Enter the mass in kilograms and select the substance to determine the approximate volume in liters using density.

kg to L Converter

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kg to L Formula

The following formula is used to convert a mass in kilograms to a volume in liters using density.

L = kg / ρ

Variables:

  • L is the volume in liters
  • kg is the mass in kilograms
  • ρ is the density in kilograms per liter (kg/L)

To calculate liters from kilograms, divide the mass by the density of the selected substance.

What is a kg to L Conversion?

A kg to L conversion changes a measurement of mass into a measurement of volume. Because kilograms measure how much matter is present and liters measure how much space that matter occupies, you need the material’s density to convert accurately. For water, where the density is about 1.00 kg/L, the numerical values in kilograms and liters are nearly the same. For less dense substances such as gasoline or ethanol, the same mass occupies a larger volume. For very dense substances such as mercury, the same mass occupies a much smaller volume.

Typical densities used in this converter include water at 1.00 kg/L, ethanol at 0.789 kg/L, gasoline at 0.74 kg/L, olive oil at 0.918 kg/L, milk at 1.03 kg/L, and mercury at 13.6 kg/L. Since density can change slightly with temperature and composition, these results should be treated as approximate values.

How to Convert kg to L?

The following steps outline how to convert kilograms to liters.


  1. First, determine the mass in kilograms.
  2. Next, determine the density of the substance in kg/L.
  3. Finally, calculate the volume using the formula L = kg / ρ.
  4. After calculating the result, check your answer with the converter above.

kg to L Conversion Table

The table below shows example volumes for a 10 kg mass of several common substances using the relationship L = kg ÷ density.

Substance Approx. Density (kg/L) Volume for 10 kg (L)
Water 1.00 10.00
Ethanol 0.789 12.68
Gasoline 0.74 13.51
Olive Oil 0.918 10.89
Milk 1.03 9.71
Mercury 13.6 0.74

In real applications, exact density depends on temperature, composition, and pressure. Even so, understanding the formula L = kg ÷ ρ makes it easy to move between mass and volume for many common materials.

Example Problem: 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Mass (kg) = 10

Density of Water (ρ) = 1.00 kg/L

Volume (L) = 10 / 1.00 = 10 L