Convert Between Metric Units of Capacity

In this activity, we are looking at different units of capacity.

What do we mean by capacity?

Capacity is a measure of how much liquid something holds.

We measure small quantities like medicine in millilitres, and larger quantities like petrol in litres.

There is a relationship between them:

1 litre (l) = 100 centilitres (cl)

1 litre (l) = 1,000 millilitres (ml)

1 centilitre (cl) = 10 millilitres (ml)

The diagrams below will help you to convert between units:    

You can see that if we have a quantity measured in litres and we want to change it to ml, we multiply by 1,000

Likewise, if we have a quantity in cl and we want to convert it to litres,  we divide by 100

Let's try a couple of questions!

Example

Change 2.3 l into ml

Answer

2.3 x 1,000 = 2,300

So, 2.3 litres = 2,300 ml

Let's try another one!

Example

Change 620 ml into cl

Answer

620 ÷ 10 = 62

So, 620 ml = 62 cl

Ready to try some questions?