Gallons To Quarts | How Many Quarts In A Gallon?

How many quarts in a gallon? This question comes up to me every time I need to convert from gallons to quarts. So we, the Calculatorful team, have compiled this article to help you gain a better understanding underlining the conversion from gallons to quarts.

Gallon (gal) definition

A gallon is a unit of measure, which is used to measure volume commonly used in the USA and Britain. The gallon can be abbreviated as Gal. In comparison to the liter in the metric system, there are approximately 4.546 liters in an imperial gallon, 3.785 liters in a US liquid gallon, and 4.405 liters in a US dry gallon. In its own measurement systems, both US gallon and imperial gallon equals 4 quarts and 8 pints in their respective systems. 

Gallon (gal) history

Like other units in the US customary and imperial systems, the history of gallon as a volumic measurement unit dates back to the Medieval Ages when the gallon was used to measure wine and beer in England. The wine gallon size and the ale (beer) gallon size were different. The first one was equal to the size of a US gallon, while the second was a bit larger and equal to the size of an imperial gallon. 

Historically, the word gallon originates from the Old Norman French galon, corresponding to Old French jalon, which is related to jale (meaning bowl) in Old French.

Gallon (gal) current use

Similar to the quart, there are three types of gallons including a US liquid gallon, a US dry gallon, and an imperial gallon. The sizes of these gallons are slightly different as can be seen above. Of the three types, an imperial gallon is the largest one which is equal to 4.54609 liters (exactly) or approximately 10 pounds of pure water at 62° Fahrenheit. 

Of the two US gallons, the US liquid gallon is more commonly used to measure gasoline, water, and milk while the US dry gallon is less common. 

The gallon is commonly used in the sale of fuel for vehicles. The imperial gallon is widely used in the sale of petrol in British Overseas Territories and the countries influenced by the UK even though the UK has switched to a newer system of measurement, the SI. Gasoline sold by the US is measured in the US liquid gallon, which can be found in, certainly, the USA, and some countries in Latin America. 

Quart (qt) definition

The quart is a measurement unit of volume used in the US customary system and the British imperial system. The unit can be abbreviated as qt. A quart equals 2 pints. If you are someone from a country that adopts the metric system, a quart is equal to approximately a liter. US liquid and dry quarts are equivalent to approximately 0.95 liter and 1.1 liters respectively, and an imperial quart is 1.13 liters.

Quart (qt) history

The history of quart, a commonly used measurement unit in the USA and the UK, dates back hundreds of years to the Medieval Ages. The quart was found to be used in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Miller’s Tale (1380s - 1390s)  as a measure for ale, a type of beer. 

Etymologically, the word quart originates from the Latin word quartus, which means one-quarter.

Quart (qt) current use

The quart can be seen all over places in the USA from a quart of milk at the supermarket to a quart of whipping cream in a cooking book. 

There are three types of quart that are currently used, an Imperial quart, a US liquid quart, and a slightly larger US dry quart. As their terms imply, a liquid quart measures liquid substances like water, milk, oil, etc. while a dry quart is used to measure dry ingredients.

Relationship between gallons and quarts

Both quarts and gallons are two units of measurement in both the US customary system and the British imperial system. The quart is a smaller unit than the gallon. There are 4 quarts in a gallon, or a quart equals a quarter of a gallon, which explains its unit name, a quart. 

Both units are commonly used in the US to measure the volume of water, milk, and especially gasoline or petrol. 

Generally speaking, the relationship between quarts and gallons can be expressed as:

1 gallon = 4 quarts

Difference between gallons and quarts

Basically, quarts and gallons are highly related, so there aren’t many differences between them. However, a few differences can be summarized in the table below.

Gallons to Quarts (gal to qt) Conversion Chart

The table below shows some common conversions from gallons to quarts

Converting Gallons to Quarts with Formula and Examples

The most convenient method to convert quarts to gallons is to use a converter that can show the conversion result in the blink of an eye saving you a lot of time. However, you can also calculate it manually in case you don’t have an Internet connection. 

As we know, 1 gallon equals 4 quarts, so if you want to convert gallons to quarts, multiply the value in gallons by 4 as the formula below:

Quarts = gallons x  4

Now, to convert 2.5 gallons to quarts, by applying the above formula, you multiply 2.5 gals by 4 to get the value in quarts.

Quarts            = 2.5 x 4 

                       = 10 qt

So, 2.5 gallons equals 10 quarts. It isn’t very complicated, but using an online converter, you only need to enter 2.5 gals in the tool. 10 qt will be automatically shown without any mental effort. 

Now you know how to convert gallons to quarts, you might be interested in how other imperial measurement units relate to others. Use Caculatorful to learn more about Ounces to gram |  Quarts to gallon.

Example 1: Converting 1/2 gallon to quarts

Applying the previously mentioned formula, quarts = gallons x  4, we have:

Quarts      = 1/2 x 4

                 = 2 qt.

So, there are 2 quarts in half a gallon.

Example 2: Converting 2 gallons to quarts

Applying the provided formula, quarts = gallons x 4, we have:

Quarts         = 2 x 4

                    = 8 qt.

So, there are 8 qt in 2 gal.

Example 3: Converting 3 gallons to quarts

Applying the provided formula, quarts = gallons x 4, we have:

Quarts         = 3 x 4

                    = 12 qt.

So, there are 12 qt in 3 gal.

FAQ's about gallons to quarts conversion

Which formula to use when converting gallons to quarts?

When converting gallons to quarts, you have to remember this equation: 1 US gal = 4 US qt.

So there are 4 US qt in the conversion from 1 US gal to qt. For example you need to convert 5 gallons to quarts, you can do like following:

5 gal x (4 qt per gal) = 20 qt

Why is 1 gallon equal to 4 quarts?

The name quart comes from the Latin quartus, which means "one quart." Historically, gallons of various sizes were used. The liquid gallon in the United States is now split into four quarts, or 1 US gal = 4 US qt.

Is 2.5 US gallons the same as 2.5 UK gallons?

If you convert US gallons and UK gallons to liters,

1 US liquid gallon = 3.785411784 liters 

1 UK liquid gallon = 4.40488377086 liters

It can be seen that 2.5 UK gallons are bigger than 2.5 US gallons.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown what gallon and quart are, how many different versions that are currently in use. We also provide the tool for you to easily convert from gallons to quarts.