Quick dry volume reference
Common dry volume equivalences at a glance. Use the calculator above for any combination and full precision.
| 1 US dry bushel | 4 US pecks ≈ 35.239 L |
|---|---|
| 1 UK bushel | 8 UK gallons ≈ 36.369 L |
| 1 US dry barrel | 7056 in³ ≈ 115.627 L |
| 1 US peck | 8 dry quarts ≈ 8.810 L |
| 1 US dry quart | 2 dry pints ≈ 1.101 L |
| 1 Biblical ephah | ≈ 22 L |
What is dry volume?
Dry volume describes the capacity of a container used to measure bulk goods such as grain, produce, coal, and similar commodities that are sold by the fill rather than by weight or by liquid volume. The distinction matters because the same container word (gallon, for instance) can mean slightly different things depending on whether you are measuring dry goods or liquids. A US dry gallon is about 4.405 L, while a US liquid gallon is exactly 3.785 L.
The metric system sidesteps this distinction entirely. Liters and cubic meters are used for both fluids and dry goods, and the liter is the base unit this converter uses internally. US customary and UK imperial dry measures evolved independently from centuries of agricultural trade, while Biblical units date back to ancient Hebrew and Near Eastern commerce.
For liquid volumes (fluid ounces, liquid gallons, milliliters, and so on) use the Volume Converter instead. This tool is specifically for dry measures.
How dry volume conversion works
Every unit is stored as its exact equivalent in liters. To convert, multiply your value by the source unit's liter factor, then divide by the target unit's liter factor:
Example: 1 US dry bushel ≈ 35.239 L, 1 UK bushel ≈ 36.369 L. To convert 5 US bushels to UK bushels: 5 × 35.239 ÷ 36.369 ≈ 4.845 UK bushels.
All arithmetic runs in your browser with no data sent anywhere.
Key dry volume units explained
Short reference for the units that come up most often.
Bushel (US)
≈ 35.239 L (2150.42 in³)
The Winchester bushel, the US legal standard. Grain (wheat, corn, soybeans) is commonly traded in bushels on commodity markets. 1 US bushel = 4 pecks = 32 dry quarts.
Bushel (UK)
≈ 36.369 L (8 UK gallons)
The Imperial bushel is defined as 8 UK gallons (4.54609 L each). It is about 3% larger than the US bushel and was the standard for British agricultural trade.
Barrel, dry (US)
≈ 115.627 L (7056 in³)
Defined as exactly 7056 cubic inches. Used for cranberries, fruits, and some vegetables in US commerce. Note: the oil barrel (42 liquid gallons ≈ 158.987 L) is a completely separate unit.
Peck (US & UK)
US ≈ 8.810 L | UK ≈ 9.092 L
One quarter of a bushel in both systems, but the bushels differ, so the pecks differ too. Apples and potatoes are still occasionally sold by the peck at farm stands.
Quart & Pint, dry (US)
1 dry qt ≈ 1.101 L | 1 dry pt ≈ 0.551 L
Smaller US dry subdivisions. Do not confuse these with liquid quarts and pints: the dry quart (≈ 1.101 L) is about 16% larger than the liquid quart (≈ 0.946 L).
Liter [L]
Base unit for this converter
1 L = 1 dm³ = 0.001 m³. Metric standard for both dry and liquid volumes, used globally in science, trade, and everyday measurement.
Biblical and ancient Hebrew measures
Ancient Hebrew texts describe a system of dry measures rooted in everyday agricultural and religious life. The central unit is the ephah (or bath for liquids), estimated by most scholars at around 22 liters. From there, the whole hierarchy follows fixed ratios:
| Unit | Ratio to ephah | Approx. liters |
|---|---|---|
| Cor / Homer | 10 ephahs | ≈ 220 L |
| Lethech | 5 ephahs | ≈ 110 L |
| Ephah | 1 ephah | ≈ 22 L |
| Seah | 1/3 ephah | ≈ 7.33 L |
| Omer | 1/10 ephah | ≈ 2.2 L |
| Cab | 1/18 ephah | ≈ 1.22 L |
| Log | 1/72 ephah | ≈ 0.306 L |
Scholarly estimates vary by a few percent because no original vessels survive for direct measurement. The 22 L anchor for the ephah represents a mainstream academic consensus; some sources place it closer to 20 L or 24 L. The cor and homer appear in the Hebrew Bible as the same unit. The lethech (half-homer) is attested in some manuscript traditions.
