How Big is a Pint?

A pint is a unit of volume in the English system of measurement. It can also refer to the capacity of containers. This unit of measurement is used both in the imperial system and also in the US customary units. When reading this unit off a recipe book, one tends to wonder at times just how much of a volume of an ingredient you will get from a container the size of a pint.

Comparing Different Standards

The two popular systems of measurement used today are the American system and the imperial system. The American system is also known as the US customary units/system. Sometimes some people call it by its old name, English units. Take note that both the imperial and American systems are similar. However, that does not necessarily mean that their units are exactly identical. This simply means that there are variations in the values of the units from both systems.

The Imperial Unit

As stated earlier, the size and dimensions used in the imperial system is rather different from the American system. In the imperial system, a pint is one eighth of an entire gallon. It is also the equivalent of half a quart or four imperial gills. It is also equivalent to 20 fluid ounces or 568.26 milliliters or about 34.677 cubic inches. However, take note that it is no longer in use for trade since the 1st of January of 2000. It can only be used for cider, beer, or milk that is sold in returnable bottles.

United States Liquid Unit

In the United States the size and dimensions of a pint is different for liquids and solids or dry goods whereas it is quite the same in the imperial system. In the American system it is equivalent to 1/8th of a US liquid gallon or half a US liquid quart. It is also the same as two cups, four fluid gills, or 16 fluid ounces. It is exactly 473.176 milliliters or 28.875 cubic inches. Converting it to dry unit it would amount to 0.859367. It will also amount to 1.041 pounds of water heated at a temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit.

United States Dry Unit

As stated earlier, dry units are different from standard liquid units in the United States system of measurement. However, do take note that dry units are not that common outside of the USA. One dry pint in the US customary units will be the equivalent of 33.6 cubic inches or exactly 550.6 milliliters. It is equivalent to 0.96893897192 units in the imperial system of measure. Converting this unit into US liquid standard, it will amount to 1.163647 units.

Other Units

Take note that there are also other units besides the US customary and imperial units. There are also the Scottish and French units that are used in certain territories and countries. In other parts of the world, this unit of measure can also refer to a totally different size and dimension.