How Many Ounces in a Quart? (Liquid, Dry and UK Quarts Explained)

You’re halfway through a soup recipe and it asks for “1 quart of chicken stock.” Your carton says 32 fl oz, your measuring jug is marked in cups, and suddenly you’re doing math with wet hands. Or you’re scaling down a big-batch recipe that uses quarts and you just want to know how much to pour for one person.

The answer to how many ounces are in a quart is simple once you have it: 32. But there are a few traps. The US has two kinds of quarts, the UK has its own, and “ounces” can mean weight or volume. This guide sorts all of that out with clear charts you can use in the kitchen.

Quick answer: There are 32 fluid ounces in a US liquid quart. That’s the same as 4 cups, 2 pints, or 946 milliliters, and 4 quarts make a gallon (128 fluid ounces). A UK imperial quart is bigger, at 40 imperial fluid ounces (about 1.14 liters). A US dry quart, used for berries and produce, is about 37.2 fluid ounces.

How Many Ounces in a Quart?

In the US customary system, which almost every American recipe uses:

1 quart = 32 fluid ounces = 4 cups = 2 pints = 1/4 gallon

The easy way to remember it is to work up from a cup:

• 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
• 2 cups = 1 pint = 16 fluid ounces
• 2 pints = 1 quart = 32 fluid ounces
• 4 quarts = 1 gallon = 128 fluid ounces

Every step doubles, except the jump from quarts to gallons, which multiplies by four. That’s actually where the word comes from. A quart is a “quarter” of a gallon.

In metric terms, a US liquid quart is 946.35 milliliters. For everyday cooking, you can round that to 950 mL, or just think of a quart as “a little less than a liter.”

Quarts to Ounces Conversion Chart

This is the chart to screenshot or stick inside a cupboard door.

Quarts	Fluid ounces	Cups	Pints	Milliliters
1/4 quart	8 fl oz	1 cup	1/2 pint	237 mL
1/2 quart	16 fl oz	2 cups	1 pint	473 mL
3/4 quart	24 fl oz	3 cups	1 1/2 pints	710 mL
1 quart	32 fl oz	4 cups	2 pints	946 mL
1 1/2 quarts	48 fl oz	6 cups	3 pints	1.42 L
2 quarts	64 fl oz	8 cups	4 pints	1.89 L
3 quarts	96 fl oz	12 cups	6 pints	2.84 L
4 quarts (1 gallon)	128 fl oz	16 cups	8 pints	3.79 L

To convert any number of quarts to fluid ounces, multiply by 32. So 2.5 quarts × 32 = 80 fluid ounces.

Ounces to Quarts Conversion Chart

Going the other way is just as common. Maybe a recipe lists ounces and your pot is labeled in quarts, or you’re trying to figure out if a 48-ounce container will hold a batch of soup.

Fluid ounces	Quarts	Cups	Common example
8 fl oz	1/4 quart	1 cup	A standard measuring cup
16 fl oz	1/2 quart	2 cups	A pint of cream or a pint deli container
16.9 fl oz	About 0.53 quart	About 2 cups	A 500 mL water bottle
32 fl oz	1 quart	4 cups	A carton of stock or a quart mason jar
33.8 fl oz	About 1.06 quarts	About 4 1/4 cups	A 1-liter bottle
48 fl oz	1 1/2 quarts	6 cups	A large juice bottle or tub
64 fl oz	2 quarts	8 cups	A half gallon of milk
128 fl oz	4 quarts	16 cups	A gallon jug

To convert fluid ounces to quarts, divide by 32. So 40 fluid ounces ÷ 32 = 1.25 quarts.

Fluid Ounces vs Ounces: Why It Matters

This is where most kitchen measuring mix-ups happen. The word “ounce” is used for two different things.

• Fluid ounces (fl oz) measure volume, meaning how much space something takes up. Use them for water, milk, stock, oil and other liquids. A liquid measuring cup measures fluid ounces.
• Ounces (oz) measure weight. A pound is 16 ounces. A kitchen scale measures ounces.

