language recipes, or when foreign companies sell products to the US market.
In the United Kingdom and some other places, people used to use the imperial quart, which is larger than the US quart. Today, the UK mostly uses liters, but the word quart sometimes appears in older recipes and in speech.
Example Conversions
Here are some useful conversion examples for the US liquid quart:
| US liquid quarts | Liters (approx) | US cups | US fluid ounces | US gallons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 qt | 0.95 L | 4 cups | 32 fl oz | 0.25 gal |
| 2 qt | 1.9 L | 8 cups | 64 fl oz | 0.5 gal |
| 3 qt | 2.8 L | 12 cups | 96 fl oz | 0.75 gal |
| 4 qt | 3.8 L | 16 cups | 128 fl oz | 1 gal |
More handy facts for the US liquid quart:
- 1 qt ≈ 0.946 L (exact value is 0.946352946 L)
- 1 L ≈ 1.06 US quarts
- 1 imperial quart (older UK quart) ≈ 1.136 L ≈ 1.20 US liquid quarts
For the US dry quart:
- 1 US dry quart ≈ 1.10 L
- 1 US dry quart is a bit larger than 1 US liquid quart
Related Units
The US quart is closely linked to other volume units in both the US system and the metric system.
US customary volume units
- US teaspoon (tsp) very small measure, often for spices and medicine
- US tablespoon (Tbsp) 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp
- US fluid ounce (fl oz) 1 cup = 8 fl oz
- US cup (c) 1 cup = 8 fl oz, 2 cups = 1 pint
- US pint (pt) 2 cups = 1 pt, 2 pt = 1 qt
- US quart (qt) 4 cups, 2 pints, or one quarter of a gallon
- US gallon (gal) 4 qt = 1 gal
Metric volume units
- Milliliter (mL) 1,000 mL = 1 L, about 946 mL in 1 US quart
- Liter (L) 1 L ≈ 1.06 US quarts
Other quart types
- US dry quart for dry goods like grains and seeds
- Imperial quart older British quart, larger than the US quart
FAQs
What is a US quart in liters?
One US liquid quart is exactly 0.946352946 liters. For simple everyday use, you can remember that 1 quart is about 0.95 liters, or just a little less than 1 liter.
How many cups are in a US quart?
There are 4 US cups in 1 US liquid quart. So if a recipe calls for 1 quart of broth, you can use 4 cups of broth.
How many quarts are in a US gallon?
There are 4 US quarts in 1 US liquid gallon. That means each quart is exactly one quarter of a gallon.
What is the difference between a US quart and a UK quart?
The UK used the imperial quart, which is larger than the US quart. One imperial quart is about 1.136 liters, while a US liquid quart is about 0.946 liters. So, 1 UK quart is about 1.2 US quarts. This is why you should always check if a recipe uses US or UK units, especially in older British books.
What is the difference between a liquid quart and a dry quart?
A liquid quart is used for drinks and other liquids. A dry quart is used for loose dry items, like grains. The dry quart is a bit larger, about 1.10 liters, while the liquid quart is about 0.95 liters. They are not equal, so do not swap them in careful scientific or trade measurements.
Is a quart the same as a quarter?
The words are related, because both come from the idea of one fourth
. A quart is one fourth of a gallon. A quarter can mean one fourth of many things, such as a quarter of a dollar (25 cents) or a quarter of a year (3 months). So they are not the same thing, but they both mean a one fourth part.
When should I use quarts instead of liters?
Use quarts when you follow US recipes, read US product labels, or work with people who expect US customary units. Use liters when you follow metric recipes, study science in most countries, or read international labels. If you are not sure, check if other units on the page are metric or US units.
Can I measure dry ingredients in liquid quarts and cups?
In home cooking, many people do measure dry ingredients in liquid measuring cups and quarts. This is usually fine for simple recipes. However, dry ingredients do not always fill the space in the same way, so for baking or science work, using a kitchen scale in grams, or using the proper dry quart measure, gives more accurate results.
How can I quickly estimate quarts from liters in my head?
A quick way is to remember that 1 L ≈ 1.06 qt. You can think of 1 liter as a little more than 1 quart. For rough estimates, treat 1 liter as 1 quart when perfect accuracy is not needed. For better estimates, for example 2 liters is about 2.1 quarts, and 3 liters is about 3.2 quarts.