Sizes & specs · Reference
Gallons ↔ Litres
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| US gallons | Litres | Imperial gallons | Cubic feet | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 gal | 379 L | 83 | 13.4 | |
| 120 gal | 454 L | 100 | 16.0 | |
| 150 gal | 568 L | 125 | 20.1 | |
| 180 gal | 681 L | 150 | 24.1 | |
| 200 gal | 757 L | 167 | 26.7 | |
| 220 gal | 833 L | 183 | 29.4 | |
| 250 gal | 946 L | 208 | 33.4 | |
| 264 gal | 1000 L | 220 | 35.3 | Exactly 1,000 L — the European nominal |
| 275 gal | 1041 L | 229 | 36.8 | The North American standard |
| 300 gal | 1136 L | 250 | 40.1 | |
| 330 gal | 1249 L | 275 | 44.1 | 1,250 L nominal |
| 350 gal | 1325 L | 291 | 46.8 | |
| 400 gal | 1514 L | 333 | 53.5 | |
| 550 gal | 2082 L | 458 | 73.5 | |
| 793 gal | 3002 L | 660 | 106.0 |
Nominal capacity versus brimful volume
Every liquid container has two capacities and the difference matters more than it sounds. Brimful volume is what the bottle physically holds if you fill it to the collar. Nominal capacity is what it is rated and marked to carry, leaving headspace for thermal expansion, for the ullage regulations require on regulated product, and for the simple fact that a container filled to the brim will spill on the first corner.
On the standard tote those numbers are 275 gallons and 1,000 litres — about four percent apart. North American marketing quotes the larger number, European marketing quotes the smaller, and buyers occasionally conclude there are two different products. There are not.
Working conversions
- US gallons → litres: multiply by 3.7854
- Litres → US gallons: multiply by 0.2642
- US gallons → Imperial gallons: multiply by 0.8327
- US gallons → cubic feet: multiply by 0.1337
- Litres of water → kilograms: multiply by 1.0 (then by the SG of your product)
- US gallons of water → pounds: multiply by 8.345 (then by the SG)
The one that catches people out
Imperial gallons. A UK spec quoting “220 gallon” means 1,000 litres, not 833. If a supplier quotes gallons without specifying which kind and the number looks 20% low, that is why.
How many litres is a 275 gallon IBC tote?
1,041 litres. The conversion factor is 3.7854 litres per US gallon.
Why is a 1,000 litre tote called a 275 gallon?
Because 1,000 litres is the nominal fill capacity and 275 gallons is the brimful volume of the same bottle. 264 US gallons is exactly 1,000 litres; the extra 11 gallons is headspace the container physically has but is not rated to use. Both numbers describe the same object.
Should I order by gallons or litres?
In North America, gallons. Just be aware that a European spec sheet quoting 1,000 L and a US one quoting 275 gal are describing the same container, and that a genuine 1,250 L unit is the 330.
Keep reading
Working from a European spec sheet?
Send it over. We'll tell you which North American container it maps to and whether we have it in the yard.