When you ask how many ounces are in a quart, the answer of 32 is about fluid ounces. A quart of anything, whether it’s water or popcorn, holds 32 fluid ounces of space. But a quart of flour and a quart of honey weigh very different amounts.

Water is the handy exception where the two line up closely. One cup of water (8 fluid ounces) weighs a little over 8 ounces. That’s where the old saying “a pint’s a pound the world around” comes from. It’s close enough for water and milk, but it falls apart for most other ingredients.

How much does a quart weigh?

Here’s what a quart (4 cups) of common ingredients weighs, using the cup weights from King Arthur Baking’s ingredient weight chart, plus the physics of water.

Ingredient (1 quart, 4 cups)	Approximate weight	In pounds
Water	About 33.4 oz (946 g)	About 2.1 lb
Milk	About 32 oz (908 g)	About 2 lb
All-purpose flour	About 17 oz (480 g)	About 1.06 lb
Granulated sugar	About 28 oz (792 g)	About 1.75 lb
Brown sugar, packed	About 30 oz (852 g)	About 1.9 lb
Confectioners’ sugar	About 16 oz (452 g)	About 1 lb
Rolled oats	About 12.5 oz (356 g)	About 0.8 lb

Look at the flour and sugar rows. Same quart, but the sugar weighs more than 1.5 times as much. That’s why bakers prefer a scale for dry ingredients. If you’re short on space, a slim digital kitchen scale takes up about as much room as a cutting board and fits in a drawer. Our guide to space-saving baking tool essentials explains why it’s one of the most useful tools in a small kitchen, and our rundown of compact baking sheet and pan sizes does the same for the pans those ingredients go into.

US Liquid Quart vs US Dry Quart vs UK Quart

There are actually three different quarts you might run into. Only one of them matters for most recipes, but the other two explain a lot of confusion online.

Type of quart	Where it’s used	Size in mL	In US fluid ounces
US liquid quart	US recipes, milk, stock, soups	946 mL	32 fl oz
US dry quart	Berries, produce at farm stands	About 1,101 mL	About 37.2 fl oz
UK imperial quart	Older British recipes	About 1,137 mL	About 38.4 US fl oz (40 imperial fl oz)

The US liquid quart

This is the quart in almost every American recipe, on cartons of broth, and in the markings on pots and slow cookers. It’s exactly one quarter of a US gallon, which is defined as 231 cubic inches. When a recipe says “quart,” this is the one it means.

The US dry quart

The dry quart is about 16% bigger, at 67.2 cubic inches. It’s used for loose produce. When a farmers’ market sells a “quart of strawberries” in a little green basket, that’s a dry quart. You’ll rarely, if ever, see it in a recipe. If you need to know how many berries a recipe wants, it’s more reliable to go by cups or weight.

The UK imperial quart

The imperial quart is used in the UK and in some older recipes from Britain, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. It holds 40 imperial fluid ounces, or about 1.14 liters. To add to the fun, an imperial fluid ounce (28.4 mL) is slightly smaller than a US fluid ounce (29.6 mL). The result: an imperial quart is about 20% bigger than a US quart.

For most modern recipes from those countries, you won’t need this. They generally use milliliters and liters now. But if you’re working from a vintage British cookbook and a soup seems too thick, the quart size might be why.

How to Measure a Quart Without a Quart Measure

You don’t need a special quart container. Here are the easiest ways to measure one.

1. Use a 4-cup liquid measuring cup. A 4-cup glass measuring jug holds exactly one quart when filled to the 4-cup line. Many, like the classic Pyrex 4-cup measuring cup, also show ounces and milliliters on the side.
2. Fill a 1-cup measure four times. Set the cup on the counter, pour to the line, and check at eye level. Repeat four times.
3. Use a 2-cup measure twice. Two full 2-cup measures make a quart.
4. Use a quart container you already have. A 32-ounce deli container, an empty stock carton, or a quart-size mason jar all hold one quart.
5. Weigh water. If you have a scale, 946 grams of water is one quart. This is handy for filling a pot for pasta or brining.

