Quick answer
Beer volumes convert through litres. A half-barrel keg (15.5 US gallons, 58.67 L) holds 165.33 12-ounce cans or bottles of 355 mL.
Enter a quantity, choose the container types and decimal places. The calculator returns how many of one container fit in another.
Related tools: Volume Converter: Convert litres, gallons, cups, spoons and more. Volume of a Hemisphere Calculator: Volume and surface area of a hemisphere.
How to use the Beer Volume Converter
- Enter value.
- Choose from: Litre (L), Millilitre (mL), Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz, US pint (16 fl oz), Bomber, 22 US fl oz and Growler, 64 US fl oz and 5 more.
- Choose to: Litre (L), Millilitre (mL), Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz, US pint (16 fl oz), Bomber, 22 US fl oz and Growler, 64 US fl oz and 5 more.
- Enter decimal places (between 0 and 10). It starts at 4.
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Value | A number | — |
| From | Choose one: Litre (L); Millilitre (mL); Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz; US pint (16 fl oz); Bomber, 22 US fl oz; Growler, 64 US fl oz; Cornelius keg, 5 US gal; Sixth-barrel keg; … | Starts at Litre (L) |
| To | Choose one: Litre (L); Millilitre (mL); Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz; US pint (16 fl oz); Bomber, 22 US fl oz; Growler, 64 US fl oz; Cornelius keg, 5 US gal; Sixth-barrel keg; … | Starts at Millilitre (mL) |
| Decimal places | A number | ≥ 0, ≤ 10, starts at 4 |
Formula and method
Formula
result = value × (factor of source ÷ factor of target), base unit: litre
IEEE-754 double precision; displayed to the chosen number of decimal places (default 4). Very small or large results are shown in scientific notation.
Every unit is defined by an exact or published factor to the base unit (litre). The value is multiplied by the source factor and divided by the target factor.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Value = 1; From = Half-barrel keg; To = Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz; Decimal places = 4.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Half-barrel keg → Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz | 165.3333 |
| Input | 1 Half-barrel keg |
Example 2
Inputs: Value = 1; From = US beer barrel, 31 US gal; To = Half-barrel keg; Decimal places = 4.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| US beer barrel, 31 US gal → Half-barrel keg | 2 |
| Input | 1 US beer barrel, 31 US gal |
Example 3
Inputs: Value = 1; From = Cornelius keg, 5 US gal; To = Litre (L); Decimal places = 5.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Cornelius keg, 5 US gal → Litre (L) | 18.92706 |
| Input | 1 Cornelius keg, 5 US gal |
The first line is the headline result (half-barrel keg → Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz). Below it the beer Volume Converter lists input, which describe the same case from other angles. IEEE-754 double precision; displayed to the chosen number of decimal places (default 4). Very small or large results are shown in scientific notation.
Unit reference
Each unit expressed in the base unit used for the calculation. Conversions go through this base unit, so any unit can be converted to any other in the table.
| Unit | Equals (in litre) |
|---|---|
| Litre (L) | 1 |
| Millilitre (mL) | 0.001 |
| Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz | 0.3548823547 |
| US pint (16 fl oz) | 0.473176473 |
| Bomber, 22 US fl oz | 0.6506176504 |
| Growler, 64 US fl oz | 1.892705892 |
| Cornelius keg, 5 US gal | 18.92705892 |
| Sixth-barrel keg | 19.55796088 |
| Quarter-barrel (pony) keg | 29.33694133 |
| Half-barrel keg | 58.67388265 |
| US beer barrel, 31 US gal | 117.3477653 |
Keg sizes
A half-barrel keg is 15.5 US gal (58.67 L, about 124 pints), a quarter-barrel 7.75 gal and a sixth-barrel 5.17 gal. A 12 oz can is 355 mL, so a case of 24 is 8.5 L.
Planning an event
A common rule is about one drink per guest per hour. Serving from a keg loses a few percent to foam and sediment, so plan for roughly 10% less than the nominal volume.
How the result changes with value
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only value. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Value | Half-barrel keg → Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz | Input |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 82.6667 | 0.5 Half-barrel keg |
| 1 | 165.3333 | 1 Half-barrel keg |
| 2 | 330.6667 | 2 Half-barrel keg |
| 4 | 661.3333 | 4 Half-barrel keg |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Value: left empty shows "Enter value." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Beer Volume Converter and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Volume Converter](/converters/volume-converter/) | value, from and to | US gallon → Litre (L) |
| [Volume of a Hemisphere Calculator](/math/volume-of-hemisphere/) | radius | Volume |
| [Aquarium Volume Calculator](/construction/aquarium-volume/) | length, width and water height | Capacity |
| [Pool Volume Calculator](/construction/pool-volume-calculator/) | shape, length and average depth | Pool volume |
| [Concrete Volume Calculator](/construction/concrete-volume-calculator/) | length, width and thickness | Concrete needed |
Background: unit conversion
Many customary units are defined exactly in terms of metric ones: since the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement an inch is exactly 2.54 cm and a pound is exactly 0.45359237 kg (NIST SP 811 lists these). So most length and mass conversions are exact apart from the rounding of the displayed result.
To convert, multiply the value by the source unit's factor to reach the base unit, then divide by the target unit's factor; the unit table on this page lists every factor used. Temperature and fuel economy are the exceptions, because they are not simple multiples.
Assumptions and limitations
- Negative values are allowed
- Zero converts to zero (except L/100 km, where zero is invalid)
- Units from different quantities cannot be converted
- Very large or tiny results switch to exponent notation
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for value to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
How many pints in a half-barrel?
A half-barrel keg holds 15.5 US gallons, which is 124 US pints (15.5 × 8).
Is a US pint the same as a UK pint?
No, a UK pint is 568 mL against 473 mL.
How many beers in a case?
A case typically has 24 cans.
What does the Beer Volume Converter calculate?
Convert kegs, cans, bottles, pints and litres of beer. It returns Half-barrel keg → Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz and Input.
What formula does the Beer Volume Converter use?
result = value × (factor of source ÷ factor of target), base unit: litre. Every unit is defined by an exact or published factor to the base unit (litre).
What is an example of a beer Volume result?
With value 1, from Half-barrel keg, to Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz and decimal places 4, the half-barrel keg → Can or bottle, 12 US fl oz is 165.3333.
Where does the method come from?
The method follows: US beer barrel = 31 US gallons; half-barrel keg = 15.5 gal; quarter-barrel = 7.75 gal; sixth-barrel = 31/6 gal; Cornelius keg = 5 gal (US Brewers Association keg sizes); 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L; 1 US fl oz = 29.5735295625 mL (NIST SP 811).
Related calculators
- Volume Converter — Convert litres, gallons, cups, spoons and more.
- Volume of a Hemisphere Calculator — Volume and surface area of a hemisphere.
- Angle Converter — Convert degrees, radians, gradians, arcminutes and turns.
- Luminance Converter — Convert cd/m², foot-lamberts, lamberts and more.
Sources
- US beer barrel = 31 US gallons; half-barrel keg = 15.5 gal; quarter-barrel = 7.75 gal; sixth-barrel = 31/6 gal; Cornelius keg = 5 gal (US Brewers Association keg sizes)
- 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L; 1 US fl oz = 29.5735295625 mL (NIST SP 811)
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.