Pounds to Milliliters Conversion Calculator

Enter the weight in pounds below to calculate the volume in milliliters.

lb

Result in Milliliters:

1 lb = 453.59237 mL
Learn how we calculate this below

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How to Convert Pounds to Milliliters

Since pounds are a unit of mass and milliliters 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 pounds and milliliters of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Pounds to Milliliters Formula

To convert a measurement in pounds to milliliters, divide the weight by the density of the ingredient or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in pounds per milliliter (lb/mL).

If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), then first divide 453.5924 by the density to convert to lb/mL.

For a density given in g/mL, you can use this simple formula to convert:

milliliters = pounds × 453.5924 / density

Thus, the volume in milliliters is equal to the weight in pounds times 453.5924 divided by the density of the ingredient, substance, or material.

For example, here's how to convert 5 pounds to milliliters for an ingredient with a density of 0.7 g/mL.

milliliters = 5 lb × 453.5924 / 0.7 g/mL = 3,239.946 mL

When to Convert Pounds to Milliliters

Pounds and milliliters 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.

How Many Milliliters Are in a Pound?

The actual volume of a pound will vary depending on the density of the material. The table below shows how many milliliters of various wet and dry ingredients are in a pound.

Pound measurements converted to milliliters for commonly used cooking and baking ingredients.
Weight in Pounds: Volume in Milliliters of:
WaterMilkCooking OilAll Purpose FlourGranulated Sugar
1 lb453.59 mL440.38 mL515.45 mL857.45 mL643.39 mL
2 lb907.18 mL880.76 mL1,031 mL1,715 mL1,287 mL
3 lb1,361 mL1,321 mL1,546 mL2,572 mL1,930 mL
4 lb1,814 mL1,762 mL2,062 mL3,430 mL2,574 mL
5 lb2,268 mL2,202 mL2,577 mL4,287 mL3,217 mL
6 lb2,722 mL2,642 mL3,093 mL5,145 mL3,860 mL
7 lb3,175 mL3,083 mL3,608 mL6,002 mL4,504 mL
8 lb3,629 mL3,523 mL4,124 mL6,860 mL5,147 mL
9 lb4,082 mL3,963 mL4,639 mL7,717 mL5,791 mL
10 lb4,536 mL4,404 mL5,154 mL8,575 mL6,434 mL
11 lb4,990 mL4,844 mL5,670 mL9,432 mL7,077 mL
12 lb5,443 mL5,285 mL6,185 mL10,289 mL7,721 mL
13 lb5,897 mL5,725 mL6,701 mL11,147 mL8,364 mL
14 lb6,350 mL6,165 mL7,216 mL12,004 mL9,008 mL
15 lb6,804 mL6,606 mL7,732 mL12,862 mL9,651 mL
16 lb7,257 mL7,046 mL8,247 mL13,719 mL10,294 mL
17 lb7,711 mL7,486 mL8,763 mL14,577 mL10,938 mL
18 lb8,165 mL7,927 mL9,278 mL15,434 mL11,581 mL
19 lb8,618 mL8,367 mL9,793 mL16,292 mL12,224 mL
20 lb9,072 mL8,808 mL10,309 mL17,149 mL12,868 mL
21 lb9,525 mL9,248 mL10,824 mL18,007 mL13,511 mL
22 lb9,979 mL9,688 mL11,340 mL18,864 mL14,155 mL
23 lb10,433 mL10,129 mL11,855 mL19,721 mL14,798 mL
24 lb10,886 mL10,569 mL12,371 mL20,579 mL15,441 mL
25 lb11,340 mL11,010 mL12,886 mL21,436 mL16,085 mL
26 lb11,793 mL11,450 mL13,402 mL22,294 mL16,728 mL
27 lb12,247 mL11,890 mL13,917 mL23,151 mL17,372 mL
28 lb12,701 mL12,331 mL14,432 mL24,009 mL18,015 mL
29 lb13,154 mL12,771 mL14,948 mL24,866 mL18,658 mL
30 lb13,608 mL13,211 mL15,463 mL25,724 mL19,302 mL
31 lb14,061 mL13,652 mL15,979 mL26,581 mL19,945 mL
32 lb14,515 mL14,092 mL16,494 mL27,438 mL20,589 mL
33 lb14,969 mL14,533 mL17,010 mL28,296 mL21,232 mL
34 lb15,422 mL14,973 mL17,525 mL29,153 mL21,875 mL
35 lb15,876 mL15,413 mL18,041 mL30,011 mL22,519 mL
36 lb16,329 mL15,854 mL18,556 mL30,868 mL23,162 mL
37 lb16,783 mL16,294 mL19,071 mL31,726 mL23,806 mL
38 lb17,237 mL16,734 mL19,587 mL32,583 mL24,449 mL
39 lb17,690 mL17,175 mL20,102 mL33,441 mL25,092 mL
40 lb18,144 mL17,615 mL20,618 mL34,298 mL25,736 mL

What Is a Pound?

Pounds are a widely used unit of weight in the United States. The National Bureau of Standards approved the international definition of the pound for use in the United States in 1959 after an agreement between six nations referred to as the International Yard and Pound Agreement.[3]

One pound is equal to 16 ounces, or 0.45359237 kilograms. In the avoirdupois or apothecaries' systems, one pound is equal to 7,000 grains.[4]

The pound is a US customary and imperial unit of mass. A pound is sometimes also referred to as a common ounce. Pounds can be abbreviated as lb (plural lbs), and are also sometimes abbreviated as lbm or #. For example, 1 pound can be written as 1 lb, 1 lbm, or 1 #, and 2 pounds can be written as 2 lbs.

