centilitre

Everyday

A centilitre is a small unit for measuring liquid. A litre has 100 centilitres, and a centilitre is 10 millilitres. It is written cl. tree →

In the lessons

In maths and science: a unit of volume for drinks, bottles and recipes; convert between ml, cl and litres before adding or comparing. «Centi-» means one hundredth, as in centimetre. Everyday life: drink bottles and cans in the UK and Europe are often marked in cl. Phrases: centilitres of water, a 75-centilitre bottle.

Examples

• A cup holds 20 centilitres. tree →
• The jug has 150 centilitres of milk. tree →
• How many centilitres are in 2 litres? tree →
• Each glass takes 25 centilitres. tree →
• A small bottle of water holds 50 centilitres. tree →
• The nurse gave him 1 centilitre of medicine. tree →
• Half a litre is 50 centilitres. tree →
• Pour 30 centilitres of juice into the bowl. tree →

Note

Short form «cl». US spelling «centiliter». A unit: 1 litre = 100 cl, 1 cl = 10 ml. «Centi» means a hundredth: a centimetre is a hundredth of a metre, a centilitre a hundredth of a litre. Trap: convert all amounts to the same unit before adding or comparing. In the USA, millilitres and fluid ounces are more common than centilitres.