Convert liters to centiliters
One litre is 100 centilitres, so you multiply the number of litres by 100. The result shows as soon as you type a value. A 1.5 l bottle is 150 cl, half a litre is 50 cl and a quarter litre is 25 cl. Each centilitre is 10 millilitres, so 25 cl is 250 ml.
What is a liter and what is a centiliter?
A litre is a cubic decimetre, the volume of a cube with 10 cm sides.[1] A cubic metre holds exactly 1,000 of them.
A centilitre is a hundredth of a litre. It carries the SI prefix centi, worth 10⁻² and written as c.[2]
How many centiliters are in a liter?
A litre holds exactly 100 centilitres. A centilitre is a hundredth of a litre, so 100 of them add up to one litre, and that number stays the same for every liquid.
Fractions of a litre show it most clearly. Half a litre is 50 centilitres. A quarter litre is 25 centilitres. Three quarters of a litre is 75 centilitres.
Larger volumes grow quickly in centilitres. A 1.5 litre bottle holds 150 centilitres. A 5 litre container comes to 500 centilitres, and 10 litres come to 1,000 centilitres.
The millilitre fits into the same system. A litre is 1,000 millilitres and 100 centilitres at once, so each centilitre equals 10 millilitres. A volume of 250 ml can therefore be written as 25 cl.
The factor of 100 is the same in every country, because the centilitre is a metric unit. The same number works in reverse: to turn centilitres into litres, you divide by 100.
How do you convert liters to centiliters?
The formula has one step: centilitres = litres × 100. Multiplying by 100 moves the decimal point two places to the right.
That turns 0.04 litre into 4 centilitres. When there is only one digit after the point, you add a zero, so 0.7 litre becomes 70 centilitres.
A fraction such as 3/4 can go into the field above just as you have it, and the result appears in centilitres.
If the volume is already in centilitres and you need litres, use the centiliters to liters converter. Millilitres from the same family of units are covered by the liters to milliliters converter.
Liters to centiliters conversion table
| Litres | Centilitres | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|
| 0.01 l | 1 cl | 10 ml |
| 0.02 l | 2 cl | 20 ml |
| 0.03 l | 3 cl | 30 ml |
| 0.04 l | 4 cl | 40 ml |
| 0.05 l | 5 cl | 50 ml |
| 0.1 l | 10 cl | 100 ml |
| 0.2 l | 20 cl | 200 ml |
| 0.25 l | 25 cl | 250 ml |
| 0.3 l | 30 cl | 300 ml |
| 0.33 l | 33 cl | 330 ml |
| 0.4 l | 40 cl | 400 ml |
| 0.5 l | 50 cl | 500 ml |
| 0.6 l | 60 cl | 600 ml |
| 0.7 l | 70 cl | 700 ml |
| 0.75 l | 75 cl | 750 ml |
| 0.8 l | 80 cl | 800 ml |
| 1 l | 100 cl | 1,000 ml |
| 1.2 l | 120 cl | 1,200 ml |
| 1.5 l | 150 cl | 1,500 ml |
| 1.75 l | 175 cl | 1,750 ml |
| 2 l | 200 cl | 2,000 ml |
| 2.5 l | 250 cl | 2,500 ml |
| 3 l | 300 cl | 3,000 ml |
| 3.5 l | 350 cl | 3,500 ml |
| 4 l | 400 cl | 4,000 ml |
| 5 l | 500 cl | 5,000 ml |
| 8 l | 800 cl | 8,000 ml |
| 8.55 l | 855 cl | 8,550 ml |
| 9 l | 900 cl | 9,000 ml |
| 10 l | 1,000 cl | 10,000 ml |
| 12.2 l | 1,220 cl | 12,200 ml |
| 20 l | 2,000 cl | 20,000 ml |
How many centiliters are fractions of a liter?
| Fraction of a litre | Litres | Centilitres |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 litre | 0.125 l | 12.5 cl |
| 1/4 litre | 0.25 l | 25 cl |
| 1/3 litre | 0.333 l | 33.33 cl |
| 1/2 litre | 0.5 l | 50 cl |
| 2/3 litre | 0.667 l | 66.67 cl |
| 3/4 litre | 0.75 l | 75 cl |
| 1 1/2 litres | 1.5 l | 150 cl |
Which number formats does this converter accept?
