Kilograms to Liters Conversion Calculator

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1 kg = 1 L

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How to Convert Kilograms to Liters

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Since kilograms are a unit of mass and liters are a unit of volume, which are different physical quantities, we need to know one more physical quantity of the ingredient or substance to convert between them. In this case, we need to account for the density of the substance whenever we do a conversion.

Therefore, to convert between kilograms and liters of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Kilograms to Liters Formula

To convert a measurement in kilograms to liters, divide the weight by the density of the ingredient or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in kilograms per liter (kg/L).

You can use this simple formula to convert:

liters = kilograms ÷ density

Thus, the volume in liters is equal to the weight in kilograms divided by the density (in kg/L) of the ingredient, substance, or material.

For example, here's how to convert 5 kilograms to liters for an ingredient or substance with a density of 0.7 kg/L.
liters = 5 kg ÷ 0.7 kg/L = 7.1429 L

When to Convert Kilograms to Liters

Kilograms and liters are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.

For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction and clumping.

The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the weight to volume conversion.

Another useful application of weight and volume conversions is chemistry. When performing chemical reactions by combining separate chemicals to produce a new chemical, one must know the exact amount of each chemical to add in order to maximize the yield of the reaction.

It is common to mix powdered chemicals with liquid, or aqueous, chemicals, and this is where it becomes very useful to convert between weights and volumes.[2]

A third application of weight and volume conversions is when shipping freight when calculating the volumetric weight for cargo and packages. Trucks, ships, and airplanes are limited in the amount of weight or volume they can transport, so if one of those quantities is known, but the limitation is on the other, then it becomes necessary to convert between the two so as not to overload the shipping vehicle.

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.

What Is a Kilogram?

One kilogram is equal to 1,000 grams, 2.204623 pounds, or 1/1,000 of a metric ton.

The formal definition of the kilogram changed in 2019. One kilogram was previously equal to the mass of the platinum-iridium bar, known as the International Prototype of the Kilogram, which was stored in Sèvres, France.

The 2019 SI brochure now defines the kilogram using the Planck constant, and it is defined using the meter and second.[3] It is equal to the mass of 1,000 cubic centimeters, or milliliters, of water.

The kilogram, or kilogramme, is the SI base unit for mass and is also a multiple of the gram. In the metric system, "kilo" is the prefix for thousands, or 103. Kilograms can be abbreviated as kg; for example, 1 kilogram can be written as 1 kg.

A kilogram is frequently referred to as a unit of weight. While technically, a kilogram is a measure of mass, and weight is actually a measure of force, the two are equivalent as long as we are performing our calculations on Earth.

For example, an object with a mass of 1 kilogram weighs 1 kilogram on Earth, but only weighs one-sixth of that on the moon, yet still has the same mass.

Learn more about kilograms.

What Is a Liter?

A liter is a unit of volume equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters or 0.264172 US gallons.[4] The liter is a special name defined for the cubic decimeter and is exactly equal to the volume of one cubic decimeter (1 decimeter is 1/10 of a meter, or 10 centimeters).

The liter is an SI accepted unit for volume for use with the metric system. A liter is sometimes also referred to as a litre. Liters can be abbreviated as L, and are also sometimes abbreviated as l or ℓ. For example, 1 liter can be written as 1 L, 1 l, or 1 ℓ.

Learn more about liters.

Kilogram to Liter Conversion Table

Kilogram measurements converted to liters for commonly used cooking and baking ingredients.
Weight in Kilograms: Volume in Liters of:
Water Milk Cooking Oil All Purpose Flour Granulated Sugar
1 kg 1 L 0.970874 L 1.1364 L 1.8904 L 1.1829 L
2 kg 2 L 1.9417 L 2.2727 L 3.7807 L 2.3659 L
3 kg 3 L 2.9126 L 3.4091 L 5.6711 L 3.5488 L
4 kg 4 L 3.8835 L 4.5455 L 7.5614 L 4.7318 L
5 kg 5 L 4.8544 L 5.6818 L 9.4518 L 5.9147 L
6 kg 6 L 5.8252 L 6.8182 L 11.34 L 7.0976 L
7 kg 7 L 6.7961 L 7.9545 L 13.23 L 8.2806 L
8 kg 8 L 7.767 L 9.0909 L 15.12 L 9.4635 L
9 kg 9 L 8.7379 L 10.23 L 17.01 L 10.65 L
10 kg 10 L 9.7087 L 11.36 L 18.9 L 11.83 L
11 kg 11 L 10.68 L 12.5 L 20.79 L 13.01 L
12 kg 12 L 11.65 L 13.64 L 22.68 L 14.2 L
13 kg 13 L 12.62 L 14.77 L 24.57 L 15.38 L
14 kg 14 L 13.59 L 15.91 L 26.47 L 16.56 L
15 kg 15 L 14.56 L 17.05 L 28.36 L 17.74 L
16 kg 16 L 15.53 L 18.18 L 30.25 L 18.93 L
17 kg 17 L 16.5 L 19.32 L 32.14 L 20.11 L
18 kg 18 L 17.48 L 20.45 L 34.03 L 21.29 L
19 kg 19 L 18.45 L 21.59 L 35.92 L 22.48 L
20 kg 20 L 19.42 L 22.73 L 37.81 L 23.66 L
21 kg 21 L 20.39 L 23.86 L 39.7 L 24.84 L
22 kg 22 L 21.36 L 25 L 41.59 L 26.02 L
23 kg 23 L 22.33 L 26.14 L 43.48 L 27.21 L
24 kg 24 L 23.3 L 27.27 L 45.37 L 28.39 L
25 kg 25 L 24.27 L 28.41 L 47.26 L 29.57 L
26 kg 26 L 25.24 L 29.55 L 49.15 L 30.76 L
27 kg 27 L 26.21 L 30.68 L 51.04 L 31.94 L
28 kg 28 L 27.18 L 31.82 L 52.93 L 33.12 L
29 kg 29 L 28.16 L 32.95 L 54.82 L 34.31 L
30 kg 30 L 29.13 L 34.09 L 56.71 L 35.49 L
31 kg 31 L 30.1 L 35.23 L 58.6 L 36.67 L
32 kg 32 L 31.07 L 36.36 L 60.49 L 37.85 L
33 kg 33 L 32.04 L 37.5 L 62.38 L 39.04 L
34 kg 34 L 33.01 L 38.64 L 64.27 L 40.22 L
35 kg 35 L 33.98 L 39.77 L 66.16 L 41.4 L
36 kg 36 L 34.95 L 40.91 L 68.05 L 42.59 L
37 kg 37 L 35.92 L 42.05 L 69.94 L 43.77 L
38 kg 38 L 36.89 L 43.18 L 71.83 L 44.95 L
39 kg 39 L 37.86 L 44.32 L 73.72 L 46.13 L
40 kg 40 L 38.83 L 45.45 L 75.61 L 47.32 L

References

  1. National Institute of Standards & Technology, Culinary Measurement Tips, https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/culinary-measurement-tips
  2. CK-12 Foundation, Introductory Chemistry (CK-12) - 12.6: Mass-Volume Stoichiometry, https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/12%3A_Stoichiometry/12.06%3A_Mass-Volume_Stoichiometry
  3. International Bureau of Weights and Measures, The International System of Units, 9th Edition, 2019, https://www.bipm.org/documents/20126/41483022/SI-Brochure-9-EN.pdf
  4. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Units outside the SI, https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/outside.html

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