How this calculator works
A quart is a quarter of a gallon, so the US liquid quart is 946.352946 mL and the imperial quart is 1,136.5225 mL. A pound is a mass, so the conversion needs the density of the ingredient. Water is about 1,000 kg per cubic metre, giving 0.946 kg or 2.086 lb in a US quart. Flour and sugar have much lower bulk densities because air fills the gaps between particles. The presets are typical values and the custom row accepts any other density, so a packed or sifted ingredient can be handled.
Formula
cubic metres = quarts x 0.000946352946 for US quarts, or x 0.0011365225 for imperial quarts. kilograms = cubic metres x density in kg/m3. pounds = kilograms / 0.45359237.
Worked example
1 US quart of water is 0.946353 kg or 2.08635 lb. 2 US quarts of milk at 1,030 kg/m3 is 1.94949 kg or 4.29788 lb. 1 US quart of flour at 530 kg/m3 is 0.501567 kg or 1.10577 lb. 1 imperial quart of water is 1.13652 kg or 2.50560 lb.
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Frequently asked questions
Is a quart of water two pounds?
A US quart of water is 2.086 lb, a little over two pounds, and an imperial quart is 2.506 lb. The familiar rule of a pint weighing a pound and a quarter gives the same idea for the larger imperial measures.
Why is a quart of flour lighter than a quart of water?
Bulk flour is mostly air, with a density near 530 kg/m3 versus 1,000 kg/m3 for water. A quart of flour is about 0.50 kg or 1.11 lb, so it is roughly half the mass of the same volume of water.
What is the difference between a liquid and a dry quart?
A US liquid quart is 946.353 mL. A US dry quart used for some produce is about 1,101.2 mL. This page uses liquid quarts only, and the imperial quart is a different liquid unit again.
Which density should I use for a recipe?
Use the preset for a typical value, or weigh a measured volume to find your own density and enter it in the custom row. Flour in particular varies with how it is scooped or sifted.