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Quart
One-quart milk jugs (top shelf); half-gallon (two-quart) milk jugs (bottom shelf)
General information
Unit ofVolume
Symbolqt
Conversions (imperial)
1 imp qt in ...... is equal to ...
   SI-compatible units   1.1365225 L
   US customary units   ≈ 1.200950 US qt
   US customary units   ≈ 69.35486 in3
Conversions (US)
1 US qt in ...... is equal to ...
   SI-compatible units    0.946352946 L
   Imperial units   ≈ 0.8326742 imp qt
   Imperial units   57.75 in3
   US dry quarts   ⁠92400/107521⁠ dry qt

The quart (symbol: qt)[1] is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon. Three kinds of quarts are currently used: the liquid quart and dry quart of the US customary system and the imperial quart of the British imperial system. All are roughly equal to one liter. It is divided into two pints or (in the US) four cups. Historically, the size of a quart has varied with the different values of gallons over time, and in the case of the dry quart, in reference to different commodities.

Name

[edit]

The term comes from the Latin quartus (meaning one-quarter) via the French quart. However, although the French word quart has the same root, it frequently means something entirely different. In Canadian French in particular, the quart is called pinte,[2] while the pint is called chopine.[2]

History

[edit]
Main article: Gallon

Since gallons of various sizes have historically been in use, the corresponding quarts have also existed with various sizes.

Definitions and equivalencies

[edit]

Imperial quart

[edit]

The imperial quart is equal to one-quarter of an imperial gallon of exactly 4.54609 L, i.e. 1.1365225 L. In the United Kingdom, goods may be sold by the quart if the equivalent metric measure is also given.[3]

1 imperial quart  ≡ ⁠1/4⁠ imperial gallon
≡ 2 imperial pints
≡ 8 imperial gills
≡ 40 imperial fluid ounces
≡ 1.1365225 liters[4][a]
≈ 69.35486 cubic inches
≈ 0.3002375 US gallons
≈ 1.20095 US liquid quarts
≈ 2.4019 US liquid pints
≈ 9.6076 US gills
≈ 38.4304 US fluid ounces
≈ 1.0320567 US dry quarts
≈ 2.0641135 US dry pints

In Canadian French, by federal law, the imperial quart is called pinte.[5][2]

US liquid quart

[edit]

In the United States, traditional length and volume measures have been legally standardized for commerce by the international yard and pound agreement of 1959, using the definition of 1 yard being 0.9144 meters: from this definition the metric equivalents for inches, feet, miles, area measures, and measures of volume are determined. The US liquid quart is equal to one-quarter of a gallon of exactly 231 cubic inches, i.e. 57.75 cubic inches or 0.946352946 L.[6][7]

1 US liquid quart  ≡ ⁠1/4⁠ US gallon
≡ 2 US liquid pints
≡ 4 US cups
≡ 8 US gills
≡ 32 US fluid ounces
≡ 0.946352946 liters[7][8]
≡ 57.75 cubic inches[9]
≈ 0.2081685 imperial gallons
≈ 0.8326742 imperial quarts
≈ 1.6653484 imperial pints
≈ 6.6613935 imperial gills
≈ 33.3069674 imperial fluid ounces
≡ ⁠92400/107521⁠ US dry quart
≡ 1⁠77279/107521⁠ US dry pints

US dry quart

[edit]

In the United States, the dry quart is equal to ⁠1/32⁠ of a US bushel of exactly 2150.42 cubic inches, i.e. 67.200625 cubic inches or 1.101220942715 L.

1 US dry quart  ≡ ⁠1/32⁠ US bushel
≡ ⁠1/8⁠ US peck
≡ 2 US dry pints
≡ 1.101220942715 liters[7][8]
≡ 67.200625 cubic inches
≡ ⁠107521/369600⁠ US gallon
≡ 1⁠15121/92400⁠ US liquid quarts
≡ 2⁠15121/46200⁠ US liquid pints
≡ 9⁠3571/11550⁠ US gills
≡ 37⁠1367/5775⁠ US fluid ounces
≈ 0.2422347 imperial gallons
≈ 0.968939 imperial quarts
≈ 1.9378779 imperial pints
≈ 7.7515118 imperial gills
≈ 38.7575589 imperial fluid ounces

Winchester quart

[edit]

The Winchester quart is an obsolescent measure:[10] it was originally equal to two imperial quarts (half of an imperial gallon) or exactly 2.273045 L, but was later metricated to 2.5 L (2.2 imperial quarts). Despite its name, it is unrelated to the Winchester measure.[11]

The 2.5 L bottles in which laboratory chemicals are supplied are sometimes referred to as Winchester quart bottles, although these contain 10% more than a traditional Winchester quart.