A pound is frequently referred to as a unit of weight. While technically, a pound 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 pound weighs 1 pound on Earth, but only weighs one-sixth of that on the moon, yet still has the same mass.

Learn more about pounds.

What Is a Milliliter?

The milliliter is a unit of volume equal to 1 cubic centimeter, 1/1,000 of a liter, or about 0.061 cubic inches.[5]

The milliliter is an SI unit of volume in the metric system. In the metric system, "milli" is the prefix for thousandths, or 10-3. A milliliter is sometimes also referred to as a millilitre. Milliliters can be abbreviated as mL, and are also sometimes abbreviated as ml or mℓ. For example, 1 milliliter can be written as 1 mL, 1 ml, or 1 mℓ.

Since one milliliter is equivalent to one cubic centimeter, milliliters are sometimes expressed using the abbreviation for a cubic centimeter (cc) for things such as medical dosages or engine displacements.

Learn more about milliliters.

Pound to Milliliter Conversion Table

Pound measurements converted to milliliters for commonly used cooking and baking ingredients.
Weight in Pounds: Volume in Milliliters of:
WaterMilkCooking OilAll Purpose FlourGranulated Sugar
1 lb453.59 mL440.38 mL515.45 mL857.45 mL643.39 mL
2 lb907.18 mL880.76 mL1,031 mL1,715 mL1,287 mL
3 lb1,361 mL1,321 mL1,546 mL2,572 mL1,930 mL
4 lb1,814 mL1,762 mL2,062 mL3,430 mL2,574 mL
5 lb2,268 mL2,202 mL2,577 mL4,287 mL3,217 mL
6 lb2,722 mL2,642 mL3,093 mL5,145 mL3,860 mL
7 lb3,175 mL3,083 mL3,608 mL6,002 mL4,504 mL
8 lb3,629 mL3,523 mL4,124 mL6,860 mL5,147 mL
9 lb4,082 mL3,963 mL4,639 mL7,717 mL5,791 mL
10 lb4,536 mL4,404 mL5,154 mL8,575 mL6,434 mL
11 lb4,990 mL4,844 mL5,670 mL9,432 mL7,077 mL
12 lb5,443 mL5,285 mL6,185 mL10,289 mL7,721 mL
13 lb5,897 mL5,725 mL6,701 mL11,147 mL8,364 mL
14 lb6,350 mL6,165 mL7,216 mL12,004 mL9,008 mL
15 lb6,804 mL6,606 mL7,732 mL12,862 mL9,651 mL
16 lb7,257 mL7,046 mL8,247 mL13,719 mL10,294 mL
17 lb7,711 mL7,486 mL8,763 mL14,577 mL10,938 mL
18 lb8,165 mL7,927 mL9,278 mL15,434 mL11,581 mL
19 lb8,618 mL8,367 mL9,793 mL16,292 mL12,224 mL
20 lb9,072 mL8,808 mL10,309 mL17,149 mL12,868 mL
21 lb9,525 mL9,248 mL10,824 mL18,007 mL13,511 mL
22 lb9,979 mL9,688 mL11,340 mL18,864 mL14,155 mL
23 lb10,433 mL10,129 mL11,855 mL19,721 mL14,798 mL
24 lb10,886 mL10,569 mL12,371 mL20,579 mL15,441 mL
25 lb11,340 mL11,010 mL12,886 mL21,436 mL16,085 mL
26 lb11,793 mL11,450 mL13,402 mL22,294 mL16,728 mL
27 lb12,247 mL11,890 mL13,917 mL23,151 mL17,372 mL
28 lb12,701 mL12,331 mL14,432 mL24,009 mL18,015 mL
29 lb13,154 mL12,771 mL14,948 mL24,866 mL18,658 mL
30 lb13,608 mL13,211 mL15,463 mL25,724 mL19,302 mL
31 lb14,061 mL13,652 mL15,979 mL26,581 mL19,945 mL
32 lb14,515 mL14,092 mL16,494 mL27,438 mL20,589 mL
33 lb14,969 mL14,533 mL17,010 mL28,296 mL21,232 mL
34 lb15,422 mL14,973 mL17,525 mL29,153 mL21,875 mL
35 lb15,876 mL15,413 mL18,041 mL30,011 mL22,519 mL
36 lb16,329 mL15,854 mL18,556 mL30,868 mL23,162 mL
37 lb16,783 mL16,294 mL19,071 mL31,726 mL23,806 mL
38 lb17,237 mL16,734 mL19,587 mL32,583 mL24,449 mL
39 lb17,690 mL17,175 mL20,102 mL33,441 mL25,092 mL
40 lb18,144 mL17,615 mL20,618 mL34,298 mL25,736 mL

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. National Bureau of Standards, Refinement of Values for the Yard and Pound, U.S. Department of Commerce, July 1, 1959, https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2017/05/09/frn-59-5442-1959.pdf
  4. Encyclopædia Britannica, Avoirdupois weight, https://www.britannica.com/science/avoirdupois-weight
  5. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices, Handbook 44 - 2019 Edition, https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/hb/2019/NIST.HB.44-2019.pdf

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