A cup measures volume, so its weight depends on what is in it: a US cup of flour is about 125 g, a cup of sugar 200 g and a cup of butter 227 g. Choose the ingredient and the measure above; the calculator also works backwards from grams or ounces to cups.
Grams per cup, by ingredient and country
The weights per US cup come from USDA FoodData Central. The other cups are scaled by their volume.
| Ingredient | US cup (236.6 mL) | Metric cup (250 mL) | Japanese cup (200 mL) | US tablespoon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 132 g | 106 g | 7.8 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 211 g | 169 g | 12.5 g |
| Brown sugar, packed | 220 g | 232 g | 186 g | 13.8 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 127 g | 101 g | 7.5 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 240 g | 192 g | 14.2 g |
| Vegetable oil | 218 g | 230 g | 184 g | 13.6 g |
| Milk | 244 g | 258 g | 206 g | 15.3 g |
| Water | 237 g | 250 g | 200 g | 14.8 g |
| Honey | 339 g | 358 g | 287 g | 21.2 g |
| White rice, uncooked | 185 g | 195 g | 156 g | 11.6 g |
| Rolled oats | 81 g | 86 g | 68 g | 5.1 g |
| Cocoa powder | 86 g | 91 g | 73 g | 5.4 g |
| Table salt | 292 g | 309 g | 247 g | 18.3 g |
The difference matters: an Australian recipe that asks for 2 cups of flour means 264 g; the same words in an American recipe mean 250 g.
Which cup does your recipe use?
| Cup | Volume | Where you will meet it |
|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.6 mL | American recipes and measuring cups |
| US legal cup | 240 mL | Nutrition labels in the US |
| Metric cup | 250 mL | Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa |
| Japanese cup | 200 mL | Japanese recipes and rice cookers (a rice cooker “go” is 180 mL) |
Why scooping gives the wrong weight
Flour packs down in the bag. A cup scooped straight from it can hold 15–20% more than one filled with a spoon and leveled with a knife, which is how test kitchens measure. That extra flour is the usual reason for dry cakes and dense bread. Sugar and liquids barely change with the method, which is why the table can give them one number.
Spoons
| Spoon | Volume |
|---|---|
| US teaspoon | 4.93 mL |
| US tablespoon (3 teaspoons) | 14.79 mL |
| Metric teaspoon | 5 mL |
| Metric tablespoon | 15 mL |
| Australian tablespoon | 20 mL |
For small amounts the differences hardly matter. For baking powder or salt in a large batch, a scale accurate to the gram is the safest choice – and once you have opened this page it works offline, right next to the stove.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is a cup of flour?
About 125 g for a US cup of all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled. Scooped straight from the bag it can be 140–150 g, which is why bakers weigh flour.
How many grams is a cup of sugar?
200 g of granulated sugar in a US cup; 220 g of packed brown sugar; 120 g of powdered (icing) sugar.
Is a cup the same in every country?
No. A US cup is 236.6 mL, the cup on US nutrition labels is 240 mL, a metric cup (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa) is 250 mL and a Japanese cup is 200 mL.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
16 US tablespoons make a US cup. A metric tablespoon is 15 mL, so a 250 mL cup holds 16.7 of them. In Australia a tablespoon is 20 mL.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central (portion weights, SR Legacy)
- NIST Special Publication 811: Guide for the Use of the SI, Appendix B (conversion factors)
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