Reputed quart

[edit]

The reputed quart was a measure equal to two-thirds of an imperial quart (one-sixth of an imperial gallon), or exactly 0.7576816 liters, which is only 0.08% larger than one US fifth (exactly 0.7570823568 liters).

The reputed quart was previously recognized as a standard size of wine bottle in the United Kingdom, and is only about 1% larger than the current standard wine bottle of 0.75 L.[12][13]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Quart

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
A quart is a unit of volume or capacity equal to one quarter of a , used in both the British Imperial and customary systems of measurement for s and dry goods. In the Imperial system, the standard quart measures 1.13652 liters, equivalent to 69.36 cubic inches or two imperial pints. The distinguishes between a quart, which is 0.94635 liters or 57.75 cubic inches, and a dry quart, which is 1.10122 liters or 67.2 cubic inches and equals one thirty-second of a . These variations arose from historical divergences between British and American standards, with the quart originating as a medieval English measure ranging from approximately 0.95 to 1.16 liters, as referenced in like Geoffrey Chaucer's around 1370. Today, the quart remains in common use for cooking, packaging, and agriculture in countries adhering to these systems, though metric equivalents are increasingly adopted globally for standardization.

Name and Etymology

Origin of the Term

The term "quart" derives from the Latin quartus, meaning "fourth," signifying its original designation as one-fourth of a gallon in volume measurement. In ancient Rome, quartarius referred to a liquid measure equivalent to one-fourth of a sextarius, roughly 0.25 liters or an English pint. This etymological root traces back further to the Proto-Indo-European *kwetwer-, denoting "four," and entered Old French as quarte by the 13th century, where it referred to a fourth part in various contexts including capacity. The word first appeared in English during the early , evolving directly from the quarte and appearing in medieval trade documents to describe and dry measures.

Linguistic Variations

The term "quart," denoting a quarter of a as a measure, exhibits direct cognates across Romance and , reflecting its shared roots in denoting a fourth. In French, historical and regional variants include "quarteron," used for a quarter portion of larger units like the pinte or setier in traditional measurements. Similarly, in Spanish, the term "cuarto" serves as the equivalent, literally meaning "fourth" and applied to a quarter in culinary and commercial contexts. In German, "Viertelliter" or "Viertelgallon" is commonly employed, emphasizing the fractional aspect while aligning with metric preferences in modern usage. Within English-speaking regions, dialectical pronunciations and usages of "quart" vary, particularly in historical and vernacular forms. In Scottish and Northern English dialects, such as those in and , the word is often rendered as "quairt," a phonetic adaptation appearing in 19th-century glossaries and literary works to capture local speech patterns. In American colonial texts from the 17th and 18th centuries, "quarter" occasionally substituted for "quart" when referring to volume divisions, as seen in trade records and legal documents specifying fractions of gallons. These variations highlight phonetic shifts and contextual flexibility in pre-standardized English. In contemporary international standards, the English "quart" persists in technical and scientific contexts, including ISO documentation for non-SI units, where it is symbolized as "qt" but requires translation for non-English applications. For instance, ISO-aligned materials in French render it as "quart (de gallon)," while Spanish uses "cuarto de galón" and German "Viertelgallon," ensuring clarity in global trade and without altering the underlying imperial definition. This retention in English underscores its role as a term in measurement systems.

