Millilitres to litres:
divide by 1,000
Convert ml to litres and back for drinks, cooking and containers, with a chart of everyday amounts and the slips that cause wrong answers.
Calcylator Editorial Team
Updated · 4 min read
How many millilitres are in a litre?
There are exactly 1,000 millilitres in one litre. The prefix milli means one thousandth, so a millilitre is a thousandth of a litre, and 1 ml equals 0.001 l.
Millilitres and litres both measure volume, and they connect neatly to cubic units: 1 ml is the same volume as 1 cubic centimetre, and 1 litre is 1,000 cubic centimetres, or one cubic decimetre. That is why a 1 litre bottle of water is about the size of a 10 cm cube.
The ml to litres formula
- litres:
- volume in litres
- ml:
- volume in millilitres
- 1,000:
- millilitres in one litre
Volume
2,350 ml
Divide
2,350 ÷ 1,000
Volume in litres
2.35 L
Dividing by 1,000 just moves the decimal point three places to the left.
Because the factor is 1,000, you can convert by moving the decimal point. For ml to l, move it three places left: 750 ml becomes 0.75 l. For litres to ml, move it three places right: 1.5 l becomes 1,500 ml.
- Write the amount in millilitres.
- Move the decimal point three places to the left (or divide by 1,000).
- Add the unit: litres, written l or L.
- Check: the number of litres should be much smaller than the number of millilitres.
Chart: everyday amounts in ml and litres
| Millilitres | Litres | Everyday example |
|---|---|---|
| 5 ml | 0.005 L | A metric teaspoon |
| 15 ml | 0.015 L | A metric tablespoon |
| 100 ml | 0.1 L | A small juice carton |
| 250 ml | 0.25 L | A metric cup |
| 500 ml | 0.5 L | A standard water bottle |
| 750 ml | 0.75 L | A wine bottle |
| 1,000 ml | 1 L | A carton of milk |
| 1,500 ml | 1.5 L | A large bottle of water |
Cup sizes differ between countries. A metric cup is 250 ml, while a US cup is about 236.6 ml, so check which one a recipe uses before converting.
Converting is also how you work out servings. A 1.5 litre bottle holds 1,500 ml, so it fills 1,500 ÷ 250 = 6 glasses of 250 ml. If you need 2 litres of soup for 8 people, each portion is 2,000 ÷ 8 = 250 ml. Doing the sum in millilitres keeps the numbers whole and avoids decimals until the final answer.
The same idea helps with refills and containers. A 20 litre water can holds 20,000 ml, which is 80 portions of 250 ml. Work in whichever unit gives the smaller, easier numbers, then convert once at the end.
Very large values and scientific notation
The same rule works for any size. To convert 9.357 × 10^5 litres to millilitres, multiply by 1,000: 9.357 × 10^5 × 10^3 = 9.357 × 10^8 ml. Adding 3 to the power of ten is the scientific-notation version of moving the decimal point three places.
Common mistakes
- Multiplying when you should divide. Going from ml to litres always gives a smaller number.
- Moving the decimal point the wrong number of places. It is three places, not two or four.
- Confusing ml and cl. A centilitre is 10 ml, so 1 litre is 100 cl.
- Mixing metric and US cups or ounces without converting them first.
Common questions
How many ml are in a litre?
There are 1,000 millilitres in one litre. A millilitre is one thousandth of a litre, so 1 ml equals 0.001 litres. This is exact, because both units are metric and use the prefix milli for one thousandth.
How do I convert ml to l?
Divide the millilitres by 1,000, which means moving the decimal point three places to the left. For example, 250 ml is 0.25 litres and 2,350 ml is 2.35 litres. To go back from litres to ml, multiply by 1,000.
How many litres is 100 ml?
100 ml is 0.1 litres, because 100 ÷ 1,000 = 0.1. Ten amounts of 100 ml make one litre, so a 100 ml carton is one tenth of a litre.
Is a millilitre the same as a cubic centimetre?
Yes. One millilitre is exactly one cubic centimetre, written cm³ or cc. That means a litre is 1,000 cm³. The two names are used interchangeably, although ml is common for liquids and cm³ for solid shapes.
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