Convert quarts of milk, stock, oil, honey, berries, flour, motor oil or paint to pounds (or back), using a US liquid, US dry or UK quart.
Pounds = quarts × litres per quart × density (kg/L) ÷ 0.4536
Liquids at room temperature. Berries are loosely filled and flour is spooned in, so a shaken-down container weighs more.
| Substance | kg/L | US liquid qt | US dry qt | UK qt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 0.998 | 2.08 lb | 2.42 lb | 2.5 lb |
| Whole milk | 1.03 | 2.15 lb | 2.5 lb | 2.58 lb |
| Broth or stock | 1.01 | 2.11 lb | 2.45 lb | 2.53 lb |
| Heavy cream | 1.006 | 2.1 lb | 2.44 lb | 2.52 lb |
| Vegetable oil | 0.92 | 1.92 lb | 2.23 lb | 2.31 lb |
| Honey | 1.42 | 2.96 lb | 3.45 lb | 3.56 lb |
| Maple syrup | 1.33 | 2.77 lb | 3.23 lb | 3.33 lb |
| Motor oil (5W-30) | 0.86 | 1.79 lb | 2.09 lb | 2.15 lb |
| Latex paint (typical) | 1.3 | 2.71 lb | 3.16 lb | 3.26 lb |
| Blueberries | 0.626 | 1.31 lb | 1.52 lb | 1.57 lb |
| Strawberries, whole | 0.609 | 1.27 lb | 1.48 lb | 1.53 lb |
| All-purpose flour | 0.528 | 1.1 lb | 1.28 lb | 1.32 lb |
| Granulated sugar | 0.845 | 1.76 lb | 2.05 lb | 2.12 lb |
"Quart" means a quarter of a gallon, but the US has separate liquid and dry gallons and the UK has its own, so there are three quarts in use. Picking the wrong one is a 16–20% error before density even comes into it.
| Quart | Millilitres | In US liquid quarts | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| US liquid quart | 946.35 | 1 | Milk, oil, paint, deli containers, US recipes |
| US dry quart | 1,101.22 | 1.164 | Berries, cherry tomatoes and other produce at farm stands |
| UK imperial quart | 1,136.52 | 1.201 | Older British recipes; 2 imperial pints |
You fill four quart baskets at a pick-your-own farm, and the farm charges by the pound. Berry baskets are dry quarts. (This is the Load Example.)
Step 1: Quarts to litres (dry quart)
Step 2: Litres to kilograms (blueberries ≈ 0.626 kg/L loosely filled)
Step 3: Kilograms to pounds
Expect about 6 lb, or roughly 1½ lb per quart basket. Heaped baskets weigh more. A US liquid quart of the same berries would be only about 1.3 lb.
US owner's manuals list oil capacity in quarts, while bottles elsewhere (and many European manuals) use litres. A US quart is 0.946 L, so a 5.5 L capacity is 5.8 quarts. A typical 5W-30 is about 0.86 kg/L, giving these weights:
Oil is lighter than water, roughly 1.8 lb per quart against 2.1 lb, which is why it floats on top of any water in a drain pan.
For canning, the question runs the other way: how much fresh produce to buy for a batch of quart jars. These are the USDA's averages for a canner load of 7 quarts. They include trimming and peeling losses, so they're higher than the weight of what ends up in the jar.
| Produce | Per 7 quarts | Per quart |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes (whole or halved) | 21 lb | 3 lb |
| Applesauce | 21 lb | 3 lb |
| Peaches | 17.5 lb | 2.5 lb |
| Green beans | 14 lb | 2 lb |
A bushel of tomatoes weighs 53 lb and yields 15 to 21 quarts, depending on the variety and how tightly you pack.
About 2.08 lb (33.3 oz) for a US quart at room temperature, or 2.09 lb at 4 °C. A UK quart of water weighs about 2.5 lb.
About 1½ lb for a dry quart basket of whole berries. Sliced or crushed berries pack more tightly and weigh more per quart.
Slightly. Whole milk is about 3% denser, so a US quart weighs about 2.15 lb, against 2.08 lb for water.
About 9 US quarts (36 cups), at 125 g per spooned cup. Packed or scooped flour gives fewer quarts.
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