Aviation Fuel Unit Converter (gal · L · lb · kg)
Gallons, litres, pounds and kilograms for avgas and Jet-A — with the density assumptions visible, because the fueler and the load sheet speak different languages.
Densities quoted at 15 °C — real fuel swells ~0.1%/°C warmer (the kg you ordered is the kg you got; the litres vary). The 6.0 vs 6.7 lb/gal split between avgas and jet fuel has starred in more than one mis-fueling weight surprise.
Formula
⚠️ For flight planning and education only — verify with official sources, your POH/AFM and certified equipment. Not for primary navigation.
Gallons, litres, pounds and kilograms for avgas and Jet-A — with the density assumptions visible, because the fueler and the load sheet speak different languages.
About Aviation Fuel Unit Converter (gal · L · lb · kg)
The fuel truck pumps litres or gallons; the weight-and-balance wants pounds; the turbine's flight plan burns kilograms — and the conversion factor depends on which liquid you bought. This converter handles all four units for both avgas (6.01 lb/gal) and Jet A (6.76), with the density assumptions printed rather than hidden, because fuel-unit confusion has a documented accident history that includes running a 767 out of fuel over Manitoba.
How to use Aviation Fuel Unit Converter (gal · L · lb · kg)
- 1Enter — sensible defaults are pre-filled so you see a worked result immediately.
- 2Read the live results: .
- 3Check the "With your numbers" line to see the formula avgas ≈ 6.01 lb/gal (0.72 kg/L); Jet A ≈ 6.76 lb/gal (0.81 kg/L) at 15 °C substituted step by step.
- 4Adjust inputs (or flip the unit toggle) until the scenario matches yours, then copy or share the result.
Why use Aviation Fuel Unit Converter (gal · L · lb · kg)?
- ✓Instant, free and private — every calculation runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded
- ✓Built on the published formula avgas ≈ 6.01 lb/gal (0.72 kg/L); Jet A ≈ 6.76 lb/gal (0.81 kg/L) at 15 °C with sources cited on the page
- ✓Densities quoted at 15 °C — real fuel swells ~0.1%/°C warmer (the kg you ordered is the kg you got; the litres vary). The 6.0 vs 6.7 lb/gal split between avgas and jet fuel has starred in more than one mis-fueling weight surprise.
- ✓Switch units, tweak any input and watch every result update live
Frequently asked questions
Why are avgas and Jet A densities so different?+
Chemistry: avgas is a light gasoline cut (~0.72 kg/L), Jet A a heavier kerosene (~0.81). Twelve percent more mass per litre means a Jet A top-off adds meaningfully more weight than the same volume of avgas — and explains why turbine flight planning abandoned volume for mass units entirely.
What was the Gimli Glider unit error exactly?+
Air Canada 143 (1983): fuel quantity calculated in pounds against an aircraft metered in kilograms during Canada's metric transition — the 767 departed with roughly half its required fuel and dead-sticked onto a closed drag strip at Gimli. It remains aviation's canonical units lesson: this converter's whole reason to print every unit simultaneously.
Does temperature change how much fuel I actually received?+
By volume, yes: fuel expands about 0.1% per °C, so 200 litres pumped warm contains less mass — hence energy — than 200 litres cold. Airlines buying by the tonne don't care; a GA pilot filling cold tanks that then warm in the sun may see fuel weep from the vents. For planning, the 15 °C densities here are the standard compromise.
Which gallon — US or imperial?+
US throughout, as in nearly all aviation documentation (3.785 L). The imperial gallon (4.546 L) survives in some Commonwealth historical documents and older British aircraft manuals — if a vintage POH's numbers seem 20% generous, that's the gallon talking. Convert imperial to litres first, then enter here.
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