A level US cup of flour is about 125 g, sugar 200 g, butter 227 g, uncooked rice 185 g, milk 245 g and water 237 g. Every cup is 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons or 236.6 mL.
What this calculates
Pick an ingredient, enter an amount in cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, millilitres or grams, and this converts it into all five at once. Volumes convert exactly. Weights depend on the ingredient, so each one uses its own density, and the density table under the result lists them all.
The formula
Volume
1 cup = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp = 236.5882 mLWeight from volume
grams = millilitres × densityDensity
density (g/mL) = grams in a level cup ÷ 236.5882The densities used, from the weight of a level US cup:
- Flour (plain): 125 g a cup, 0.528 g/mL
- Sugar (granulated): 200 g a cup, 0.845 g/mL
- Butter: 227 g a cup, 0.959 g/mL
- Rice (uncooked): 185 g a cup, 0.782 g/mL
- Milk (whole): 245 g a cup, 1.036 g/mL
- Water: 236.6 g a cup, exactly 1 g/mL
Worked example
The other way round, 1 cup of flour is 125 g, 100 g of butter is about 0.44 cup (7 tbsp), and 500 mL of water weighs exactly 500 g.
When to use it, and the mistakes to avoid
Use it to follow a recipe written in cups when you have a scale, to turn a metric recipe into spoon measures, or to scale a recipe up or down.
The mistakes that cost the most:
- Scooping flour with the cup. It packs the flour down and can add 10% or more; spoon it in and level it.
- Mixing up volume and weight. A cup of sugar and a cup of flour hold the same volume but not the same weight.
- Using a metric cup with US weights. A 250 mL cup is about 5.7% bigger than a US cup.
- Treating the weights as exact. They are averages; brands and humidity move them.
- Using the converter for liquids that are not listed. Honey, oil and cream differ from milk and water; use their own density.
FAQ
How many grams is a cup of flour?
About 125 g for a level US cup of plain (all-purpose) flour that has been spooned in, not scooped. Scooping packs it down to 140 g or more, which is why baking by weight is more reliable than baking by cups.
Why does a cup of sugar weigh more than a cup of flour?
A cup measures volume, and sugar is denser than flour: its crystals pack more closely and leave less air. A level cup of granulated sugar is about 200 g, against about 125 g for flour. Each ingredient has its own density, which is why the converter asks for one.
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, and in a cup?
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, 16 tablespoons in a cup and so 48 teaspoons in a cup. A US cup is 236.6 mL, a tablespoon 14.79 mL and a teaspoon 4.93 mL.
Is a cup 240 mL or 250 mL?
A US cup is 236.6 mL, often rounded to 240 mL. Many metric recipes use a 250 mL cup, which is about 5.7% bigger. This converter uses the US cup, so scale the cups if your recipe says metric.
Are these weights exact?
Only water is: 1 mL weighs 1 g. The others are kitchen averages for a level US cup. Brand, moisture, how finely flour is milled and how it is packed can move them by 10% or more, so use them as a good starting point, not a lab measurement.