Pints, Quarts & Half-Pints: Cooking Volume Conversions
By Lou Lohman · Updated 2026-05-27
Recipes and grocery packaging use different measurement units. A carton says "half-pint of cream"; the recipe says "1 cup." They are the same amount — but they usually don't tell you that. This guide will help you to translate that terminology.
The volume ladder
Two cups make a pint; everything else builds from there, each step doubling the one before.
| Measure | Cups | Fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluid ounce | ⅛ | 1 | 30 |
| Half-pint | 1 | 8 | 237 |
| Pint | 2 | 16 | 473 |
| Quart | 4 | 32 | 946 |
| Half-gallon | 8 | 64 | 1,893 |
| Gallon | 16 | 128 | 3,785 |
So why isn't a half-pint just called "a cup"?
Because packaging is named for the container, not the recipe. Milk, cream, and other liquids are sold in pint-based sizes — half-pint, pint, quart — a market system older than the cup as a standard recipe measure. The cup is a kitchen unit; the pint is a selling unit. They meet exactly at "half-pint = 1 cup," which is why a half-pint of cream pours precisely one cup into your batter.
The very small measures
Some recipes call for a "pinch" or a "dash." These are real, defined amounts — you can even buy them as a mini measuring-spoon set:
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tad | ¼ teaspoon |
| Dash | ⅛ teaspoon |
| Pinch | 1/16 teaspoon |
| Smidgen | 1/32 teaspoon |
| Drop | 1/64 teaspoon |
In practice a "pinch" is roughly what you pick up between thumb and two fingers, and a "dash" is a quick shake from a bottle. The fractions above are the standardised versions for when you want to be exact.
Bar & cocktail measures
If a recipe or cocktail calls for a jigger or a shot:
| Measure | Fluid ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|
| Pony | 1 | 30 |
| Jigger / shot | 1½ | 44 |
| Double | 3 | 89 |
A "splash" is deliberately vague — call it an eighth of an ounce, or just a quick tip of the bottle.
Two measurements with their own guides
- Sticks of butter. One US stick is 8 tablespoons, ½ cup, or 113 grams — see butter measurements: sticks, tablespoons, cups & grams.
- Which "cup" a recipe means. US, metric, and UK cups are three different sizes — see US, UK & metric cups.
Convert any of these instantly
The ingredient converters now accept pints, quarts, and gallons directly — pick the unit and get grams, cups, or millilitres for your specific ingredient. Scaling a whole recipe? The recipe scaler resizes pint and quart quantities along with everything else.