How Many Cups Are in a Quart?
Quick Answer: 4 cups in 1 US quart · 32 fl oz · 946 mL
At a glance
- 1 US quart = 4 US cups (standard for recipes)
- 1 US dry quart ≈ 4.66 US cups (farmers markets, berries)
- 1 Imperial (UK) quart ≈ 4.8 US cups (older UK recipes)
A US quart contains exactly 4 cups (32 fluid ounces, 946 mL, or 2 pints). The Imperial (UK) quart is larger at 1,136 mL (40 Imperial fl oz, ~4.8 US cups). Most US cookbooks mean the US liquid quart.
How many cups in 1 quart?
quart → cup Quick Converter
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1 quart on the cup scale
1 quart = 4 cups
Did you know? A US quart of milk, juice, or ice cream is 4 cups (32 fl oz, 946 mL) — the classic mid-sized container between a pint and a half-gallon.
In UK and Irish recipes the Imperial quart is larger (1,136 mL, about 4.8 US cups) — roughly 20% bigger. In practice British and Irish recipes today rarely use quarts at all; they switch to liters.
Formula
Values follow the US customary system as published by NIST (Office of Weights and Measures). The US liquid quart is defined as exactly 0.946352946 liters; 1 quart = 4 cups follows because 1 cup = 8 fl oz and 1 quart = 32 fl oz.
Quarts to Cups Conversion Table
mL values are NIST-exact, rounded to 1 decimal.
| Quarts | Cups | Fluid Ounces | Pints | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ | 1 | 8 | ½ | 236.6 |
| ½ (1 pint) | 2 | 16 | 1 | 473.2 |
| ¾ | 3 | 24 | 1½ | 709.8 |
| 1 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 946.4 |
| 1½ | 6 | 48 | 3 | 1,419.5 |
| 2 (½ gallon) | 8 | 64 | 4 | 1,892.7 |
| 2½ | 10 | 80 | 5 | 2,365.9 |
| 3 | 12 | 96 | 6 | 2,839.1 |
| 4 (1 gallon) | 16 | 128 | 8 | 3,785.4 |
| 5 | 20 | 160 | 10 | 4,731.8 |
| 6 | 24 | 192 | 12 | 5,678.1 |
| 8 (2 gallons) | 32 | 256 | 16 | 7,570.8 |
| 10 | 40 | 320 | 20 | 9,463.5 |
| 12 (3 gallons) | 48 | 384 | 24 | 11,356.2 |
| 16 (4 gallons) | 64 | 512 | 32 | 15,141.6 |
What is a cup? What is a quart?
Cup
A cup is a volume unit used mostly in US recipes. 1 US customary cup = 8 fluid ounces = 236.59 mL. Measuring cups come in two physical types — they hold the same volume but are built differently so each can be read accurately.
- Liquid measuring cups — clear glass or plastic with a pouring spout and graduation lines along the side. Used for water, milk, oil, broth. Read at eye level on a flat surface.
- Dry measuring cups — metal or plastic sets (¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾, 1 cup) with flat rims. Used for flour, sugar, rice. Level the top with the flat edge of a knife.
Quart
A quart (abbreviated qt) is a larger volume unit equal to 4 cups = 32 fluid ounces = 946.35 mL in the US. Two pints make a quart; four quarts make a gallon. The name comes from the Latin quartus, meaning “one fourth” — because a quart is one quarter of a gallon.
Quarts show up most often in dairy containers (milk, buttermilk, yogurt), ice cream packaging, stock and broth cartons, and large-batch recipes.
US Cup vs UK Cup vs Metric Cup
The word “cup” is not standardized across English-speaking countries:
- US customary cup: 236.59 mL (8 US fl oz). The standard in American recipes and the one used everywhere else on this page.
- UK (imperial) cup: 284.13 mL (10 imperial fl oz) — about 20% larger. Rarely seen in modern UK recipes, which prefer metric (mL/g).
- Metric cup: exactly 250 mL. Standard in Australia and common in European cooking references.
Rule of thumb: 1 UK cup ≈ 1.2 US cups. If a British recipe from before the 1970s calls for “a cup,” it likely means the imperial cup. Modern UK recipes almost always measure by weight (grams) instead.
Liquid Quart vs Dry Quart vs Imperial Quart
The word “quart” refers to three distinct volumes depending on context:
- US liquid quart: 946.35 mL = 32 US fl oz = 4 US cups = 2 US pints. The standard for recipes, dairy, broth, and beverages in the US.
- US dry quart: 1,101.22 mL — about 16.4% larger. Used at US farmers markets for dry produce like berries and mushrooms. Not used in recipes.
- Imperial (UK) quart: 1,136.52 mL = 40 Imperial fl oz. About 20% larger than the US liquid quart. Once standard in the UK and Ireland, now largely replaced by liters in recipes.
If a recipe asks for “a quart” in a US cookbook, it means the US liquid quart (4 US cups). If the recipe is British or Irish and pre-1970s, it may mean the Imperial quart — roughly 4.8 US cups. Modern UK and Irish recipes almost always use liters instead.
US Liquid Measurement Hierarchy
1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 fl oz = 946 mL
1 pint = 2 cups = 16 fl oz = 473 mL
1 cup = 8 fl oz = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp = 237 mL
1 tablespoon = 3 tsp = ½ fl oz = 15 mL
1 teaspoon = ⅓ tbsp = 5 mL
How to Measure Accurately
Liquid ingredients
- Use a clear liquid measuring cup on a flat surface. Pour in the liquid, then crouch to read the meniscus at eye level. Reading from above can add 5–15% error.
- For sticky liquids (honey, syrup, molasses), lightly oil the cup first — the ingredient slides out cleanly with no residue.
Dry ingredients
- Spoon the ingredient into the cup, then level the top with the flat edge of a knife. Do not pack it down unless the recipe explicitly says so (packed brown sugar is the common exception).
- Flour scooped directly from the bag compacts and adds up to 25% more than intended — the #1 cause of dry, dense baked goods.
Pro tip: for baking, a kitchen scale beats any measuring cup. 1 US cup of all-purpose flour ≈ 120 g, but this varies by brand and technique — weighing eliminates the variance entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cups are in a quart?
There are 4 cups in 1 US quart (32 fluid ounces, 946 mL).
How many cups are in half a quart?
Half a US quart = 2 cups = 16 fluid ounces = 473 mL = 1 US pint.
How many quarts in a gallon?
There are 4 quarts in 1 US gallon (16 cups, 128 fluid ounces, 3,785 mL).
What's the difference between a dry quart and a liquid quart?
A US liquid quart = 946 mL (32 fl oz, 4 cups) — used in recipes. A US dry quart = 1,101 mL — about 16.4% larger, used at farmers markets for berries, mushrooms, and other dry produce. Recipes virtually always mean the liquid quart.
Related Cooking Conversions
- How many cups in a pint? — 2 cups
- How many ounces in a cup? — 8 fl oz
- How many teaspoons in a tablespoon? — 3 tsp
- How many tablespoons in a cup? — 16 tbsp
- How many ounces in a quart? — 32 fl oz
- How many quarts in a gallon? — 4 quarts
- How many pints in a quart? — 2 pints
- How many cups in a half gallon? — 8 cups
- How many cups in a liter? — 4.23 cups
- Cooking Volume to Weight Converter
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All values use US liquid measurements. 1 US quart = 946.35 mL. US dry quart (1,101 mL) is used at farmers markets, not in recipes. Imperial quart (1,136 mL) is used in the UK and Ireland.