So, how many pints in a gallon? Well, that’s a question that’s been asked, and answered, since the Middle Ages. This seemingly simple question has stumped historians, philosophers, geographers, scientists, and even scientists (yes, scientists like Bill Nye). Legend says that the first person to figure it out was King Askan I of the Middle East, although he’s likely to have been exaggerating, or perhaps that’s just us.
A gallon is an imperial and U.S. customary measurement for liquid volume and has been in use in the United States and Canada since the early 19th century. The pint also a unit of volume or capacity in both the imperial and United States customary measurement systems. In both of those systems it is traditionally one eighth of a gallon. The British imperial pint is about 20% larger than the American pint because the two systems are defined differently.
In summary, it is hard to calculate how many pints in a gallon because it depends on how you measure your pint. As the previously explained, pints can be measured in different units: imperial pints, US pints, as well as Canadian pints, and metric pints. Also, volumes of pints can be expressed in various ways: pints and fluid ounces, pints and milliliters, or pints and liters. No wonder pints and gallons don’t mix well.
However, for Betty Crockers and housewives everywhere, we can solve this problem with a simple answer. The most reasonable answer is that there are 8 pints in a gallon. Now, sit back, and enjoy a pint or eight!