Millilitres
Capacity
Liquids such as milk, petrol, juice and soft drinks are usually measured in litres (L) or millilitres (mL). One L is equal to 1 000 mL and 1 mL is equal to 1 cm3.
The litre is a unit of capacity that is part of the metric system. The capacity of a container is the measure of the amount of liquid that it will hold.
Millilitres
The millilitre (mL), as a unit of measurement, makes it possible to accurately measure quantities of liquid that are less than 1 litre. The millilitre also allows for quantities that are not in exact litre amounts to be written without the need for a decimal. A small bottle of orange juice may contain 375 mL, whilst a large bottle of soft drink may hold 1 250 mL of liquid.
Example:
Some comparative millilitre amounts
Capacity Container
|
Capacity 5 mL 250 mL 300 mL 375 mL 1 250 mL 2 000 mL 9 000 mL |
Container a teaspoon a standard cup a small carton of milk or cream a regular size can of soft drink a large bottle of soft drink a regular size ice cream tub a car washing bucket |
See animation
Converting millilitres to litres (mL 
L)
As there are 1 000 millilitres in a litre, to convert mL to L is simply a matter of dividing by 1000. This means moving the decimal point 3 places to the left.
Example:
3 000 mL 3 000 
1 000 3 L
2 465 mL 2465 1 000 2.465 L
254 mL 254 1 000 0.254 L
Converting litres to millilitres (L mL)
As a litre equals 1 000 millilitres, to convert L to mL is simply a matter of multiplying by 1000. This means moving the decimal point 3 places to the right.
Example:
5 L 5 x 1 000 5000 mL
6.3 L 6.3 x 1 000 6300 mL
0.675 L 0.675 x 1 000 675 mL
Several different notations for expressing capacity
Capacities involving litres and millilitres can be written in a number of different notations. They may be written as quantities:
i) in millilitres,
ii) in both litres and millilitres, or
iii) in litres, using decimal notation.
