Gigalitre (GL)
A gigalitre is a billion litres, exactly one million cubic metres; Australian dams and the Murray–Darling Basin plan use GL.
Symbol: GL
Quantity: volume of stored or released water (reservoirs, river flows, allocations)
SI relation: 1 GL = 1 MCM (exact)
Derivation: 1 GL = 10⁹ L = 10⁶ m³ = 1 MCM.
Exact: yes, by definition
Same quantity as million cubic metres (MCM) : the factor between them is exactly 1.
Typical uses
- Australian dam storage
- Murray–Darling Basin allocations
Convert gigalitres to other units
| Conversion | 1 GL equals | Reverse |
|---|---|---|
| gigalitre to MCM | 1 MCM | MCM to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to BCM | 0.001 BCM | BCM to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to TMC | 0.03531466672 TMC | TMC to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to acre-foot | 810.7131938 acre-ft | acre-foot to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to cubic metre | 1000000 m³ | cubic metre to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to Mcft | 35.31466672 Mcft | Mcft to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to MAF | 0.0008107131938 MAF | MAF to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to hectare-metre | 100 ha·m | hectare-metre to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to megalitre | 1000 ML | megalitre to gigalitre |
| gigalitre to cubic kilometre | 0.001 km³ | cubic kilometre to gigalitre |
Open the Water Volume Converter (TMC, MCM, Acre-foot) to convert any value between all units.
Sources
- The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition (SI Brochure), Bureau International des Poids et Mesures , Table 4 (derived units) and Table 8 (non-SI units accepted for use with the SI).
Last reviewed: . Factors are stored exactly and computed with 50-digit decimal arithmetic. See how we verify conversion factors.
Cite this page
APA
Scientific Converters. (2026, October 15). Gigalitre (GL). Retrieved October 29, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/gigaliter/
IEEE
Scientific Converters, "Gigalitre (GL)," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 29, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/gigaliter/