Tips for measuring liquids accurately

• Use a liquid measuring cup (the kind with a spout and markings below the rim) for liquids, and dry measuring cups for dry ingredients. Dry cups are meant to be leveled off, which you can’t do with milk.
• Set the cup on a flat surface and read it at eye level. Looking down from above makes you pour too much.
• For sticky liquids like honey, lightly oil the cup first so everything slides out.
• Nutrition labels round a little. FDA labeling rules treat 1 cup as 240 mL and 1 fluid ounce as 30 mL, so label numbers can differ slightly from exact kitchen conversions. The difference won’t matter for cooking.

Quart, Cup, Tablespoon and Teaspoon Conversions

When you’re scaling a recipe way down, you often need to go from quarts all the way to spoons. Here’s the full ladder:

• 1 quart = 4 cups = 32 fluid ounces
• 1 quart = 64 tablespoons
• 1 quart = 192 teaspoons
• 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons
• 1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons = 6 teaspoons
• 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons

So if you’re dividing a 1-quart recipe by 8 to make a single serving, you’d use 1/2 cup, which is 8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces.

Some small ingredients are easier to handle by the piece. For citrus, our guide to how much juice is in one lemon tells you how many lemons you need for a cup or a quart of lemonade, and using a lemon juicer gets more out of each one.

Where You’ll See Quarts in the Kitchen

Quarts aren’t just a recipe unit. They show up all over cookware and appliances, and knowing the size helps you buy the right gear.

• Pots and pans. Saucepans, sauté pans and stockpots are sold by quart capacity. A 2-quart saucepan holds 8 cups, while an 8-quart stockpot holds 2 gallons. Our guides to the best sauté pans with lids and stockpots with lids list capacities for each pick.
• Pressure cookers and multicookers. The Instant Pot comes in sizes like 3, 6 and 8 quarts. If you’re new to them, start with what an Instant Pot is, then compare the Instant Pot vs a regular pressure cooker. Bigger pots also draw more power, as our look at how many watts an Instant Pot uses shows.
• Air fryers. Basket air fryers are also sized in quarts. See our picks for the best air fryers under $100.
• Pitchers and drink makers. Iced tea makers, blender jars and pitchers often list quarts or ounces. Our reviews of the best iced tea makers and best blenders for smoothies cover capacity.
• Food storage. Quart-size deli containers and freezer bags are a kitchen staple for soups, stock and leftovers. Our list of the best airtight food storage containers includes sets in quart sizes.

Using Quarts When You Cook for One

Many soup, stock and sauce recipes are written in quarts because they’re meant to feed a crowd. That’s a lot of food for one person, and a lot of fridge space in a small kitchen.

A few ways to make quart-based recipes work:

• Halve or quarter the recipe. A quart of stock becomes 2 cups (half) or 1 cup (quarter). Use the conversion chart above to scale everything evenly.
• Pick the right pot. If you cook a half recipe in a giant pot, liquids evaporate faster and things can scorch. A 2- to 3-quart saucepan handles most single-person soups. Our guide to the best cookware sizes for cooking for one has a full size chart.
• Freeze in 1-cup or 2-cup portions. If you do make the full quart, freeze it in single servings so you can thaw one bowl at a time. Label everything with the date. Leftovers with chicken keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, as covered in our guide on how long chicken lasts in the fridge.
• Use a small multicooker. A 3-quart pressure cooker or rice cooker is plenty for one or two people and takes up much less counter space. Our list of the best small kitchen appliances for cooking for one covers compact options.
• Plan your prep around quart batches. One quart of cooked grains, beans or soup is about four meals. Our easy meal prep ideas for one person in a small kitchen show how to rotate them through the week.

Measuring cups and spoons don’t need a drawer of their own, either. Nesting sets and a single 4-cup jug cover every conversion in this guide. Here’s how to organize kitchen drawers in a small kitchen so they’re easy to grab, plus small kitchen cabinet organization ideas for the quart containers and jugs themselves.

