What does hectoliter mean?
The hectoliter is a metric unit of volume equal to 100 liters, or one-tenth of a kiloliter. It is used when a more convenient unit than the liter is needed, particularly in agriculture, brewing, winemaking, water management, and the description of tanks or other large containers. A wine producer might specify that a vessel has a capacity of 50 hectoliters, while an agricultural report might express a crop yield in hectoliters per hectare. The term belongs to a family of metric units formed with the prefix hecto-, meaning one hundred, as in hectometer and hectogram. Although less common in everyday speech than liter, the hectoliter is useful for describing substantial commercial or industrial quantities. Its name also reflects the structure of the metric system: multiplying the liter by 100 produces a larger, precisely defined unit without requiring a less familiar measure.
nounA metric unit of volume equal to 100 liters, or one-tenth of a kiloliter.
- A metric unit of volume equal to 100 liters.
"Each fermentation tank holds 20 hectoliters of cider."
"Each fermentation tank holds 20 hectoliters of cider."
"The report estimates the grain yield at 35 hectoliters per hectare."
The regular plural is used in ordinary and technical writing; British English generally spells it hectolitres.
"The warehouse stores several thousand hectoliters of wine."
One hectoliter is exactly 100 liters—and one-tenth of a kiloliter.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hectoliter come from?
The name combines the combining form hecto-, meaning “hundred,” with liter. Hecto- comes through French from Greek hekaton, “a hundred,” and is also found in words such as hectare, hectometer, and hectogram. The second element, liter, entered English through French litre and ultimately derives from Greek litra, an ancient measure originally associated with weight and later used for volume.
How hectoliter is actually used
This is a formal or technical term used especially for larger quantities of wine, beverages, agricultural products, and other bulk materials. In British English, it is normally spelled hectolitre.
Easily confused with hectoliter
A liter is the base metric unit of volume, while a hectoliter equals 100 liters.