US dry vs. US liquid measures
The US customary system uses the same unit names for both dry and liquid measures but defines them differently. The dry versions are always larger:
| Unit | Dry (L) | Liquid (L) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallon | ≈ 4.405 | 3.785 (exact) | +16.4% |
| Quart | ≈ 1.101 | ≈ 0.946 | +16.4% |
| Pint | ≈ 0.551 | ≈ 0.473 | +16.4% |
The US dry gallon is not officially defined in federal law but appears in older commodity regulations and historical trade records. The peck and bushel exist only in dry form; they have no liquid counterpart.
Who uses a dry volume converter?
Grain traders and commodity analysts convert between US bushels and metric tonnes (using a commodity-specific bulk density) when reconciling exchange data with shipping manifests. Farmers and agronomists in the US still report yields in bushels per acre, while international reports use tonnes per hectare. Home brewers and bakers occasionally encounter pecks and dry quarts in older recipes. Biblical scholars and theologians need the ancient Hebrew units when interpreting grain and oil passages in the Old Testament and Talmud. History students and reenactors reconstruct historical rations or marketplace transactions. All calculations run locally in your browser with no data sent anywhere.
Common dry volume conversions
Handy reference; use the calculator above for exact values and all unit combinations.
| From | To | Factor | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| US bushel | liters | × 35.2391 | 10 bu ≈ 352.4 L |
| UK bushel | liters | × 36.3687 | 5 bu (UK) ≈ 181.8 L |
| US bushel | UK bushel | × 0.96894 | 100 bu (US) ≈ 96.9 bu (UK) |
| US peck | liters | × 8.8098 | 3 pk ≈ 26.4 L |
| dry barrel (US) | liters | × 115.627 | 2 bbl ≈ 231.3 L |
Dry Volume Converter FAQ
? What is the difference between a US dry gallon and a US liquid gallon?
A US dry gallon (≈ 4.405 L) is about 16% larger than a US liquid gallon (exactly 3.785411784 L). The dry gallon is defined as one eighth of a Winchester bushel, while the liquid gallon has its own separate legal definition. Use this converter for dry gallons; use the Volume Converter for liquid gallons.
? How many liters are in a US bushel?
One US (Winchester) bushel equals exactly 2150.42 cubic inches, which works out to approximately 35.2391 liters. The UK bushel is slightly larger at about 36.3687 liters (8 UK gallons).
? How big is a US dry barrel?
A US dry barrel is defined as exactly 7056 cubic inches, which equals approximately 115.627 liters or about 3.281 US dry bushels. It should not be confused with the petroleum barrel (42 liquid gallons ≈ 158.987 L) or the liquid barrel (31.5 liquid gallons ≈ 119.24 L).
? What is a peck?
A peck is one quarter of a bushel. In the US system it equals about 8.810 liters; in the UK system about 9.092 liters. Historically a peck was a common retail measure for apples, potatoes, and other produce. The phrase "a peck of pickled peppers" comes from this tradition.
? How big is a Biblical ephah?
Scholarly estimates for the ephah range from about 20 to 24 liters; the most commonly cited figure is approximately 22 liters. The ephah was the standard everyday grain measure in ancient Israel, equal to one tenth of a homer and three seahs. No original measuring vessels have survived, so the modern figure is reconstructed from textual and archaeological evidence.
? Are the cor and homer the same thing?
Yes. Cor and homer refer to the same unit in Biblical Hebrew, equivalent to 10 ephahs (roughly 220 liters). The term "homer" (meaning "donkey load") describes the practical burden; "cor" is the same measure used in some legal and trade contexts. Both appear in the Hebrew Bible and are treated as identical in this converter.
? Is the dry pint the same as a liquid pint?
No, and the difference is larger than most people expect. A US dry pint is about 0.5506 liters, while a US liquid pint is about 0.4732 liters, making the dry pint roughly 16% larger. In the UK there is no dry pint; the Imperial pint (0.5683 L) is used for both liquids and dry goods, though modern UK commerce has largely moved to metric.