Historical Development

Early Origins in Medieval Europe

The quart measure emerged in 12th- to 14th-century and as a practical subdivision of the , primarily for facilitating in ale, wine, and , with the term deriving from the Latin quartus meaning "fourth." In , early records from the Assize of Measures in 1197 mandated uniform capacities for liquids like ale and wine, as well as dry goods such as corn and beans, establishing the quart as one-fourth of the to ensure fair exchange in markets. This was reinforced by in 1215, which specified a single measure of ale, wine, and corn based on the London standard, though enforcement remained inconsistent due to regional practices. In , similar divisions appeared in wine and grain commerce, influenced by Carolingian traditions, where local variants of the pinte and larger vessels approximated the quart for cross-channel trade with . The 1266 Assize of Bread and Ale, enacted under Henry III, further shaped the quart's role by regulating the pricing and quality of ale based on costs, implicitly tying it to fractions for consistent pouring and sales. Legal texts like the Fleta of 1290 described the as holding eight pounds of , making the quart a quarter of that volume for both and dry applications, such as measuring ale in tankards or grain in pecks. By the early , the Tractatus de Ponderibus et Mensuris (c. 1303) formalized these proportions, yet practical use varied, with the quart serving as a versatile unit in everyday transactions from French vineyards to English breweries. Despite these efforts, the quart's application was highly variable, shaped by local customs that prioritized regional needs over uniformity. Such inconsistencies arose from differing pound weights—such as the merchants' pound of 6,750 grains versus the tower pound—leading to quarts ranging from about 0.95 to 1.16 liters in practice, as noted in 14th-century parliamentary rolls. In , analogous variations occurred in wine measures, where provincial quarts adapted to terrain-specific yields, underscoring the measure's evolution through decentralized medieval economies.

Standardization in the British Empire

The Weights and Measures Act 1824 marked a pivotal moment in the standardization of volume measures within the by establishing the imperial system, which defined the quart as one-fourth of the newly created . This act aimed to unify disparate local standards that had proliferated across Britain, replacing multiple gallons—such as the wine, ale, beer, and corn varieties—with a single, precise equivalent to the volume occupied by 10 pounds of water at a temperature of 62 degrees . The resulting imperial quart thus became a quarter of this gallon, promoting consistency in trade, manufacturing, and daily commerce throughout the and its territories. The act effectively supplanted the longstanding standard, a medieval volume measure originating from 15th-century that had been used primarily for like corn and lacked the precision required for expanding imperial trade. By invalidating the and associated quarts, the 1824 legislation earlier enactments and enforced the imperial measures as the legal norm, with full implementation effective from January 1, 1826. This unification extended to the British colonies, where local weights and measures authorities were required to adopt the imperial quart to facilitate seamless economic integration across the Empire, from to and , reducing discrepancies in international shipments and colonial markets. Subsequent revisions, including the of Obsolete Statutes Act 1856, further cleared archaic laws tied to the system, solidifying the imperial quart's dominance. The imperial quart was precisely delineated as comprising 40 imperial fluid ounces, with the fluid ounce itself defined as one-twentieth of an imperial pint, ensuring a hierarchical consistency from the smallest measures upward. In terms of its initial formal approximation to the emerging , the imperial quart equated to 1.1365225 liters, a value derived from the gallon's 4.54609 liters and reflecting Britain's early alignment with international scientific while retaining imperial specificity for practical use. This not only streamlined imperial administration but also influenced global volume conventions during the .

Adoption and Divergence in the United States

Following in , the retained the British colonial measures for , including the and its subdivisions such as the quart, which had been in use across the colonies despite local variations. These pre-imperial served as the basis for American commerce and trade in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with states like and employing slightly differing and capacities until national efforts toward uniformity began around 1830. A pivotal divergence occurred in when passed a resolution directing the Department to define and distribute standard measures to the states, formalizing the liquid gallon as 231 cubic inches—a direct continuation of the colonial but distinct from the newly established British imperial gallon of 277.42 cubic inches introduced in 1824. This definition, subdivided into quarts as one-fourth of the , was adopted by states including New York, , and , embedding the measure into federal and state laws for liquid capacity. The resulting quart thus differed in size from its imperial counterpart, reflecting America's choice to preserve older English units rather than align with Britain's post-1824 reforms. The persistence of the quart was further reinforced by the Metric Act of 1866, which legalized the optional use of metric weights and measures in commerce but did not mandate their adoption, allowing customary units like the quart to remain dominant in everyday and legal applications. This non-compulsory approach, coupled with entrenched industrial and agricultural reliance on the 231-cubic-inch system, ensured the quart's continued divergence from imperial standards without pressure for metric conversion.

Modern Volume Standards

Imperial Quart

The imperial quart is a equal to one-quarter of an imperial in the British imperial system of measurement. Its exact volume is defined as 1.1365225 litres or approximately 69.355 cubic inches. This unit is composed of 40 imperial fluid ounces, with each imperial fluid ounce being one-twentieth of an imperial pint, or equivalently 8 imperial s, where one imperial equals one-eighth of an imperial quart. In the , the imperial quart is used for certain packaging, such as 2-pint bottles, though metric units predominate overall; it has limited use in other countries like where the is standard.

