Olive oil density: kilos, litres and gallons for buyers
Extra virgin olive oil weighs about 0.916 kg per litre. On that figure a litre is 916 grams, a US gallon is 3.47 kg (7.64 lb), an imperial gallon is 4.16 kg (9.18 lb), and a tonne is about 1,092 litres. The converter below does the rest, including drums, IBCs and flexitanks.
Convert a quantity
Bottle counts are plain arithmetic on the full volume. Real yield after filling is lower, so ask your bottler for their figure. Euro pallet counts are our own packing figures.
Where 0.916 comes from
The Codex Alimentarius standard for olive oils, CXS 33-1981, gives the relative density of olive oil as 0.910 to 0.916, measured at 20 °C against water at 20 °C. It appears in the annex of supplementary characteristics, so it describes olive oil rather than setting a limit that an oil must pass.
We load against 916 kg per 1,000 litres, at the top of that range. Two things move the real figure for any lot.
- The oil itself. The published range is about two-thirds of one per cent wide. On a flexitank of 22 tonnes, the difference between 0.910 and 0.916 is about 160 litres.
- Temperature. Oil expands as it warms, so the same kilos take up more litres on a hot quay than in a cool store. That is why the standard fixes 20 °C, and why a contract should say whether a quantity is a weight or a volume.
Strictly, relative density compares the oil with the same volume of water, so the figure in kilograms per litre is fractionally lower. For loading, that difference is smaller than the spread between lots.
Which gallon?
A US gallon is 3.785411784 litres. An imperial gallon is 4.54609 litres. The imperial gallon is about 20% larger, so a quantity in “gallons” on a UK document and the same figure on a US document are not the same amount of oil.
| One unit | Litres | Kilograms | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 litre | 1 | 0.916 | 2.02 |
| 1 kilogram | 1.092 | 1 | 2.20 |
| 1 US gallon | 3.785 | 3.47 | 7.64 |
| 1 imperial gallon | 4.546 | 4.16 | 9.18 |
| 1 tonne | 1,092 | 1,000 | 2,205 |
How many gallons are in a drum?
It depends on what the drum is quoted by. Drums are named by size, and the size is not the fill. We quote drums of 200 kg of oil, which at 0.916 is about 218 litres, 57.7 US gallons or 48.0 imperial gallons. When another supplier quotes a drum, ask whether the figure is net weight, gross weight or volume.
Every bulk format in every unit
| Format | Weight | Litres | US gallons | Per container |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drum | 200 kg | ≈ 218 | ≈ 57.7 | 80 per 20 ft (16,000 kg) · 160 per 40 ft (32,000 kg) |
| IBC / SpaceKraft | 916 kg | 1,000 | ≈ 264 | 10 per 20 ft (9,160 kg) · 20 per 40 ft (18,320 kg) |
| Flexitank | about 22 t | ≈ 24,000 | ≈ 6,300 | 1 fills a 20 ft container |
Which of the three suits you depends on what happens at the far end. See flexitank, IBC or drums.
From bulk to bottles
If you are bottling under your own label, the useful question is how many bottles a load becomes. A flexitank of about 24,000 litres is about 32,000 bottles of 750 ml, or about 26 Euro pallets at our packing figure of 1,224 bottles per pallet. Ten IBCs, 10,000 litres, are about 13,300 bottles of 750 ml. These are plain arithmetic on the full volume. What you actually fill is lower, and the loss depends on the line, so ask your bottler for their figure.
What to ask any bulk supplier
- Is the quantity on the quote a weight or a volume? Is it the same unit on the invoice and the packing list?
- If it says gallons, which gallon: US or imperial?
- What density do you convert at, and at what temperature?
- Is a drum quoted by net weight, gross weight or volume?
Ask us the same questions. Our figures are 916 kg per 1,000 litres, drums of 200 kg, IBCs of 1,000 litres and a flexitank of about 22 tonnes.
Ask us
Our minimum bulk order is one 20-foot container, shipped FOB Radès, with CFR or CIF on request. Tell us the volume in whichever unit your costing uses. Email sales@olyfo.com, call or WhatsApp +216 25 217 199, or send an enquiry.
Related: bulk olive oil · formats and palletisation · what a certificate of analysis shows
Questions
How much does a litre of olive oil weigh?
About 916 grams. The Codex standard for olive oils gives a relative density of 0.910 to 0.916 at 20 degrees C, and OLYFO loads at 916 kg per 1,000 litres.
How much does a gallon of olive oil weigh?
A US gallon (3.785 litres) weighs about 3.47 kg, or 7.64 lb. An imperial gallon (4.546 litres) weighs about 4.16 kg, or 9.18 lb.
How many litres are in a tonne of olive oil?
About 1,092 litres at 0.916 kg per litre. Warmer oil takes up slightly more volume, so state in the contract whether the quantity is a weight or a volume.
How many gallons are in a drum of olive oil?
It depends how the drum is quoted. An OLYFO drum holds 200 kg of oil, about 218 litres, 57.7 US gallons or 48 imperial gallons.
