Liters to Milliliters
Type liters and read milliliters. A liter is exactly 1,000 mL, so multiply by 1,000, or move the decimal point three places to the right.
Formula: mL = L × 1,000
1,000 mL
in one liter
The liter is one cubic decimeter, so a milliliter is one cubic centimeter.
Liters to mL table
| Liters (L) | Milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2,000 |
| 3 | 3,000 |
| 4 | 4,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 6 | 6,000 |
| 7 | 7,000 |
| 8 | 8,000 |
| 9 | 9,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| Liters (L) | Milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| 12 | 12,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 |
| 20 | 20,000 |
| 25 | 25,000 |
| 30 | 30,000 |
| 40 | 40,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
| 60 | 60,000 |
| 75 | 75,000 |
| 100 | 100,000 |
Where liters and milliliters meet
Drinks, oils and cleaning products move between the two units on the same shelf: 1.5 L, 750 mL, 500 mL, 330 mL. Converting everything to milliliters makes comparisons simple. A 1.25 L bottle at the same price as two 500 mL bottles holds 250 mL more.
In recipes, a liquid measured in liters often has to be split into cups or spoons. Once it is in milliliters, ml to cups takes the next step, and for dosing in spoons, tsp to mL shows the metric spoon sizes.
Car fluids are a common case. A coolant bottle sold as 1 L holds 1,000 mL, and a top-up that needs 350 mL uses a little over a third of it. Measuring jugs in a garage usually have marks every 50 or 100 mL.
Bottle sizes
- 0.25 L = 250 mL
- 0.33 L = 330 mL
- 0.5 L = 500 mL
- 0.75 L = 750 mL
- 1.5 L = 1,500 mL
- 2 L = 2,000 mL
How the liter is defined
Since 1964 the liter has been defined as exactly one cubic decimeter, a cube 10 cm on each side. The milliliter is a thousandth of that, a cube 1 cm on each side, which is why mL and cm³ are interchangeable. The liter is not an SI unit itself but is accepted for use with the SI, as the SI Brochure explains.
For water at room temperature, one milliliter weighs very close to one gram, a handy check when you measure liquids on a kitchen scale.
L to mL questions
How many mL are in one liter?
Exactly 1,000 mL.
What is 1.5 L in mL?
1,500 mL, the size of a large water bottle.
How many milliliters is 0.33 L?
330 mL, a standard can size outside the US.
Are milliliters and cubic centimeters the same size?
Yes. A milliliter is exactly one cubic centimeter (cm³ or cc), so medical syringes and engine sizes use the two names for the same volume.