Exactly How Many Gallons Are There in a 24 Pack of Water?

If you are anything like me, you appreciate a good bargain. However, it’s not only the special one-time offers that are important – I still want to know that I am paying the best store price compared to any other store.

eight water bottles of 16.9 ounces each amounting to 1 gallon
eight 16.9 oz. water bottles amounting to 1 gallon

For example, if I purchase a 24 pack of water for my home in a store, am I getting a good value for my money?

The only way to know this for sure is to compare prices, and to do that, you need to know exactly how many gallons there are in a 24 pack of water.

How many gallons are in a 24 pack of water in the United States? 24 bottles that contain 16.9 fluid ounces will contain a total of 405.6 fluid ounces.

If there are 128 fluid ounces in a gallon, we can calculate that the number of gallons in a 24 pack of water is 3.16875.

It is similar in other parts of the world, too. In Canada, the UK, and Australia, the most common water bottle size is 500ml which will also equate to 3.16875 US gallons within a 24 bottle pack.

Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t always that easy…

Bottles are sold in different shapes and sizes in the United States. Different-sized bottles contain different quantities of water. Consequently, the number of gallons in a 24 pack of water will vary according to the bottle size.

Once you know how many gallons there are in a 24 pack of water, it will be much easier for you to compare prices.

Once you have a standard measurement, it will be easier for you to know if you’re getting the best price per gallon – and the greatest overall value for your money!

We will see later how this affects the answer to our question.

What Do We Mean By Gallon?

The gallon is a measure of volume. However, it’s not always as standardized as it might seem. There are three different gallon measures currently in use:

Imperial Gallon

This gallon measure is used in certain countries of the world. This measure equates to 154 fluid ounces. It is not a measure that is used generally in the United States.

Liquid Gallon

A US Liquid Gallon, to use its correct title, is the predominant gallon measure used in the United States.

The volume contained within the US liquid gallon is slightly different from the imperial gallon. The US liquid gallon contains 128 fluid ounces.

Dry Gallon

A Dry Gallon, in the US, contains 149 fluid ounces. It is not used often today, especially not in the United States.

This measure is a historical measure that was commonly used in colonial times. This was a measure used to quantify quantities of grain and was not normally used for water.

Because of this, in this article, we will be referring to the US liquid gallon.

When we think of ounces, we tend to automatically think of weight. Try not to get confused by this! It’s easiest to tell the two apart by comparing regular (dry) versus fluid ounces.

The fluid ounce is used to measure the volume of liquid whilst the dry ounce measures weight – this is regardless of volume.

Because of this, we will only refer to the fluid ounce measure in this article.

We are now able to identify the number of fluid ounces that are in the volume that we declare as a US liquid gallon.

With this information, we can now establish how many gallons there are in a 24 pack of water.

A simple calculation, using the formula below, will provide us with the answer we need.

Bottle size in fluid ounces x 24 / ounces in a gallon = Gallons in pack

Since there are 128 fluid ounces in a gallon, we can insert this into the formula:

Fluid ounces in bottle X 24/ 128 fluid oz = Gallons in pack

Using this formula, it is possible to compare the quantity and prices of 24 bottle packs of water – despite the fact that the packs likely contain different bottle sizes of water.

Why is the Gallon Measurement Relevant?

The gallon measurement is relevant as it establishes a standard by which we can compare prices.

We have already said that not all 24 packs of water contain the same size bottles. Therefore, calculating the gallons in different-sized packs allows a direct comparison.

Some stores will display the gallon price of products in small print on the price label that is displayed in-store. This can help make comparisons easier.

Other Popular Bottle Sizes in the United States

  • 16.9 fluid ounces
  • 33.8 fluid ounces
  • 20 fluid ounces
  • 12 fluid ounces
  • 8 fluid ounces

These are all popular water bottle sizes; however, not all are available in packs of 24.

What Bottle Sizes Are Available in Packs of 24?

These are the sizes that are available in 24 packs and the number of gallons that are in the packs in order of popularity:

  • 24 pack of 16.9 fluid ounce bottles
  • 16.9 x 24 / 128 = 3.168.75 gallons
  • 24 pack of 8 fluid ounce bottles
  • 8 x 24/ 128 = 1.5 gallons
  • 24 pack of 12 fluid ounce bottles
  • 12 x 24/128 = 2.25 gallons

To make things even more confusing, you can also find packs of water bottles that contain 24 500ml water bottles.

How Many Gallons Are There in a 24 Pack of 500ml Water Bottles?

To be able to answer this question, we must establish the number of fluid ounces that are in a milliliter. This will make it easier for us to convert the quantity into gallons.

  • 1 ml = 0.033814 fluid ounces
  • 500 ml= 0.033814 x 500 = 16.9 fluid ounces

Clearly, a 500ml water bottle is actually a 16.9 fluid ounce bottle – which is a pack of 24 and will amount to 3.168.75 gallons.

Why Are There Two Different Measures for the Same-Sized Bottle?

At face value, it would appear completely ridiculous to display the same bottle size in different measurement units. However, it is important to remember that the liquid gallon and fluid ounces are measures of volume that are specific to the United States.

Several other countries utilize a completely different system of measurement. For example, Europe uses the liter and milliliter.

When you see a pack of water bottles that have quantities listed in milliliters, it is logical to assume that the bottles were imported from Europe or another country that utilizes this system of measurement.

Long Story Short…

To answer the question of how many gallons are in a pack of 24 water bottles, you must first determine:

  1. The Gallon Measure. There are several gallon measures, but in our example, it was the US liquid gallon that was relevant to answer the question. A US liquid gallon contains 128 fluid ounces.
  2. The Size of the Bottles in the Pack. The size of the water bottles in 24 bottle packs can vary. This variance can affect the number of gallons that are contained in the packs.

To establish the number of gallons in different 24 packs, allowing you to comparison shop with ease, you can use the following formula:

fluid ounces in bottle X 24/ 128 fluid oz = gallons in pack

This formula allowed us to change the value of the fluid ounces in different bottles to answer the question of how many gallons were in each pack.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *