What are millilitres?
A millilitre (ml) is a unit of measurement.
Small amounts of liquid are recorded in millilitres.
A teaspoon can hold about 5 millilitres.
One millilitre is written like this:
1ml
There are 1,000 millilitres in 1 litre.
Quiz: Measuring in millilitres
Test out your knowledge of measuring in millilitres with this quiz, then read on to complete the page.
Volume and capacity
Capacity is the maximum amount of space inside a container or how much a container can hold.
These containers look different but they all hold 500ml of liquid.
They have a capacity of 500ml.
Volume means the amount of something in a container.
These beakers all contain the same volume of liquid (20ml), but each one has a different capacity.
Capacity and volume can both be measured in millilitres.
How to measure volume and capacity in millilitres
To measure volume and capacity, you can use a container with millilitres marked on the side.
Small containers like this one might go up to 20ml.
Remember, a teaspoon has a capacity of about 5ml.
It would take just 5 teaspoons of liquid to fill this beaker.
This next beaker can measure up to 100ml.
That is about the same amount as a small container of shampoo or toothpaste might hold.
A larger container, like this jug, can be used to measure greater volumes.
Can you see that the scale goes up in 100s?
The volume of liquid in this jug is 1,000ml.
When measuring liquid, people don’t usually say “one thousand millilitres”, they often use litres instead.
1,000ml = 1litre.
Measuring in millilitres
These beaker measures volume in millilitres.
Measuring the volume of orange juice in the first beaker is simple. The beaker is filled to the line marked 30ml.
Measuring the volume of blackcurrant in the second beaker is a bit more difficult.
You will need to use your number line skills to help you out here. The measures on the beaker are just like a number line.
The beaker is filled to a line that is halfway between the line marked 60 and the line marked 70.
Look at the number line. Which number is halfway between 60 and 70?
65 is halfway between 60 and 70. So there is 65ml of blackcurrant juice in the container.
Let's look at another container where there is only one measurement marked.
Sometimes you need to use your skills of estimation when working out the volume of liquid.
This beaker only has 50ml marked on it. It is around half full, so you can make an estimation.
To work out half of 50, divide it by 2.
50 ÷ 2 = 25
You can say that there is around 25ml of liquid in the beaker.
Example 1
What is the capacity of this container?
What is the volume of orange juice in this container?
✓ The container has a capacity of 1,000ml or 1 litre. There is a volume of 400ml of orange juice in this container.
Remember, capacity is the maximum amount a container can hold and volume is the amount of something in a container.
Example 2
Which of these containers would you use to measure the volume of 5 teaspoons of water?
Which of these containers would you use to measure a large glass of juice?
✓ A teaspoon has a capacity of about 5ml, so you would use the container with a capacity of 50ml to measure the volume.
A large glass has a capacity of around 250ml, so you would use the last container with a capacity of 500ml to measure the volume of juice.
Example 3
Using your estimating skills, can you work out how much juice is in this container?
✓ The volume is between 65 and 70.
Did you use your knowledge of number lines to decide what it could be?
Numbers that lie between 65 and 70 are 66, 67, 68 and 69.
If you chose 67ml or 68ml, you have estimated correctly.
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