Here’s everything you need to know about how to convert ounces to pints or pints to ounces (oz to pt or pt to oz). How many ounces in a pint, what is a pint and what is an ounce? And what’s the difference between fluid ounces and dry (fl oz vs oz)? I’ve also provided you with an easy conversion chart below to help you memorize these conversions.

Vintage pint milk bottles filled with almond milk to measure how many ounces in a pint

Being successful in the kitchen requires the accurate measurement of ingredients. When following recipes to make a meal, you might be able to eyeball the amount of herbs and spices and other simple ingredients, but if you add too much or too little of an ingredient, the outcome of your recipe might not be what you had hoped for. Knowing how many ounces in a pint (oz to pt) is a helpful liquid measurement conversion to have memorized for achieving success in the kitchen.

Old glass pint milk bottles filled with almond milk to measure how many ounces are in a pint.

Different countries use different volume and weight measurements. Some countries use the Imperial System while some use the Metric System.

What is an Ounce?

Ounce is used to measure the “weight” of something (like flour and sugar). The word “ounce” comes from the Latin word “unica” meaning “one-twelfth” and it was abbreviated as “oz” back in the 1500s. The abbreviation “oz” comes from the Italian word “onza”, which also means “ounce”.

What is a Fluid Ounce?

“Fluid ounce” is from the Imperial and U.S. Customary System measurements system that is used in the measurement of the volume of liquid ingredients (like milk, water or juice). The term fluid ounce is often abbreviated as fl. oz or fl oz, which means either a single fluid ounce or fluid ounces (both “ounce” and “ounces” can be abbreviated as “oz”).

Fluid ounces are still used in the United States Customary System of measurements, while the United Kingdom stopped using this legal unit of measure and started using the Metric System in 2000.

  • 16 Fluid Ounces (US Customary) = 1 Fluid Pint (US Customary)
  • 20 Fluid Ounces (British Imperial) = 1 Fluid Pint (British Imperial)

Wet vs Dry

It’s important to remember that wet and dry ingredients have different densities (solids are more dense than liquids) so they need to be measured differently. When cooking, remember to keep in mind that there are different types of ounces – fluid ounces (fl oz) and dry ounces (oz). If your recipe calls for your ingredients in measurements in ounces or pounds (such as flour, chocolate chips or nuts), you would need to use a kitchen scale to measure the exact weight of the ingredient. When measuring liquid ingredients, you’ll need to use a liquid measuring cup. 

What is a Pint?

The U.S. Liquid Pint (pt) is a measurement in the Imperial and United States customary measurement systems used to measure volume or how much liquid a container can hold. A pint is a  unit of volume equal to 1/8 of a gallon, but the British imperial pint is about 20% larger than the U.S. pint because the two measuring systems are defined differently. Most other countries have standardized their measurements to the metric system. The word pint comes from the French word “pinte” and from the Latin word “pinca” which means painted for marks painted on the side of a container showing volume capacity.

How Many Ounces Are In A Pint (oz to pt or pt to oz)?

It’s helpful to know some simple kitchen conversions when you’re needing to adjust a recipe whether its to double it or cut the amount in half. Knowing these simple conversions will help you adjust measurements in a recipe so you can achieve the desired serving size.

These are some basic U.S. liquid measurement conversions that are good know, especially if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen. 

In the United States, 16 fluid ounces equals one pint, and one pint = 2 cups, 1/2 quart and 1/8 gallon.

  • 1 Pint =  16 fluid ounces 
  • 1/2 Pint  = 8 fluid ounces
  • 1/4 Pint = 4 fluid ounces

a measurement chart to measure how many ounces in a quartImperial (US) System vs Metric System

The United States still uses the Imperial System for measurements, where most countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada have adopted the metric system using measurements like grams, meters, liters, kilograms and kilometers. There aren’t significant differences in volume between the Imperial (US) and Metric measuring systems. You can easily use US teaspoons and tablespoons for metric measurements if a recipe is written using the Metric system. The Imperial system of units was developed and used in the United Kingdom around 1826.

For the most part, the Metric System has replaced the imperial system in countries who once used it. The United States is one of the few countries in the world who has yet to switch to the Metric System of measurements.

The US Customary System

The United States Customary System (U.S. Customary System) is a system of weights and measures used in the United States and some other countries. This system includes units for measuring length (inches, feet, yards and miles), weight (ounce, pound, ton), and capacity (teaspoons, tablespoon, cups, pints, quarts, gallons).

The US Customary System was developed and used in the United States after the American Revolution. It is the primary system of units used in the United States.  

How to Measure Dry Ingredients 

Dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, oats, rice, chocolate chips and nuts would all be listed by weight (ounces or pounds), while milk, oil, water, broth would all be measured by fluid ounces (volume).

  • If your recipe calls for your ingredients in measurements (in ounces or pounds) such as flour, chocolate chips or nuts, you would need to use a digital kitchen scale to measure the exact weight of the ingredient.
  • To measure ingredients by weight, place a measuring cup or mixing bowl on top of your digital scale and hit the “zero” or “tare” button. This will take into account the weight of the bow and set the scale counter back to zero. Then just add your ingredient (flour, sugar, etc) into the bowl to measure the accurate amount called for in your recipe.

Measuring Liquid Ingredients

Liquid measuring cups are used to measure liquid ingredients like olive oil, milk and broth. To measure liquid ingredients, place your liquid measuring cup on a flat surface and pour the liquid even with the measuring line. Squat down to eye level to make sure your measurement is precise.  

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