| What you type | What the converter shows | How we read it |
|---|---|---|
| 0.75 | 75 cl | A number on its own is read as litres, because that is the unit on the field. |
| 1.5 litres | 150 cl | The word for the unit pasted with the number is skipped, and so is the symbol l. |
| 0,75 | 75 cl | A comma followed by two digits can only be a decimal comma, so we read it as three quarters. |
| 1,500 | 150,000 cl | A comma before three digits groups thousands in English, so this is fifteen hundred litres. A note under the field shows the other possible reading, 1.5. |
| 1.500 | 150 cl | A single point is always read as a decimal point, so the field counts one and a half litres. A note under the field shows the other possible reading, 1500. |
| 1 500 | 150,000 cl | A space between the thousands, as written in much of Europe and in SI style, gives the same result as 1,500. |
| 3/4 | 75 cl | We work out a fraction with a slash for you, so there is no need to turn it into a decimal first. |
| 1 1/2 | 150 cl | A mixed number is read as one and a half litres. |
| 2½ | 250 cl | A ½ sign copied from a label or a recipe is added to the number in front of it. |
| 330 ml | 33 cl | Millilitres are converted to litres: the field enters 0.33 and says so in a line under it. |
How many centiliters are UK pub measures?
| Measure | Litres | Centilitres |
|---|---|---|
| Gin, rum, vodka or whisky, 25 ml | 0.025 l | 2.5 cl |
| Gin, rum, vodka or whisky, 35 ml | 0.035 l | 3.5 cl |
| Two 25 ml measures, 50 ml | 0.05 l | 5 cl |
| Two 35 ml measures, 70 ml | 0.07 l | 7 cl |
| Wine by the glass, 125 ml | 0.125 l | 12.5 cl |
| Wine by the glass, 175 ml | 0.175 l | 17.5 cl |
How do you convert liters to centiliters in a spreadsheet?
For a whole column of volumes, one formula dragged down does the work. The four steps cover Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc.
The CONVERT function in Excel
Excel's syntax is CONVERT(number,from_unit,to_unit). For litres in cell A1, type =CONVERT(A1,"l","cl"); the c in front of l is the prefix centi, worth 1E-02.[4]Multiplying in Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc
The formula =A1*100 gives the same result in any spreadsheet. The whole calculation is visible in the cell, so it is easy to see where the result came from.Letter case in unit names
Unit names and prefixes are case-sensitive in Excel, so the centi prefix goes in as a lowercase c.[4]The #N/A error in a cell
If CONVERT does not recognise a unit, it returns the #N/A error. Check both units in quotation marks against the documentation: the centilitre is "cl" and the litre is "l".[4]
Convert other units to Centilitres
Convert Litres to other units
Sources
- Litre — Wikipedia
- Metric (SI) prefixes — National Institute of Standards and Technology
- The Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) Order 1988 — legislation.gov.uk
- CONVERT function — Microsoft
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Frequently asked questions about liters and centiliters
How many centiliters are in 1 liter?
One litre is 100 centilitres, which is also 1,000 millilitres. A centilitre is a hundredth of a litre.
What is 5.626 liters in centiliters?
5.626 litres is 562.6 centilitres. The converter gives centilitres to two decimal places, so it shows the same figure.
How many centiliters is a milliliter?
A millilitre is 0.1 centilitre. Ten millilitres make one centilitre, and the ml to liters converter turns millilitres into litres.
How many centiliters is a deciliter?
A decilitre is 10 centilitres, or 100 millilitres. To convert litres to decilitres, use the liters to deciliters converter.
How many centiliters is a hectoliter?
A hectolitre is 100 litres, or 10,000 centilitres.
Should liter be written with a small l or a capital L?
Both are accepted. The lowercase l was the original symbol, the CGPM adopted the uppercase L as an alternative in 1979, and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends the uppercase L.[1]
Which liter symbols does the CONVERT function accept?
Microsoft's documentation lists "l", "L" and "lt" for the litre. A centilitre is written by adding the prefix c in front of the litre symbol, so you type "cl".[4]
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