How many milliliters are in a liter?

There are exactly 1,000 milliliters in one liter. The prefix 'milli' means one-thousandth, so a milliliter is by definition one-thousandth of a liter.

How many mL is a cup?

One US cup equals approximately 236.59 mL. One metric cup (used in Australia) equals exactly 250 mL. So a liter is about 4.23 US cups or exactly 4 metric cups.

Is 1 liter the same as 1 kilogram?

Only for water at 4°C. One liter of water weighs almost exactly 1 kilogram. Other liquids differ: 1 liter of milk weighs about 1.03 kg, and 1 liter of olive oil weighs about 0.92 kg.

How Many Milliliters in a Liter? (1,000 mL)

The Quick Answer

There are exactly 1,000 milliliters in one liter. This is a precise definition within the metric system.

Metric Volume Hierarchy

Unit	Milliliters	Liters
1 microliter (μL)	0.001	0.000001
1 milliliter (mL)	1	0.001
1 centiliter (cL)	10	0.01
1 deciliter (dL)	100	0.1
1 liter (L)	1,000	1
1 kiloliter (kL)	1,000,000	1,000

Common Volumes in mL

Item	Milliliters	Liters
Teaspoon	5	0.005
Tablespoon	15	0.015
Soda can (355 mL)	355	0.355
Water bottle	500	0.5
Wine bottle	750	0.75
Large water bottle	1,000	1.0
2-liter soda	2,000	2.0

Where This Comes Up

Cooking

Recipes may use both mL and liters. A recipe calling for 750 mL of stock is 0.75 liters, or three-quarters of a liter.

Medicine

Liquid medications are dosed in mL. Knowing that 1,000 mL = 1 liter helps interpret IV fluid volumes and dosing calculations.

Science

Laboratory work routinely uses both units. A 500 mL beaker and a 0.5 L beaker are the same size.

Use our volume converter for any volume conversion.