VolumeWise

Milliliters to Fluid Ounces Converter

Divide by 29.5735 for US fluid ounces — the imperial one is different again.

millilitres (ml)

US fluid ounces (fl oz)

millilitres → US fluid ounces

500 ml = 16.907 fl oz

Type in either box — the other updates to match.

millilitres to US fluid ounces conversion table

Drink and bottle sizes; 330 ml and 500 ml are standard can and bottle volumes.

millilitres (ml)	US fluid ounces (fl oz)
5 ml	0.169 fl oz
15 ml	0.507 fl oz
30 ml	1.014 fl oz
50 ml	1.691 fl oz
100 ml	3.381 fl oz
150 ml	5.072 fl oz
200 ml	6.763 fl oz
250 ml	8.454 fl oz
330 ml	11.159 fl oz
500 ml	16.907 fl oz
750 ml	25.361 fl oz
1,000 ml	33.814 fl oz

What you entered

millilitres: 500 ml

1
Conversion factor
1 ml = 0.0338 fl oz= × 0.0338
2
Multiply by the value
500 × 0.0338= 16.907 fl oz

Result

US fluid ounces: 16.907 fl oz

500 ml equals 16.907 fl oz, because one millilitre is 0.034 fl oz.

Drink and recipe volumes in millilitres and fluid ounces

One US fluid ounce is 29.5735 mL. The UK imperial fluid ounce is slightly smaller at 28.41 mL.

What it is	mL	US fl oz
Shot measure	25	0.85
Espresso shot	30	1.01
Wine glass	175	5.92
Baby bottle	240	8.12
Coffee mug	250	8.45
Can of drink	330	11.16
Bottle of water	500	16.91
UK pint	568	19.21

Fluid ounces measure volume, not weight, which is the distinction that causes most recipe errors - 8 fl oz of flour and 8 oz of flour are different quantities. There are also two fluid ounces: the US at 29.57 mL and the imperial at 28.41 mL, so a UK pint of 568 mL is 20 imperial fl oz but 19.21 US fl oz, as the last row shows. Dividing millilitres by 30 is a good mental approximation.

Converting millilitres to fluid ounces means dividing by 29.5735295625 for US fluid ounces. As with gallons, there are two fluid ounces in circulation: the US fluid ounce of about 29.57 millilitres and the imperial fluid ounce of about 28.41 millilitres. This converter uses the US measure. The difference is smaller than the gallon discrepancy but still around four per cent, enough to matter in recipes and dosing.

Drinks are the most common context, and the standard sizes are worth recognising. A 330 ml can is 11.16 fl oz, a 500 ml bottle is 16.91 fl oz, and a US 12 fl oz can is 355 ml. Those figures explain why cans from different markets look similar but hold noticeably different amounts — a US twelve-ounce can holds about eight per cent more than a European 330 ml can.

The naming overlap with the ounce of mass causes persistent confusion, particularly in recipes. A fluid ounce measures volume; an ounce measures mass; both are abbreviated 'oz'. They only coincide for water, and only approximately, because one US fluid ounce of water weighs about 29.6 grams which is close to but not the same as the 28.35 grams in an ounce of mass. For any other substance the relationship depends on density, so eight fluid ounces of honey and eight ounces of honey are quite different quantities.

Medicine dosing is one area where this precision genuinely matters. Liquid medications are typically specified in millilitres precisely to avoid the ambiguity of household measures, and converting a millilitre dose into teaspoons or fluid ounces introduces error that a proper dosing syringe avoids entirely.

Two fluid ounces, four per cent apart

A US fluid ounce is about 29.57 ml; an imperial one is about 28.41 ml. The gap is smaller than the gallon discrepancy but still around four per cent — enough to matter in baking and in any dosing context where a recipe or instruction crosses between systems.

Fluid ounces and ounces coincide only for water

One US fluid ounce of water weighs about 29.6 g, close to but not equal to the 28.35 g in an ounce of mass. For anything else the relationship depends entirely on density, so eight fluid ounces of honey is a very different quantity from eight ounces of honey.

Frequently asked questions

How many millilitres are in a fluid ounce?

About 29.5735 ml for a US fluid ounce, or about 28.41 ml for an imperial one. This converter uses the US measure, which is the more commonly encountered internationally.

What is 500 ml in fluid ounces?

About 16.91 US fluid ounces. A 330 ml can is 11.16 fl oz, and a US 12 fl oz can holds 355 ml — around eight per cent more than a European 330 ml can.

Is a fluid ounce the same as an ounce?

No. A fluid ounce measures volume and an ounce measures mass, though both are abbreviated 'oz'. They're roughly similar for water and unrelated for anything else, since the relationship depends on density.

Why is medicine measured in millilitres?

To remove ambiguity. Household measures like teaspoons vary considerably in real volume, and fluid ounces differ between systems. Millilitres with a proper dosing syringe avoid conversion error entirely, which matters when doses are small.