Liquids & 3-1-1 calculator

Two separate limits catch people out: no container over 100 ml, and everything must fit one transparent one-litre bag. Add what you are bringing and this checks both.

Why the bag fills faster than you expect

A one-litre bag does not hold a litre of product. Containers are rigid, they do not tessellate, and the bag has to close flat. In practice you get somewhere between 700 and 800 ml of actual containers into a compliant bag, which is why this tool warns you well before you reach 1000 ml.

The fix is almost always the same: stop bringing liquids. Solid shampoo, a bar of soap, toothpaste tablets and a stick deodorant remove four containers and about 400 ml at a stroke, and none of them count towards the limit at all.

Next

Common questions

What is the 3-1-1 rule?
The US phrasing of the limit: containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less, in 1 quart-sized clear bag, 1 bag per passenger. Europe words it as 100 ml containers in a single transparent resealable bag of up to one litre, which is the same rule in metric.
Is it the container size or the amount inside that counts?
The container. A 200 ml bottle with 50 ml left in it will be refused, because staff cannot verify the contents by eye. This is the single most common reason toiletries get binned at security.
Have the liquid rules been lifted yet?
Partly, and unevenly. Some airports have installed CT scanners that allow larger liquids, and a number of them have since had the exemption suspended again by regulators. Because you cannot rely on it at both ends of a trip, and connecting airports apply their own rules, pack to the 100 ml limit unless you have checked your specific departure airport that week.
What is exempt?
Baby food and milk for an infant travelling with you, and prescription medication in quantities needed for the trip. Both may need to be declared and screened separately, and medication is smoother with the prescription or a pharmacy label.

Keep your washbag list between trips

Packalong remembers what you packed last time, so the toiletries list is already there on the next trip.

Download Packalong on the App Store Get Packalong on Google Play