Ounces in a Pint
A US pint is 16 fluid ounces. A UK imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces, which is why a British pint of beer is noticeably larger.
Convert pints to fluid ounces, cups or millilitres. The US and UK use different pints, and the gap is large enough to matter.
Pint conversion chart
| Amount | US fluid ounces | US cups | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 pint | 8 fl oz | 1 cup | 237 ml |
| 1 pint | 16 fl oz | 2 cups | 473 ml |
| 2 pints | 32 fl oz | 4 cups | 946 ml |
| 1 quart | 32 fl oz | 4 cups | 946 ml |
| 4 pints | 64 fl oz | 8 cups | 1893 ml |
| 1 gallon | 128 fl oz | 16 cups | 3785 ml |
The US and UK pints are genuinely different
A US liquid pint is 16 US fluid ounces, or 473 ml. A UK imperial pint is 20 imperial fluid ounces, or 568 ml. The UK pint is about 20 percent larger.
The fluid ounces are slightly different too. A US fluid ounce is 29.57 ml and an imperial fluid ounce is 28.41 ml. That difference is small on its own, but it means you cannot convert between the two systems by only adjusting the pint.
This converter uses US measures throughout, which is what American recipes and packaging assume.
Fluid ounces are not weight ounces
A fluid ounce measures volume. An ounce measures weight. They share a name and they are not interchangeable, which is one of the more common measurement mistakes in cooking.
They happen to coincide for water, where 1 US fluid ounce of water weighs about 1.04 ounces. For anything else the relationship breaks. A fluid ounce of honey weighs about 1.5 ounces, and a fluid ounce of flour weighs roughly half an ounce.
If a recipe lists ounces for a dry ingredient like flour or chocolate, it almost certainly means weight, and a kitchen scale is the right tool.
Where pints still show up
Beer and cider are the obvious case, and the US and UK difference is exactly why a pint feels different depending on the country.
Dairy packaging uses pints heavily in both the US and UK, so recipes written around a carton size do not translate directly between them.
Ice cream and berries are often sold by the dry pint in the US, which is a different unit again at 551 ml, measuring volume of solids rather than liquid.
Frequently asked questions
How many ounces is a pint?
16 US fluid ounces in a US pint. A UK imperial pint is 20 imperial fluid ounces.
Is a UK pint bigger than a US pint?
Yes, by about 20 percent. A UK pint is 568 ml and a US pint is 473 ml.
How many cups in a pint?
Exactly 2 US cups in a US pint.
Is a fluid ounce the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce measures volume and an ounce measures weight. They only line up approximately for water.