Australian and New Zealand Metric Conversions
Last updated February 14, 2026 · Volume
Australia and New Zealand completed metrication in the 1970s and 1980s. Distances are in kilometres, weight in kilograms, volume in litres, temperature in Celsius and fuel economy in litres per 100 kilometres. Imperial units survive only in a few trades and in imported material.
The metric cup matters in cooking
The Australian and New Zealand standard cup is exactly 250 mL, while a US cup is 236.588 mL and the tablespoon differs too — 20 mL in Australia against 14.79 mL in the US. Following a US recipe with metric measuring cups overstates every liquid by about 5%, and Australian tablespoons overstate US ones by 35%.
Common conversions
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 1 US cup | 236.588 mL |
| 1 metric cup | 250 mL |
| 1 mile | 1.609344 km |
| 1 pound | 0.45359237 kg |
| 350 °F | 176.7 °C |
| 1 US gallon | 3.785411784 L |
Fuel economy
Both countries rate fuel economy in litres per 100 km, an inverse measure where lower is better. A car rated 8 L/100 km achieves about 29.4 US MPG or 35.3 Imperial MPG.
Spelling
Australian and New Zealand English use metre, litre and kilometre.