US Liquid Quart

The liquid quart is a in the United States customary system, defined as exactly one-fourth of a liquid gallon, which equates to 57.75 cubic inches or approximately 0.946 liter. This measure was established through the historical adoption of the gallon as 231 cubic inches in the early , diverging slightly from British imperial standards to suit American commercial needs. It consists of 32 fluid ounces or 2 liquid pints, providing a practical subdivision for handling smaller liquid quantities. In practice, the liquid quart is commonly applied in beverages, such as packaging or other products, where it serves as a standard container size for retail and distribution. It is also integral to cooking and standards, enabling precise measurements of ingredients like , oil, or in American culinary contexts. Additionally, the unit finds use in pharmaceuticals for dosing liquids and formulating solutions, ensuring consistency in volume-based preparations.

US Dry Quart

The US dry quart is a unit of dry volume measure in the United States customary system, defined as one-fourth of the US dry gallon, which itself derives from one-eighth of the Winchester bushel of exactly 2,150.42 cubic inches. This yields an exact volume of 67.200625 cubic inches for the dry quart. In metric terms, it equals precisely 1.101220942 liters. Unlike the liquid quart, which is designed for fluid capacities, the dry quart accommodates the measurement of bulk , where the shape and packing of solids require a slightly larger volume to maintain consistency in and . It is composed of 2 US dry pints and is equivalent to approximately 1.1636 US liquid quarts, reflecting the distinct basing of dry measures on the Winchester standard rather than the wine gallon used for liquids. In practice, the US dry quart finds primary application in agriculture and the marketing of dry commodities, such as measuring quantities of fruits, vegetables, grains, and other non-fluid produce in wholesale and retail settings. For instance, it is used in standardizing container sizes for items like berries or root vegetables to ensure fair pricing and uniform packaging under federal weights and measures regulations.

Variant and Obsolete Measures

Winchester Quart

The Winchester quart was a historical English unit of dry capacity, established as part of the Winchester measure standards in 1495 by King Henry VII. It equaled one-quarter of a Winchester gallon (itself one-eighth of a peck), measuring 67.200625 cubic inches (1.101221 liters). Primarily used for grain and other dry commodities, this measure remained a legal standard for the British grain trade until 1835 and served as the basis for the United States dry quart, defined as one-thirty-second of the Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches.

Reputed Quart

The reputed quart was a historical British unit of volume primarily employed for measuring wine and spirits, defined as two-thirds of an imperial quart and equivalent to exactly 0.7576816 liters (or 26 and two-thirds imperial fluid ounces). This measure, also known as the wine quart in some contexts, originated in the mid-17th century alongside the widespread adoption of glass bottles for wine storage and transport in England. It derived from an unofficial wine gallon of 184.4 cubic inches (based on 8 troy pounds of wine), making the reputed quart a true quarter of that gallon at 46.24 cubic inches. In the , the reputed quart gained formal recognition under British excise regulations governing the bottling and sale of spirits and wine. It served as a standard size for off-premises retail sales, where legislation often mandated minimum quantities—such as no less than one reputed quart—to control distribution and ensure compliance with duty collection. For instance, the Licences Act of 1825 and subsequent acts permitted licensed dealers to sell spirits in reputed quart bottles, facilitating trade while aligning with imperial standardization established in 1824. This usage persisted for nearly 300 years, influencing global bottling practices, including the eventual metric approximation of 750 ml for modern wine bottles. The reputed quart fell into obsolescence in the late amid the UK's process, particularly following the Weights and Measures Act 1985, which prioritized metric units for trade while rendering many imperial variants non-standard. Although no longer legally mandated for commercial use, it continues to appear in references to vintage bottle labeling, preserving its historical significance in collectible glassware and archival descriptions.

Equivalencies and Conversions

Relations to Other Volume Units

In both the imperial and customary systems, the quart occupies a central position in the hierarchy of liquid volume units, serving as a quarter of a and comprising two pints. This structure facilitates straightforward scaling for measurements in various applications. Specifically, one quart equals two pints, four cups, and eight gills in both systems, providing a consistent relational framework despite differences in absolute volumes. The quart's relation to the underscores its role as a fundamental subdivision: four quarts constitute one , whether imperial or US liquid, with each further breaking down into eight pints or 32 gills. In the US customary system, this hierarchy aligns precisely with 1 quart = 2 US pints = 4 US cups = 8 US gills, mirroring the imperial breakdown of 1 imperial quart = 2 imperial pints = 4 imperial cups = 8 imperial gills. These relations ensure within each system for precise portioning. In practical contexts such as recipe formulation and baking, the quart-to-cup conversion proves particularly useful, as one quart equates to four cups, allowing cooks to adjust volumes efficiently for smaller batches without specialized equipment. For instance, scaling a quart-based batter recipe to cups simplifies mixing and measuring in home or professional kitchens. This relational utility is standardized in culinary guidelines to promote accuracy in food preparation.

