UK Gallons
Abbreviation/Symbol:
gal
g (used only as part of the abbreviation mpg, for miles per gallon)
Worldwide use:
The UK gallon is a unit of measurement that is primarily used in the United Kingdom and a few other countries such as Ireland, Canada and Guyana that were formerly part of the British Empire. It is not widely used on a global scale, as most countries have adopted the metric system and use liters as their standard unit of volume measurement.
In the UK, the gallon is still commonly used for measuring fuel consumption, particularly for vehicles. It is also used in some industries, such as the brewing and distilling industry, where the gallon is used to measure the volume of liquids. However, even in the UK, there has been a gradual shift towards using liters as the preferred unit of measurement for everyday purposes.
Origin:
The gallon is an ancient unit for measuring volume or capacity and has had numerous variations, both geographical and based on what substance was being measured.
In 1824 the imperial gallon was defined in the UK as being the volume of 10 lb of distilled water weighed using a particular method under specific atmospheric conditions. The Weights and Measures Act of 1963 refined the original description as the space occupied by 10 pounds (4.5 kg) of distilled water of density 0.998859 g/ml weighed in air of density 0.001217 g/ml against weights of density 8.136 g/ml.
Since the Weights and Measures Act of 1985, the imperial (UK) gallon has been officially defined as 4.54609 litres.
Common references:
A standard keg of draught beer in the UK contains 11 imperial gallons.
An imperial gallon of petrol (gasoline) will power a typical UK 4-door family car (such as the Vauxhall Astra 1.4i) an average of 46.3 miles (74.5 Km).
An imperial gallon of petrol (gasoline) will power a Porsche 911 (996) an average of 23.9 miles (38.5 Km).
Usage context:
The usage context of UK gallons is primarily found in the United Kingdom and some of its former colonies, such as Canada and Australia. The UK gallon is a unit of volume measurement that is used to quantify liquids, particularly in industries such as fuel, beverages, and agriculture. In the fuel industry, UK gallons are commonly used to measure gasoline and diesel. This unit of measurement is important for calculating fuel efficiency, determining the amount of fuel needed for transportation, and pricing fuel at gas stations. Additionally, UK gallons are used in the beverage industry to measure the volume of alcoholic beverages, such as beer and spirits. This is crucial for production, distribution, and sales purposes.