One of the many questions that people have, whether out of necessity or out of curiosity, is if all liquids weigh the same
And if not, which liquid is the heaviest and which is the lightest?
Contrary to what you might think, not all liquids weigh the same in pounds and ounces
Like solids, liquids have different densities and components that determine their weight
However, even though they are equal, most liquids of the same volume do not weigh the same
Different liquids such as water, oil, milk, soft drinks, etc have different densities
How much does water weigh? Here is a table showing the different weights of water
Because water is the most common of all liquids, it is often compared to other liquids in terms of weight and density
VolumeWeight (oz)Weight (g)1 quart33382 oz94635 g1 gallon13353 oz37854 g1 milliliter00353 oz1 g1 liter35274 oz1000 gNow that you know how much water you can weigh, go up to the other liquid and see how do they compare
In terms of density, which determines the weight of a liquid, mercury is the heaviest liquid on earth
Mercury is 136 times denser than water, which means it weighs slightly more per gallon
However, mercury in its liquid form is very lethal, so you should not try to weigh the two liquids alone
Steel, iron, and tin are heavier than water when melted into a liquid
For example, water is more than ten times denser than hydrogen in liquid form and, therefore, more than ten times heavier
Liquid propane, which millions of people around the world use for energy, weighs about half that of water
However, in terms of liquids that we use or see every day, alcohol and oil are two of the lightest on earth
Alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, and isopropyl weigh about 79 grams per cubic meter, while water weighs 1 gram per cubic meter
If you’ve ever mixed oil and water, you’ve probably noticed that the oil floats on top of the water and doesn’t mix
This is because oil is lighter than water
As we just learned, alcohol is lighter than water, which would indicate that wine weighs less than water
However, on average, wine is only about 10% alcohol, and the rest is made up of sugar and other additives
Actually, it all depends on what type of wine you are comparing with water
Wines that are high in alcohol and low in sugar will weigh less than water
However, certain commercial wines with high sugar content and only moderate to medium alcohol content will weigh the same as water or more
Does Alcohol Sink Or Float? If you’ve ever tried to mix pure alcohol such as ethanol, methanol, or isopropyl with water, you’ll have a hard time
Pure alcohol is lighter than water, which means it will float to the top instead of mixing or sinking to the bottom
Is water heavier than coffee? Whether water is heavier than coffee depends on the type and texture of the coffee
Whole coffee beans are thought to sink in water which means they are denser
However, liquid coffee has a different weight and density than whole coffee beans
See also How Long After Taking Ibuprofen Can You Drink Alcohol? In theory, people would think that coffee and water weigh the same
Do Milk And Water Have The Same Weight? Milk and water are two liquids that are almost the same in weight and texture
However, milk actually weighs slightly more than water if you compare a gallon of milk to a gallon of water
Milk is only 87% water and the rest is made up of components heavier than water, except fat
Fat is lighter than water, so, in theory, if milk has a high enough fat content, it can be as light as water
However, it is rare that there is enough fat in milk to make it equal in weight to water
In terms of household liquids and their weight, the pyramid looks like this from heaviest to lightest: syrup, milk, water, oil, and alcohol