Conversions to Metric System

The imperial quart, defined as one-fourth of an imperial gallon, is exactly equivalent to 1.1365225 liters. This precise conversion stems from the imperial gallon's legal definition of 4.54609 liters under regulations. The liquid quart equals exactly 0.946352946 liters. Established through federal standards, this value derives from the liquid gallon's fixed volume of 3.785411784 liters, divided by four. For practical applications, multiplying the volume in liquid quarts by 0.946353 yields the liter equivalent. The dry quart measures exactly 1.101220942 liters. This conversion reflects the dry gallon's volume of 4.40488377086 liters, quartered for measurement. Common approximations include 0.95 liters for the liquid quart and 1.10 liters for the dry quart, while the imperial quart is often rounded to 1.14 liters for quick estimates. In non-metric countries like the , the quart persists as a primary volume unit for consumer products, recipes, and packaging, even as global metric adoption advances through and scientific standards. This retention highlights the quart's entrenched role in customary systems, facilitating conversions in industries transitioning toward metric compatibility.

References

  1. https://www.britannica.com/science/quart
  2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quart
  3. https://www.etymonline.com/word/quart
  4. https://www.sizes.com/units/quarteron.htm
  5. https://www.bergesinstitutespanish.com/blog/measurements-in-spanish-everything-you-need-to-know
  6. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english-german/quart
  7. https://archive.org/stream/northumberlandv128hesluoft/northumberlandv128hesluoft_djvu.txt
  8. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/53156/53156-h/53156-h.htm
  9. https://help.sap.com/docs/subscription-billing/setup-administration/standard-units-of-measure
  10. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english-french/quart
  11. https://archive.org/download/bub_gb_0l_k-XMIiQIC/bub_gb_0l_k-XMIiQIC.pdf
  12. https://www.nederlandsetinvereniging.nl/wp-content/uploads/6400/6427_EPK.pdf
  13. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo4/5/74/contents/enacted
  14. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/researchguidance/weightsandmeasures/volumes.aspx
  15. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/1804/made
  16. https://blog.ansi.org/ansi/us-customary-system-history-units/
  17. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/MP/nbsmiscellaneouspub20-1.pdf
  18. https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metrication-law
  19. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/choice-on-units-of-measurement-markings-and-sales/outcome/choice-on-units-of-measurement-guidance-on-markings-and-sales
  20. https://inspection.canada.ca/en/about-cfia/acts-and-regulations/list-acts-and-regulations/documents-incorporated-reference/standard-container-sizes
  21. https://www.nist.gov/document/nist-hb-44-2024-appendix-c-general-tables-units-measurement
  22. https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-811/nist-guide-si-appendix-b-conversion-factors/nist-guide-si-appendix-b8
  23. https://www.nist.gov/document/appb-12-hb44-finalpdf
  24. https://changeunit.com/article/unit/us-quart-liquid/
  25. https://www.examples.com/physics/us-liquid-quart.html
  26. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/bulletin/01/nbsbulletinv1n3p365_A2b.pdf
  27. https://www.nist.gov/document/appc-20-hb44finalpdf
  28. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2000-title15/html/USCODE-2000-title15-chap6-subchapI-sec205.htm
  29. https://ers.usda.gov/sites/default/files/_laserfiche/publications/41880/33132_ah697_002.pdf?v=69466
  30. https://www.nist.gov/document/2025-nist-handbook-44-section-445
  31. https://www.ibiblio.org/units/dictQ.html
  32. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/23-24/113/pdfs/ukpga_18600113_en.pdf
  33. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1825/act/81/enacted/en/print.html
  34. http://parkscanadahistory.com/series/saah/cylindricalbottles.pdf
  35. https://www.ars.usda.gov/northeast-area/beltsville-md-bhnrc/beltsville-human-nutrition-research-center/methods-and-application-of-food-composition-laboratory/mafcl-site-pages/measurement-conversion-tables/
  36. https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication1038.pdf
  37. https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si/unit-conversion/approximate-conversions-us-customary-measures-metric
  38. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/taking-measure/busting-myths-about-metric-system
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