What does kilolitre mean?
A kilolitre is a metric unit for measuring volume. It is equal to 1,000 litres and, equivalently, one cubic metre, making it useful for describing substantial quantities of liquid such as fuel, water, milk, or industrial chemicals. The term is especially common in contexts where exact volume measurement matters, including fuel systems, reservoirs, food production, laboratory work, and shipping. The word combines the metric prefix kilo-, meaning one thousand, with litre, the base unit of volume. In British, Canadian, and Australian English, it is spelled kilolitre, with a plural kilolitres. Although the unit is part of the metric system and is used internationally, English-language spelling and usage conventions vary, so spelling and abbreviation should be checked in technical documentation.
nounA unit of volume equal to 1,000 litres, equivalent to one cubic metre. The kilolitre is used especially for measuring larger quantities of liquid, such as fuel, water, or industrial fluids.
- A metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 litres, or one cubic metre.
"The reservoir holds approximately 500 kilolitres of water."
"The tanker can carry several kilolitres of fuel."
"The laboratory recorded the sample volume in kilolitres."
Add -s to form the standard plural; 'kiloliters' is used with the American spelling 'kiloliter'.
"The pipeline can transport thousands of kilolitres per day."
A kilolitre is a metric unit with a neat trick: it is also exactly one cubic metre.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kilolitre come from?
The word is formed in English by combining the metric prefix kilo-, meaning one thousand, with litre. Litre comes from the French litre, which in turn derives from the ancient Greek unit litra. The metric prefix and the litre were adopted as part of the international metric system during the nineteenth century, providing a standardized decimal system for measuring volume.
Related word forms
How kilolitre is actually used
The spelling 'kilolitre' is standard in British, Canadian, and Australian English; 'kilometer' is not a relevant comparison, since litres measure volume rather than length. In scientific and industrial contexts, the unit is often written as kL or kL, though context should be considered because kL can also represent kilojoules in some technical notation.
Easily confused with kilolitre
A litre is one-thousandth of a kilolitre, while a kilolitre equals 1,000 litres.
A millilitre is one-thousandth of a litre, equivalent to one-thousandth of a kilolitre.