Pints

Pints: Introduction 

A pint is a unit of volume that equals one-eighth of a gallon. 

Wondering how much a pint is? Then, let’s learn all about pint.

What Is a Pint in Math?

A pint is a unit of volume and measurement that is equivalent to two cups of liquid or one-eighth of a gallon. 

It is a unit used to measure volume or capacity in both British Imperial and US Customary systems of measurement.

In terms of other customary units, we have

1 Pint $= 16$ Fluid Ounces (fl. oz.) $= 2$ cups

2 Pints $= 2 \times 16$ Fluid Ounces $= 32$ Fluid Ounces $= 1$ Quart (qt.)

So, 1 Quart $= 2$ Pints.

So when asked how many pints in a quart, we can say 2!

We use quarts when we have to measure many cups of liquid.

4 Quarts $= 4 \times 2$ Pints $= 8$ Pints $= 1$ Gallon (gal).

This shows there are 8 pints in a gallon.

We use gallons when we have to measure many quarts of liquid. In the U.S., the largest unit to measure liquid is a gallon.

We can summarize the relation between pints, cups, liquid ounces, quarts, and gallons as follows:

Definition of Pint

A pint is a unit of measurement used to measure a liquid volume or capacity. It is used in the U.S. customary system and also in the British Imperial system of measurement. We use the symbol “pt” to represent pints. 

One pint $=$ One-eighth of a gallon 

One pint $=$ Half of a quart

One Pint $= 2$ cups 

One Pint $= 16$ ounces

What Is a Pint of Water?

As per the U.S. measurement system, 1 liquid pint of water equals about a pound (16 ounces) in weight. The actual measure of a U.S. pint of water isn’t exactly 1 pound. It is about 1.04318 pounds. 

On the other hand, the British imperial pint weighs 1.2528 pounds (i.e., 20.0448 ounces). It was also the standard measure used in all former British colonies, including New Zealand, India, Malaya, Australia, and South Africa. This led to another popular saying in Commonwealth countries: “A pint of pure water weighs a pound and a quarter.”

So, a pint of water can have different weights in different parts of the world. This will depend on how many ounces in a pint are considered for the measurement.    

How Much Is a Half-Pint?

A half-pint refers to the volume of half of a pint. It is equivalent to 8 fluid ounces or 1 cup. 

In other words, a half-pint measurement tells us how many pints are in a cup.  

We know,

1 pt $= 2$ cups

$\Rightarrow \frac{1}{2}$ pt $= 1$ cup.

What Are the Different Types of Pints?

There are two types of pints in the U.S. customary measurement system: liquid and dry. Under the imperial system, a single type of pint is used to measure dry and liquid items. So, the different types of pints are:

• U.S. Liquid Pints
• U.S. Dry Pints
• Imperial Pints

All three kinds of pints differ in terms of measurements. Let’s take a look at each of them.

U.S. Liquid Pint

In the U.S. measurement system, 1 liquid pint equals $\frac{1}{8}$ of a liquid gallon of exactly 231 cubic inches.

1 U.S. Liquid Pint

$= \frac{1}{8}$ US liquid gallon

$= \frac{1}{2}$ US liquid quart

$= 2$ U.S. cups

= 16 U.S. fluid ounces

$≈ 16.65348369$ imperial fluid ounces

$≈ 0.83267418463$ imperial pints

$≈ 0.85936700738$ US dry pints

$≈$ The volume of 1.041 lb (472g) of water at 62°F

U.S. Dry Pint

In the U.S. measurement system, 1 dry pint equals $\frac{1}{64}$ of a bushel. A bushel is a unit of volume used to measure dry capacity in the U.S. and Imperial systems.  

1 U.S. Dry Pint

$= 0.015625$ US bushels

$= 0.125$ US dry gallons

$= 0.5$ US dry quarts

$≈ 0.96893897192092$ imperial pints

$≈ 1.1636471861472$ US pints

Imperial Pint

In the British Imperial measurement system, 1 Imperial pint equals 1/8 of an imperial gallon of 277.419 cubic inches.

1 Imperial Pint

$= \frac{1}{8}$ Imperial gallon

$= \frac{1}{2}$ Imperial quart

$= 20$ Imperial fluid ounces

$≈ 19.21519881$ US fluid ounces

$≈ 1.2009499255$ US dry pints

$≈$ The volume of 20 oz (567g) of water at 62°F

Relationship between Pint and Liter

1 imperial pint $= \frac{1}{2}$ imperial quart $= 568$ ml $= 0.568$ l

1 US pint $= \frac{1}{2}$ US quart $= 473$ ml $= 0.473$ l

How Can We Measure a Pint?

We can measure a pint by using the method of conversion. In this method, we convert the given unit of volume into pints.

Let’s consider a few examples.

Example: Suppose a jar can hold 4 cups of milk. What is its capacity in terms of pints?

Solution: We know that 2 cups are equivalent to 1 pint.

So, 1 cup $= \frac{1}{2}$ pt

$\Rightarrow 4$ cups $= \frac{1}{2} \times 4 = 2$ pints.

The capacity of the jar is 2 pints.

Example: Harry fills a container with 3 quarts of water. Find how many pints of water are there in the container.   

Solution: We know that 1 quart $= 2$ pints.

$\Rightarrow 3$ quarts $= 3 \times 2 = 6$ pints.

The container has 6 pints of water.

Fun Facts!

• The word pint is derived from the word “pinte” in Old French.
• An imperial pint is about 15 times larger than a U.S. pint.

Conclusion

Knowing about pints will strengthen your knowledge of measuring units. It will help you make conversions easily when dealing with Imperial or U.S. customary measurement systems.

Solved Examples

Example 1: Convert 17 pints to cups.

Solution: We know that 1 pt $= 2$ cups.

$\Rightarrow 17$ pt $= 17 \times 2 = 34$ cups

Example 2: James ordered 4 gallons of ice cream to treat his friends. How many pint-size servings can he offer out of the ordered quantity?

Solution: We know that 1 gallon $= 8$ pints

$\Rightarrow 4$ gallons $= 4 \times 8 = 32$ pints.

So, James can make 32-pint size servings.    

Example 3: Jenny needs 5 quarts of milk to cook a recipe. She has 7 pints of milk in her fridge. Find how much more milk she needs in pints.

Solution: We know that 1 quart $= 2$ pints.

$\Rightarrow 5$ quarts $= 5 \times 2 =10$ pints.

So, Jenny needs 10 pints of milk for her recipes. She has 7 pints of milk in her fridge.

Jenny needs $10 –$ $7 = 3$ more pints of milk to complete her recipe.           

Example 4: James filled a container having capacity of 144 fluid ounces with water. How many US pints of water did he fill in the container?

Solution: We know that 16 fl. oz. $= 1$ pt

$\Rightarrow1$ fl. oz. $= 1 \times \frac{1}{16}$ pt

$\Rightarrow144$ fl. oz. $= 144 \times \frac{1}{16} = 9$ pt

James filled 9 pints of water in the container.

Example 5: Convert 38 US liquid pints to quarts.

Solution: We know that 1 pint $= \frac{1}{2}$ quart

$\Rightarrow38$ pints $= \frac{1}{2} \times 38 = 19$ quart

Practice Problems

Frequently Asked Questions