Cups to Grams Converter
Density-aware kitchen conversions between volume and weight.
Pro Tip: This tool accounts for the density of Water to convert between weight and volume accurately.
Volume Conversions
Weight Equivalents (for Water)
Common Oven Temperatures
| Description | Celsius | Fahrenheit | Gas Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow | 150°C | 300°F | 2 |
| Moderate | 180°C | 350°F | 4 |
| Hot | 200°C | 400°F | 6 |
| Very Hot | 230°C | 450°F | 8 |
How many grams are in a cup?
A cup measures volume — the space an ingredient occupies — while a gram measures mass. There is therefore no universal cups-to-grams number: the answer changes with every ingredient. One US customary cup holds 236.588 ml, so the conversion is simply the cup volume multiplied by the ingredient's density in grams per millilitre. Water sits at 1.00 g/ml and weighs about 237 g per cup. All-purpose flour is far airier at roughly 0.53 g/ml, so the same cup holds only about 125 g. Honey, dense with dissolved sugars at 1.42 g/ml, tips the scale at about 336 g — nearly three times the weight of flour from an identical cup.
This is why professional bakeries publish recipes in grams. Cup measurements of flour vary by 15–20% depending on whether you spoon the flour in and level it or scoop the cup straight through the bag, compacting it as you go. That difference is enough to turn a tender crumb into a dry one. The calculator above applies each ingredient's density automatically; the chart below gives the same figures at a glance.
Cups to grams chart for common ingredients
| Ingredient (1 US cup) | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour (spooned & levelled) | 125 g | 4.4 oz |
| Bread flour | 127 g | 4.5 oz |
| Cake flour | 114 g | 4.0 oz |
| Whole wheat flour | 120 g | 4.2 oz |
| Granulated white sugar | 200 g | 7.1 oz |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 213 g | 7.5 oz |
| Icing / powdered sugar (unsifted) | 120 g | 4.2 oz |
| Butter | 227 g | 8.0 oz |
| Vegetable or olive oil | 218 g | 7.7 oz |
| Water | 237 g | 8.4 oz |
| Whole milk | 244 g | 8.6 oz |
| Heavy cream | 232 g | 8.2 oz |
| Honey | 336 g | 11.9 oz |
| Maple syrup | 322 g | 11.4 oz |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 3.2 oz |
| Uncooked white rice | 200 g | 7.1 oz |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened) | 85 g | 3.0 oz |
| Chocolate chips | 170 g | 6.0 oz |
| Chopped walnuts | 117 g | 4.1 oz |
| Greek yoghurt | 245 g | 8.6 oz |
Figures assume a 236.588 ml US customary cup and the spoon-and-level method. Australian and European metric cups hold 250 ml, so add about 6% to every value above; the historic UK imperial cup holds 284 ml, about 20% more.
How to convert cups to grams yourself
The arithmetic is one multiplication. Take the cup volume in millilitres, multiply by the number of cups, then multiply by the ingredient density: grams = cups × 236.588 × density (g/ml). For 2 cups of granulated sugar at 0.85 g/ml that is 2 × 236.588 × 0.85 ≈ 402 g. Running the sum backwards converts grams to cups: divide the weight by the density to get millilitres, then divide by 236.588.
Two practical habits remove most remaining error. First, weigh directly into the mixing bowl using the tare button rather than measuring into a cup and tipping it out — you lose a surprising amount of sticky ingredients to the sides of a measuring cup. Second, check which cup standard the recipe was written for. American food blogs and cookbooks use the 236.588 ml cup, Australian and New Zealand publishers use 250 ml, and older British books use the 284 ml imperial cup.
Frequently asked questions
- How many grams are in a cup?
- There is no single answer, because a cup measures volume and a gram measures mass. One US cup holds 236.588 ml, so a cup of water weighs about 237 g, a cup of all-purpose flour about 125 g, a cup of granulated sugar about 200 g and a cup of honey about 336 g. Multiply 236.588 by the ingredient density in g/ml to get the exact figure.
- How many grams is 1 cup of flour?
- About 125 g for all-purpose flour spooned into the cup and levelled off. If you dip the cup into the bag you compact the flour and can end up with 140-145 g, which is roughly 15% more flour than the recipe intends — the most common cause of dry cakes and tough cookies.
- How many grams is 1 cup of sugar?
- Granulated white sugar is about 200 g per US cup. Firmly packed brown sugar is about 213 g, and unsifted powdered (icing) sugar is about 120 g.
- How many grams is 1 cup of butter?
- One US cup of butter is 227 g, equal to two sticks, 8 ounces or half a pound. A single stick is 113 g, one tablespoon is 14 g.
- Is a US cup the same as a metric or UK cup?
- No. A US customary cup is 236.588 ml, the metric cup used in Australia and much of Europe is 250 ml, and the historic UK imperial cup is 284 ml. A recipe written in Australian cups therefore delivers about 6% more of every ingredient than the same recipe read with US cups.
- Why do baking recipes recommend grams instead of cups?
- Weight is unambiguous. A gram of flour is a gram of flour regardless of how it was scooped, how humid the kitchen is or how finely it was milled, whereas cup measures of the same flour can vary by 15-20%. For bread, pastry and anything leavened, weighing is the single cheapest accuracy upgrade in the kitchen.