The standard gallon abbreviation is gal, written in lowercase letters. It stays the same for one gallon or many, so a milk jug reads "1 gal" and a water heater label reads "50 gal." You will find it on recipes, gas pump displays, paint cans, aquarium tanks and cleaning product labels.
One detail trips people up: the United States and the United Kingdom use gallons of different sizes. The abbreviation looks the same, but the amount inside does not, so the size note further down is worth a quick look if you follow recipes or car specs from abroad.
Quick facts
Abbreviation
galPlural
gal (no s added)Period
Usually none; gal. is also seenCapital letters
Lowercase galUS gallon
128 fluid ounces, about 3.785 litersUsed in
Recipes, fuel, paint, water tanks, labelsRelated terms
qt, pt, c, fl oz, MPG
What is the abbreviation for gallon?
The abbreviation for gallon is gal. Clipping the word after its opening g, a and l keeps it easy to recognize. A space goes between the number and the unit: "2 gal," not "2gal." Many labels and engineering documents write it without a period, and that is the most common modern style in the United States. You may still see "gal." with a period in older cookbooks or in publications whose house style adds periods to all abbreviations. Either way the meaning is the same. The broader rules for clipping words like this are on our how to abbreviate page.
Gallons abbreviation: is it gal or gals?
Units of measure do not take an s in abbreviated form. One gallon is "1 gal," and five gallons is "5 gal." The same rule applies to other units, such as "3 qt" for quarts and "16 oz" for ounces.
"Gals" is not used as the plural on labels or in recipes, and in casual English it reads as slang for women, so it can confuse readers. Spell out "gallons" in a sentence when no number is attached: "We used several gallons of paint."
How the gallon abbreviation fits with other units
In US customary measure, a gallon is the largest of the everyday liquid units. Here is how it breaks down:
| Unit | Abbreviation | Amount in 1 gal |
|---|---|---|
| Quart | qt | 4 |
| Pint | pt | 8 |
| Cup | c | 16 |
| Fluid ounce | fl oz | 128 |
| Liter | L | About 3.785 |
A handy way to remember it: 1 gallon holds 4 quarts, each quart holds 2 pints, and each pint holds 2 cups.
US gallons vs imperial gallons
The US gallon holds 128 US fluid ounces, about 3.785 liters. The imperial gallon, used historically in the United Kingdom and still seen there for some fuel economy figures, holds about 4.546 liters. That makes an imperial gallon roughly 20 percent larger.
Both use the abbreviation gal, so when a source is not American, check which one it means. Writers who need to be exact sometimes add a label, such as "US gal" or "imp gal."
Car review from overseas: "Returns 50 miles per gallon." If the writer means imperial gallons, the same car would show a lower figure measured in US gallons, because a US gallon is smaller.
Where you will see gal, and the letters built from it
- Recipes: "1 gal water" for brining a turkey or making a large batch of tea.
- Gas stations: pumps show the amount pumped in gallons and the cost per gallon.
- Hardware stores: "1 gal" and "5 gal" paint cans and buckets.
- Fuel economy: MPG means miles per gallon.
- Plumbing: GPM means gallons per minute, and GPF means gallons per flush on a toilet.
- Pools and tanks: capacity is listed in gal, such as a "20 gal aquarium."
Quick tips for writing gallons
- Use gal after a number: "3 gal."
- Spell out gallon in normal sentences without a number.
- Keep it lowercase, and skip the s in the plural.
- Pick one style for the period and stay with it on the whole page.
- Say whether you mean US or imperial gallons when writing for readers in other countries.
Units, months and street words each have their own entry in our common abbreviations hub.
Questions people ask
How do you shorten gallons when there are several?
It is gal, the same as for one gallon. Units do not add an s in short form, so write 5 gal, not 5 gals.
Does the gallon abbreviation have a period?
Usually not. Most modern labels and recipes write gal with no period, though gal. is also accepted in some styles.
How many quarts are in a gallon?
There are 4 quarts in a US gallon. That also equals 8 pints, 16 cups or 128 fluid ounces.
Is gal capitalized?
No. The standard form is lowercase gal. Capital letters show up only in combined terms such as MPG or GPM.
Is a UK gallon the same as a US gallon?
No. An imperial gallon is about 4.546 liters, while a US gallon is about 3.785 liters. Both are abbreviated gal.