To estimate how much does a liter of olive oil weigh, we must take into account The temperature counts, since the density of olive oil varies significantly with changes in temperature.
Thus, at an ambient temperature of 20 ºC, a liter of olive oil weighs approximately 916 grams. In the case of a 5-litre bottle of oil, it would be equivalent to a weight of 4.58 kilos. A tablespoon of olive oil is equivalent to 15 ml (13.74 grams) and a teaspoon is 5 ml (4.58 grams of weight).
A gallon of oil is 3.79 liters and is equivalent to a weight 3.467 grams.
Does quality influence the weight of a liter of olive oil?
The weight of a liter of olive oil is due to the combination of fatty acids present in it and these do not vary appreciably with quality. Taking this into account, we can say that the weight of extra virgin olive oil, virgin, olive, pomace, lampante… have an equivalent weight per liter.
The types of olive oil is also not taken into account (Picual, Cornicabra, Hojiblanca, Arbequina…) when making density corrections.
Does the weight of a liter of olive oil change with temperature?
Temperature does produce important changes in the density of olive oil. In this way, liquids such as oil expand and contract. In the case of olive oil, very appreciable changes can occur. For example, if we removed 1 liter of olive oil from a fryer at 200 ºC the weight of it would be approximately 800 grams. On the other hand, olive oil at a temperature of 0ºC weighs approximately 929 grams, a 1.5% more.
Due to this, it is essential to correct the displacement data according to the temperature when the deposits are measured in the oil mills. For this same reason the oil tanks should not be completely filled. In the case of olive oil, most of the production is carried out in winter with low temperatures. Due to this, the olive oil contracts if the deposits are filled in excess, these could overflow in summer, when the volume of the oil contained increases between 1 and %.
For precise filling of bottles and carafes, olive oil bottling companies use electronic weighing scales or mass flowmeters in their bottling lines . Mass flowmeters allow precise filling of containers (+- 0.%) by having temperature sensors that allow corrections according to temperature.
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Warning
We have translated the information on our website from Spanish to English. Please note that some words may have had their meaning altered during translation.