Last Updated on April 15, 2020
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allow you to pack 5 liters of alcohol between 24% ABV and 70% ABV in your checked bag.
But how much is 5 liters of alcohol? And what can you take in your bag?
Most wine and beer is under 24% and you can take as much as you like in your checked bag. Here is the common strengths of alcohol to remind you.
- Beer 4% – 7%
- Wine 10% – 15%
- Sherry/Port ~ 20%
- Schnapps 15% – 20%
- Liquor is typically 35% – 50%
So we can see that the 5 liter FAA rule usually only really applies to liquor.
How Much Does 5 Liters Of Alcohol Weigh?
5 liters is 5000 ml. 5 liters is 1.3 gallons.
5 liters weighs just over 11 lbs. In fact, 5 liters it’s 11.025 lbs.
Your checked luggage might have a weight limit of 50 lbs. So 5 liters of alcohol would use 22% of your weight allowance.
Your case itself probably weight another 9 lbs or 18% of your weight allowance.
Or, if you were using the metric system, you could say that 5 liters weigh 5 kg.
How Much Is 5 Liters In Ounces?
There are 169.07 fluid ounces in 5 liters…
But maybe it will help if I just tell you how many bottles of liquor you can bring.
How Many Bottles Of Liquor In 5 Liters?
A fifth is a bottle of liquor that is 25.4 oz or 750 ml.
5000 ml divided by 750 ml means that you can bring 6.66 standard bottles of liquor on a plane in your checked luggage.
So that’s 6 fifths (750ml) and you’ll still have room for a half bottle too!
How Many Bottles Of Wine In 5 Liters?
A bottle of wine is also 750 ml.
But remember most wine is lower strength than 24%. So you can take as much wine in your checked luggage as you have space for. Remember to watch your weight, those wine bottles are heavy and you might go over the airline weight limit.
If you wanted to stay under 5 liters anyway you’d be able to carry 6 bottles of wine.
How Many Glasses Of Wine In 5 Liters?
The standard size glass of wine is 5 oz or 150 ml. You can get 33 glasses of wine from 5 liters.
Don’t drink them all at once!
How Many Beers In 5 Liters?
A regular can of beer is 12 oz.
So 5 liters of beer would be 14 regular can. Or it would be 10 pint cans.
But remember beer is only usually around 5% ABV. So that FAA rule doesn’t apply to beer.
You can happily take as much beer in your checked case as you can fit!
But again, keep a close eye on the weight of your suitcase and remember to leave space for some clothes!
The Verdict
The 5 liters rule only really applied to liquor and you can take 6 standard-sized 750 ml bottles of liquor in your checked luggage.
Keep in mind if you are importing them you must declare that you have the bottles when you land.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection allows you to import 1 liter duty-free and you’d need to pay duty on the other 4 liters at around $2- $3 per bottle.
Happy packing!