Common Quart Conversion Mistakes

Mistake	What goes wrong	How to avoid it
Mixing up ounces and fluid ounces	Weighing 32 oz of flour gives almost 2 quarts, not 1	Use fluid ounces for liquids, a scale for weight
Using a UK recipe with US measures	Soups and sauces come out too thick or too salty	Check if the recipe is British; convert to mL
Measuring liquids in dry cups	Spills and short measures	Use a spouted liquid measuring cup
Reading the cup from above	You over-pour	Read at eye level on a flat counter
Assuming a berry “quart” equals 4 cups	Dry quarts are about 16% bigger	Go by cups or weight for produce

Quick Conversions for Common Recipe Liquids

These come up constantly, especially with ingredients sold in quart cartons:

• Stock or broth: A 32-ounce carton is exactly 1 quart, or 4 cups.
• Milk and cream: A quart of milk is 4 cups. A pint of heavy cream is 2 cups. If you’re out, our guide to the best substitutes for whole milk lists swaps that work cup for cup.
• Coconut milk: Most cans are smaller than a pint, so a quart-based curry needs more than one can. Here are the best coconut milk substitutes if you run short.
• Oil for frying: Deep-frying recipes often call for a quart or two of oil. That’s 4 to 8 cups. For lighter cooking, see the best oils for air frying.
• Water for rice: Rice cookers use their own cups, which are smaller than a US cup. Our guide on how to cook rice in a rice cooker explains the difference, and our picks for the best rice cooker for brown rice list capacities in cups.

The Bottom Line on Ounces in a Quart

A US quart holds 32 fluid ounces, which is 4 cups, 2 pints, or about 946 milliliters. Multiply quarts by 32 to get fluid ounces, and divide fluid ounces by 32 to get quarts. The only times the answer changes are with a UK imperial quart (40 imperial fluid ounces) or a dry quart of produce (about 37.2 fluid ounces), and neither shows up in most modern American recipes.

Keep a 4-cup liquid measuring cup handy, remember that fluid ounces measure space while ounces measure weight, and use a scale for dry baking ingredients. If a recipe also calls for a certain amount of chicken, here’s how much a chicken breast weighs.

Related Guides

• How Much Juice Is in One Lemon?
• How Much Does a Chicken Breast Weigh?
• Best Cookware Sizes for Cooking for One
• Space-Saving Baking Tool Essentials
• Best Substitutes for Whole Milk
• How to Cook Rice in a Rice Cooker
• Easy Meal Prep Ideas for One Person in a Small Kitchen
• How to Organize a Small Kitchen with No Pantry

Frequently Asked Questions

How many ounces are in a quart?

A US liquid quart holds 32 fluid ounces. That's the same as 4 cups, 2 pints, or a quarter of a gallon, and it equals about 946 milliliters. A half quart is 16 fluid ounces and a quarter quart is 8 fluid ounces. In the UK, an imperial quart is larger and holds 40 imperial fluid ounces, or about 1.14 liters.

Is 32 oz equal to 1 quart?

Yes, 32 US fluid ounces equals exactly 1 US liquid quart. That's why many stock cartons, deli containers and mason jars sold as quart sizes are labeled 32 fl oz. The match only works for fluid ounces, which measure volume. Thirty-two ounces by weight of a dry ingredient like flour will fill a very different amount of space.

How many ounces are in a dry quart?

A US dry quart holds about 37.2 US fluid ounces worth of volume, or roughly 1.1 liters. It's about 16% larger than a liquid quart. You mainly see dry quarts on farm-stand produce like strawberries and blueberries. Recipes almost never use dry quarts, so if a recipe says quart, assume it means the 32-ounce liquid quart.

How many 16.9 oz water bottles make a quart?

A standard 16.9-ounce water bottle holds 500 milliliters. A US quart is 32 fluid ounces, or about 946 milliliters, so it takes just under 2 bottles to make a quart. Two full bottles give you 33.8 ounces, which is a little more than a quart and exactly 1 liter.

How many ounces are in a gallon and a half gallon?

A US gallon holds 128 fluid ounces, which is 4 quarts, 8 pints, or 16 cups. A half gallon holds 64 fluid ounces, or 2 quarts. To go from gallons to ounces, multiply by 128. To go from ounces to gallons, divide by 128. For quarts, the number to remember is 32.