When looking at liquid measurements, it’s common to need to convert between ounces and milliliters. Knowing how to convert between these two units can be useful in cooking, mixology, medicine, science experiments, and more.
The Quick Answer
The quick answer is:
There are 59.15 milliliters (mL) in 2 fluid ounces (fl oz).
The Longer Explanation
To understand how many mL are in 2 oz, it’s important to first understand these two units of measurement.
What is an Ounce?
An ounce (oz) is a unit of measurement used to measure mass and volume. There are two types of ounces:
- Ounces for mass: Used to measure the mass or weight of something. There are 16 ounces in 1 pound.
- Fluid ounces: Used to measure the volume or capacity of liquids. Often abbreviated as fl oz.
When referring to fluid ounces, this measures the volume or amount of liquid. There are two types of fluid ounces:
- US Customary System: There are 16 fluid ounces (fl oz) in 1 US pint and 128 fl oz in 1 US gallon.
- Imperial System: There are 20 imperial fluid ounces (fl oz imp) in an imperial pint and 160 fl oz imp in an imperial gallon.
For the purposes of converting to milliliters, we will be using the US Customary fluid ounce, which has a volume of 29.5735 milliliters.
What is a Milliliter?
A milliliter (mL) is a metric unit of measurement for volume. It measures the volume or capacity of a liquid.
There are 1000 milliliters in 1 liter. It is one thousandth of a liter.
Converting Ounces to Milliliters
Now that we understand what fluid ounces and milliliters are, how do we convert between them?
There are a few different ways to approach this conversion:
Unit Conversion
We know the following unit conversions:
- 1 US fluid ounce = 29.5735 mL
- 1 mL = 0.033814 fl oz
So if we have 2 fluid ounces, we can calculate:
2 fl oz x 29.5735 mL / 1 fl oz = 59.147 mL
Therefore, 2 fluid ounces = 59.15 milliliters.
Ratio Method
We can also use a ratio set up like this:
1 fl oz : 29.5735 mL
2 fl oz : x mL
Cross multiply:
2 fl oz x 29.5735 mL = 59.147 mL
So 2 fluid ounces = 59.15 milliliters
Visual Representation
It can also be helpful to visualize fluid ounces and milliliters side by side using containers:
| Fluid Ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|
| 1 fl oz | 29.57 mL |
| 2 fl oz | 59.15 mL |
Looking at this table, you can see that when you have 2 fluid ounces, the corresponding number of milliliters is 59.15 mL.
Does Temperature Matter?
An important note is that fluid ounces and milliliters are volume measurements, not weight measurements. So the conversion remains the same whether you are measuring cold or hot water.
However, it is important to note that the density of water changes based on temperature. This means that 1 fluid ounce of cold water will have a slightly different mass than 1 fluid ounce of hot water. But the volume remains the same at approximately 29.5735 mL per fluid ounce.
Examples of 2 Fluid Ounces in Milliliters
To help visualize this conversion, here are some examples showing what 2 fluid ounces looks like in milliliters:
- 2 fl oz of water = 59.15 mL of water
- 2 fl oz of milk = 59.15 mL of milk
- 2 fl oz of honey = 59.15 mL of honey
- 2 fl oz of vegetable oil = 59.15 mL of vegetable oil
No matter what liquid is being measured, 2 US fluid ounces will equal 59.15 milliliters.
Converting Other Amounts of Fluid Ounces to Milliliters
We can use the same conversion to determine how many milliliters are in other amounts of fluid ounces:
| Fluid Ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|
| 1 fl oz | 29.57 mL |
| 2 fl oz (Example) | 59.15 mL |
| 4 fl oz (1/2 cup) | 118.3 mL |
| 8 fl oz (1 cup) | 236.6 mL |
| 16 fl oz (1 pint) | 473.2 mL |
| 32 fl oz (1 quart) | 946.4 mL |
| 128 fl oz (1 gallon) | 3785.4 mL |
As you can see, no matter what amount of fluid ounces, you can simply multiply by 29.5735 mL to convert to milliliters.
Does the Type of Liquid Matter?
No, the type of liquid does not matter when converting between fluid ounces and milliliters. As long as you are using US fluid ounces, the conversions will remain the same.
This is because fluid ounces and milliliters are both volume measurements, not weight measurements. They simply tell you the capacity of the liquid, not how much it weighs.
So 2 fluid ounces will equal 59.15 milliliters whether you are measuring water, oil, honey, or any other liquid.
Limitations of Converting Fluid Ounces to Milliliters
While the conversions between fluid ounces and milliliters are straightforward, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- Precision – Conversions beyond two decimal places are not very precise. Small margins of error can occur.
- Temperature – While the conversions remain the same, hot liquids will weigh slightly less per fluid ounce than cold liquids.
- Different ounce systems – Converting between imperial fluid ounces and US fluid ounces will yield different results.
- Weight vs. volume – Ounces can also measure mass/weight, which cannot be converted to fluid ounces or milliliters.
Keep these limitations in mind when converting quantities. For precision purposes, it’s best to actually measure out the desired amounts in the given units when accuracy is critical.
Tips for Converting Ounces to Milliliters
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when converting fluid ounces to milliliters:
- Memorize the main conversion – 1 fl oz = 29.5735 mL. This makes it easy to calculate any conversion.
- Double check your ounce system – Make sure you are using US fluid ounces, not imperial fluid ounces or ounces of weight.
- Label your units – When writing out conversions, always label “fl oz” and “mL” to avoid confusion.
- Round to two decimal places – More than two decimal places results in false precision for household purposes.
- Use a chart or table – Keep a chart withcommon conversions handy to avoid having to recalculate each time.
- Measure precisely for critical applications – For scientific experiments or medicine dosing, measure as precisely as possible in the required units.
Why Convert Between Fluid Ounces and Milliliters?
There are many reasons you may need to convert fluid ounces to milliliters or vice versa. Here are some of the most common situations where these conversions are useful:
- Cooking & baking – Recipes may call for ingredients in fluid ounces or milliliters. Converting between the two allows you to adapt recipes.
- Nutrition tracking – Many nutrition labels provide serving sizes in both units. Converting allows you to compare serving sizes.
- Mixology & bartending – Drink recipes may rely on fluid ounces to measure liquor or milliliters for metric measurements.
- Science experiments – For chemistry or biology experiments, scientists may need to convert between metric and imperial liquid measurements.
- Medicine dosing – Doctors and pharmacists need to precisely calculate medication doses between metric and imperial units.
- Traveling – When traveling between metric and imperial unit countries, conversions help relate to familiar quantities.
Any application that involves measuring the volume or capacity of liquids could require converting between these two common units. Having the ability to move between fluid ounce and milliliter amounts provides flexibility and precision.
Summary
In summary, 2 fluid ounces equals 59.15 milliliters. This conversion remains constant whether measuring water, oil, or any other liquid. To convert fluid ounces to milliliters, simply multiply the number of fluid ounces by 29.5735 (the milliliters in 1 fl oz). Knowing how to convert between these two units allows for adapting recipes, tracking nutrition information, preparing cocktails, conducting experiments, dosing medication, and more. However, it’s important to be aware of the limitations of precision and differences in ounce systems. Following the tips outlined above will help ensure accurate and easy conversions between fluid ounces and milliliters for any situation where liquid volume measurements are used.
