What Is US Quart (qt)?
A US quart is a unit used to measure volume. People in the United States use it for liquids like milk and oil, and sometimes for dry foods like fruit or grain. One US liquid quart is one quarter of a US gallon, two US pints, or four US cups. It is a little smaller than one liter.
Definition
A US quart measures how much space something takes up. There are two main kinds in the United States.
- US liquid quart: used for drinks and most liquids
- US dry quart: used for some dry items like fruit or grain
The exact values are.
- 1 US liquid quart = 0.946353 liters ≈ 946 milliliters
- 1 US dry quart = 1.10122 liters ≈ 1101 milliliters
Inside the US customary system.
- 1 US liquid quart = 2 US liquid pints
- 1 US liquid quart = 4 US cups
- 1 US liquid quart = 32 US fluid ounces
- 4 US liquid quarts = 1 US gallon
History / Origin
The word quart comes from the Latin word quartus which means fourth. A quart was meant to be one fourth of a gallon. Long ago in Europe there were many different quarts. Towns and trades often used their own sizes.
The US quart grew from old English units. In the 18th century the British defined a wine gallon equal to 231 cubic inches. The American colonies kept using this size. Later the United States fixed the US gallon at 231 cubic inches, and the US liquid quart became exactly one quarter of that gallon. The US dry quart is based on a different old measure for dry goods, so it is a bit larger.
The United Kingdom later created the imperial system which set a new, larger gallon. The imperial quart is therefore bigger than the US liquid quart. The United States did not change, so the US quart stayed as it was.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The standard short form for quart is qt.
- qt means one quart
- qts means more than one quart
To be clear which system is used, people may write.
- US qt or US liquid qt for the US liquid quart
- US dry qt for the US dry quart
- Imp qt or UK qt for the imperial quart used in the United Kingdom and some other places
The letters are usually lowercase, for example 1 qt or 2 qts.
Current Use Around the World
The US quart is mainly used in the United States, and in some cases in a few other countries that trade with the US.
Common uses in daily life include.
- Food and cooking. Recipes, drink containers, and ice cream tubs often show quarts
- Groceries. Milk, cream, and stock may be sold in quart or half quart sizes
- Automotive fluids. Engine oil and other car fluids in the US are often sold in bottles close to 1 quart
- Household products. Some cleaners, paints, and other liquids use quart sizes on their labels
Outside the United States most countries use liters instead of quarts. In those places, people may still see quarts when they read US recipes, watch US videos, or buy imported US products, but they usually convert the amounts to liters or milliliters.
Example Conversions
Here are some useful and simple conversion examples. Values are rounded for easy use.
- 1 US liquid quart ≈ 0.95 liters
- 1 US liquid quart ≈ 946 milliliters
- 1 US liquid quart = 4 US cups
- 1 US liquid quart = 2 US pints
- 1 US liquid quart = 32 US fluid ounces
- 1 US gallon = 4 US liquid quarts
- 1 US dry quart ≈ 1.10 liters
- 1 liter ≈ 1.06 US liquid quarts
Quick memory tips.
- About 1 quart of water has a mass close to 1 kilogram, because a quart is a little less than 1 liter
- Think of a 1 liter bottle. A quart is just a bit smaller
Related Units
The US quart is closely linked to other units used for volume.
- US cup (c). 1 US quart = 4 US cups
- US pint (pt). 1 US quart = 2 US pints
- US gallon (gal). 1 US gallon = 4 US quarts
- US fluid ounce (fl oz). 1 US quart = 32 US fluid ounces
- US dry quart. Used for dry goods, larger than the liquid quart
- Imperial quart (Imp qt). Used in the United Kingdom in the past, still in some cases today, larger than the US liquid quart
- Liter (L). Metric unit used worldwide, 1 US liquid quart ≈ 0.946 L
- Milliliter (mL). 1 liter = 1000 milliliters, 1 US liquid quart ≈ 946 mL
FAQs
Q. Is a US quart the same as a UK quart
A. No. A UK or imperial quart is bigger. 1 imperial quart is about 1.136 liters, while 1 US liquid quart is about 0.946 liters. If a recipe is British or uses metric units, do not assume it means the US quart.
Q. What is the difference between a liquid quart and a dry quart
A. A liquid quart is used for drinks and most other liquids. A dry quart is used for some dry foods like grain or berries. The dry quart is larger. 1 US dry quart is about 1.101 liters. Most cooking recipes that say qt mean the liquid quart unless they clearly say dry.
Q. How many cups are in a US quart
A. There are 4 US cups in 1 US liquid quart. This makes it easy to scale recipes. If a recipe calls for 1 quart of broth, you can use 4 cups of broth.
Q. How many quarts are in a gallon
A. In the US system, 1 gallon equals 4 quarts. This means 2 quarts is half a gallon, and 1 quart is one quarter of a gallon.
Q. How can I quickly change from quarts to liters in my head
A. You can use a simple rule. 1 US liquid quart is almost 1 liter. For many everyday tasks you can think 1 quart ≈ 1 liter. For more careful work, multiply quarts by 0.95 to get liters.
Q. Why does the United States still use quarts instead of liters
A. The US customary system has been used for a long time in the country. Many people are used to quarts, pints, and gallons in daily life, so the system has stayed. However, science, medicine, and many industries in the United States mostly use the metric system with liters and milliliters.
Q. When a recipe says qt and does not say US or UK, what should I assume
A. If the recipe is from a US source, it almost always means US liquid quarts. If it is from a UK or other metric country source, check if they give metric amounts. When you are not sure, look for notes in the recipe or use the metric values if they are listed.
