cl

Everyday

1. Cl is a short way to write centilitre, a small unit for measuring liquid. A litre is 100 centilitres. A centilitre is 10 millilitres. tree →
2. Cl (with a capital C and small l) is the chemical symbol for chlorine. tree →

In the lessons

In maths and science: a unit of volume for drinks, small bottles and recipes; change units before adding: 1 litre = 100 cl, 1 cl = 10 ml. Everyday life: bottles of juice or water often show «cl» on the label, especially in Europe and the UK. Phrases: 75 cl, 33 cl can.

Examples

• A glass holds 25 cl of juice. tree →
• The bottle has 75 cl. tree →
• How many 20 cl cups fill a 1 litre jug? tree →
• 100 cl = 1 litre. tree →
• A can of lemonade holds 33 cl. tree →
• The recipe needs 20 cl of milk. tree →
• 50 cl is half a litre. tree →
• Write 3 litres in cl. tree →

Note

Written without a full stop and with no plural s: 5 cl, not 5 cls. A unit: change to litres or millilitres before mixing units; 1 cl = 10 ml. Trap: do not add cl and litres without converting. Do not mix up cl (centilitre) with cm (centimetre, a length). Cl with a capital C is chlorine in science.