Carry-On Liquid Limit Calculator

About this calculator

The TSA 3-1-1 rule governs how much liquid, gel, or aerosol a passenger can bring through US airport security in carry-on baggage: each individual container must hold 100 milliliters (3.4 ounces) or less, all containers must fit inside a single one quart-size clear plastic bag (roughly a total volume of around 1000 mL when the bag is packed reasonably), and each passenger is limited to one such bag. Even a container that’s only partially full still counts against the limit by its container size, not by the amount of liquid actually inside it — a nearly-empty 500 mL bottle still violates the rule.

Travelers checking whether their toiletries and liquids will clear security use this rule to sort items ahead of time — anything over 100 mL per container needs to go in checked luggage or be replaced with a smaller travel-size container, and exceptions exist for medically necessary liquids and baby formula/food, which are typically allowed in reasonable quantities beyond the standard limit with declaration at screening. This calculator checks a set of container sizes and a stated total volume against the TSA 3-1-1 rule to flag which items pass and which don’t.