Deciliter
A deciliter (dl) is exactly 100 ml, the main volume unit in Swedish and Nordic recipes. See how it compares to cups and what 1 dl weighs.
Also called Decilitre, dl, Decilitres.
A deciliter is exactly 100 milliliters, or a tenth of a liter. It is written dl and spelled decilitre in British English. Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish recipes measure flour, sugar, milk and cream in deciliters the way American recipes use cups. Swiss recipes use it too.
Why it works
Like a cup, a deciliter measures space, not weight. Swedish baking tables give these rough weights for 1 dl:
| 1 dl of | Rough weight |
|---|---|
| Wheat flour | 60 g |
| Granulated sugar | 85 g |
| Rolled oats | 35 g |
| Water or milk | 100 g |
When a Nordic recipe gives both dl and grams, use the grams and a kitchen scale.
How to use it
Nordic kitchens have measuring cups marked in deciliters, used together with spoons for smaller amounts. The Swedish volume units fit together like this:
| Unit | Exact metric value |
|---|---|
| 1 liter | 10 dl = 1,000 ml |
| 1 dl | 100 ml |
| 1 msk (matsked) | 15 ml |
| 1 tsk (tesked) | 5 ml |
| 1 krm (kryddmått) | 1 ml |
To convert to American measures:
| Deciliters | US measure |
|---|---|
| ½ dl (50 ml) | about 3½ tablespoons |
| 1 dl (100 ml) | a little under ½ cup (about ⅖ cup) |
| 2½ dl (250 ml) | about 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons |
| 5 dl (500 ml) | about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons |
One US cup is about 2.4 dl. For a quick guess, 1 dl is close to 7 tablespoons.
Common mistakes
- Reading dl as a US cup. A cup is almost two and a half times larger.
- Packing flour into the measure. Swedish recipes assume flour spooned or poured loosely and leveled.
- Confusing dl with cl (centiliter, 10 ml), which shows up on drinks and bottles.
In recipes
You will see "3 dl vetemjöl" (3 dl wheat flour), "2 dl mjölk" (2 dl milk) and "1½ dl socker" (1½ dl sugar). Fractions like ½ dl and ¾ dl are common.
Related terms
- MilliliterA milliliter (ml) is a thousandth of a liter, the metric unit for measuring liquids. See how ml converts to teaspoons, cups and fluid ounces.
- MskMsk, short for matsked, is the Swedish tablespoon and holds exactly 15 ml. It equals 3 tsk and is close enough to a US tablespoon to swap directly.
- TskTsk, short for tesked, is the Swedish teaspoon and holds exactly 5 ml. It equals 5 krm or a third of a msk, and swaps one for one with a US teaspoon.
- KrmKrm, short for kryddmått, is the Swedish spice measure and holds exactly 1 ml. Here is how it compares to tsk, msk and US teaspoons.
- CupA US cup is about 240 ml, a metric cup is 250 ml, and a cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar. Here is how to measure and convert.
- Kitchen scaleA kitchen scale weighs ingredients in grams or ounces, which is far more accurate than cups for baking. Here is how to use one and the tare button.