Quick answer: A UK (imperial) pint is 568 ml, while a US liquid pint is 473 ml, so the British pint is about 95 ml, or roughly 20%, larger. One UK pint equals 1.20 US pints, and one US pint equals 0.83 UK pints. The gap exists because Britain and the United States define the gallon differently.
Order a pint in a Manchester pub and another in a Boston bar and you will not be handed the same amount of drink. This guide explains where the gap comes from, gives you a two-way converter and a printable chart, and sets out where the pint still has legal standing in Britain. For the wider story of how metric and imperial units sit side by side, read our overview of the UK measurement system.
How much bigger is a UK pint than a US pint?
A UK pint holds 568.26 ml and a US liquid pint holds 473.18 ml, a difference of 95.08 ml. Put another way, the British pint is 20.1% larger than the American one, and the American pint is 16.7% smaller than the British one. Both percentages describe the same gap; they differ only because each is measured from a different starting size.
The fluid ounces do not line up either. A UK pint is divided into 20 imperial fluid ounces of 28.41 ml each, while a US pint is divided into 16 US fluid ounces of 29.57 ml each. So the American fluid ounce is slightly bigger, yet the American pint is noticeably smaller, because it contains four fewer of them.
| Measure | UK (imperial) | US customary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 pint in millilitres | 568.26 ml | 473.18 ml |
| Fluid ounces per pint | 20 UK fl oz | 16 US fl oz |
| Size of one fluid ounce | 28.41 ml | 29.57 ml |
| Pints per gallon | 8 | 8 |
| 1 gallon in litres | 4.546 L | 3.785 L |
Why are British and American pints different sizes?
The two pints differ because each is one-eighth of a different gallon. The United States kept the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches, which works out at 3.785 litres. Britain replaced its assortment of wine, ale and corn gallons in 1824 with a single imperial gallon, originally based on the volume of 10 pounds of water.
Today both are fixed in metric terms. The Weights and Measures Act 1985 defines the UK gallon as exactly 4.54609 litres, which makes the UK pint exactly 568.26125 ml. The US gallon of 231 cubic inches equals exactly 3.785411784 litres, giving a US liquid pint of 473.176473 ml.
UK and US pint converter
UK pints to US pints
UK pints= US pints ( ml)US pints to UK pints
US pints= UK pints ( ml)How do you convert UK pints to US pints?
Multiply UK pints by 1.20095 to get US pints, or multiply US pints by 0.83267 to get UK pints. Both factors come from dividing one pint size by the other: 568.26125 ÷ 473.176473 = 1.20095.
A worked example: an American chilli recipe asks for 2 US pints of stock. That is 2 × 473.18 = 946 ml, which is 2 × 0.83267 = 1.67 UK pints. If you poured two British pints instead, you would add about 190 ml too much and end up with a thinner sauce. For anything you measure in a jug, converting to millilitres first is the most reliable route, and our millilitres to fluid ounces converter handles the ounce side.
UK to US pint conversion chart
Values are rounded to one decimal place for millilitres and three for pints. Eight pints make a gallon on both sides of the Atlantic, so the last row doubles as a gallon comparison.
| Pints | UK pints in ml | UK pints as US pints | US pints in ml | US pints as UK pints |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ½ | 284.1 ml | 0.600 | 236.6 ml | 0.416 |
| 1 | 568.3 ml | 1.201 | 473.2 ml | 0.833 |
| 2 | 1,136.5 ml | 2.402 | 946.4 ml | 1.665 |
| 3 | 1,704.8 ml | 3.603 | 1,419.5 ml | 2.498 |
| 4 | 2,273.0 ml | 4.804 | 1,892.7 ml | 3.331 |
| 6 | 3,409.6 ml | 7.206 | 2,839.1 ml | 4.996 |
| 8 (one gallon) | 4,546.1 ml | 9.608 | 3,785.4 ml | 6.661 |
| 10 | 5,682.6 ml | 12.009 | 4,731.8 ml | 8.327 |
Where is the pint still used in the UK?
The pint remains a legal unit of sale in the UK for draught beer and cider, and for milk in returnable containers. Almost everything else sold by volume must be labelled in metric units, although an imperial figure may appear alongside as long as it is no more prominent than the metric one.
- Pubs and bars. Draught beer and cider must be served in ⅓ pint, ½ pint, ⅔ pint or multiples of ½ pint, using stamped glasses or approved meters. The rule does not apply when beer or cider is mixed with another drink.
- Doorstep milk. Milk delivered in returnable glass bottles can still be sold by the pint. Supermarket cartons are labelled in litres, often with a pint equivalent: a “4 pint” bottle holds about 2.27 litres.
- Wine. Following the government’s 2023 response to its consultation on imperial units, still and sparkling wine may be sold in 568 ml “pint” bottles, a change that took effect in 2024.
- Everyday speech. Recipes, plumbing and older cookery books still talk about pints, so knowing that a UK pint is 568 ml helps when reading anything British written before metrication.
In American bars, a “pint” of beer usually means a 16 US fl oz glass, roughly 473 ml. The same caution applies to recipes: if a book was printed in the US, assume US pints and cups.
What is a US dry pint?
A US dry pint is 550.61 ml and is used only for dry produce such as berries. It sits between the US liquid pint and the UK pint, and you will rarely meet it outside American farm shops. When a US source says “pint” without qualification, it nearly always means the 473 ml liquid pint.
For bigger quantities, the same eight-pints-per-gallon rule makes our litres to gallons converter useful, and the general volume converter covers both UK and US units.
Frequently asked questions
Is a British pint bigger than an American pint?
Yes. A British (imperial) pint is 568 ml and an American liquid pint is 473 ml, so the British pint is about 95 ml, or 20%, larger.
How many US pints are in a UK pint?
One UK pint equals 1.20095 US pints. Multiply UK pints by 1.20095 to convert to US pints.
How many fluid ounces are in a UK pint and a US pint?
A UK pint contains 20 imperial fluid ounces. A US pint contains 16 US fluid ounces. The US fluid ounce is slightly larger, at 29.57 ml against 28.41 ml.
Is a pint of beer in the UK always 568 ml?
A pint of draught beer or cider sold in the UK must be an imperial pint of 568 ml, served in a stamped glass or through an approved meter. Lined glasses leave room for a head above the line.
Why is the US pint smaller?
The US pint is one-eighth of the US gallon, which is based on the old English wine gallon of 231 cubic inches. The UK pint is one-eighth of the larger imperial gallon introduced in 1824.
Sources
- Weights and Measures Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk): legal definitions of the gallon and pint.
- Business Companion: sale of alcohol in licensed premises (Trading Standards guidance on draught beer and cider quantities).
- GOV.UK: Choice on units of measurement, consultation response (December 2023).
- GOV.UK: “Pints” of wine stocked on Britain’s shelves.
- NIST: unit conversion (US customary volume definitions).