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From cups to a kitchen scale
A cup is a measure of space, not of weight, and ingredients take up space very differently. A cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of sugar, and the same cup of flour can weigh 120 g or 150 g depending on how it was filled. That is why so many American recipes behave differently when someone else makes them.
This converter turns cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and millilitres into grams or ounces for more than 30 common baking ingredients, and works in reverse when you want to know how many cups a weight represents. Reach for it when a US recipe meets a kitchen scale, or when you want to write down your own recipes in weights.
Where the numbers come from
All dry ingredients and butter use one reference, the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart, where a cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 g. Those weights assume the spoon-and-level method: spoon the ingredient loosely into the cup, then sweep off the excess with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs the flour down and can add 20% or more.
Liquids and syrups are worked out from their density. A millilitre of water weighs 1 g, milk a little more, honey about 1.4 g, and oil a little less than water.
Converting a measure
- Choose a direction under Convert: Volume to weight or Weight to volume.
- Pick the Ingredient. They are grouped into flours, sugars and cocoa, starch and leaveners, butter and mix-ins, and liquids.
- For volume to weight, type the Amount and choose a Measure: Cups, Tablespoons, Teaspoons or Millilitres. Fractions work, so 1 1/2, ¾ and 1.5 are all fine.
- For weight to volume, enter the Weight instead.
- Set Cup size. US recipes use the US cup of 236.6 ml; Australian and many other recipes use a metric cup of 250 ml.
The main result shows the weight or volume. Below it you will find the same amount in the other unit, the volume in millilitres, what One cup weighs for that ingredient, and a quick reference list for common cup fractions and spoons.
Worked example: a US chocolate cake recipe
The recipe calls for 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of butter, ¼ cup of cocoa powder, 1 cup of whole milk, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of table salt. Converting each line gives:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour: 360 g
- 1 cup granulated sugar: 198 g
- 1 cup butter: 227 g
- ¼ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened: 21 g
- 1 cup whole milk: 244 g
- 2 tsp baking powder: 8 g
- 1 tsp table salt: 6 g
Notice that a cup of flour, sugar and butter all occupy the same 237 ml but weigh 120 g, 198 g and 227 g. That spread is exactly why weighing makes baking more predictable.
If the same recipe came from Australia, switch Cup size to the metric cup and one cup of all-purpose flour becomes 127 g, because the cup itself is larger.
The reverse direction helps when you are writing a recipe for friends who use cups. With Weight to volume, 200 g of granulated sugar comes out as 1 cup, 85 g of honey as ¼ cup, and 500 g of bread flour as about 4.17 cups. When a weight does not land near a common fraction, the converter shows the decimal with “about” in front rather than forcing a misleading fraction.
Tips for accurate measuring
- Brown sugar is packed. The 213 g per cup assumes it is pressed into the cup firmly.
- Tablespoons differ between countries. US and UK tablespoons hold about 15 ml, while an Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml. The converter uses 14.8 ml for the US measure and 15 ml for metric.
- Sift only if the recipe says so. Sifted flour weighs less per cup, and these values assume unsifted.
- Leaveners are small but critical. Weighing 8 g of baking powder is more reliable than trusting a heaped spoon.
Converting a yeast quantity given in teaspoons or packets? The yeast converter handles that. With everything in grams, the baker’s percentage calculator lets you compare the recipe with others.
Cups and grams FAQ
Why does my flour weigh more than 120 g per cup?
You are probably scooping. Pressing the cup into the bag compacts the flour. Spoon it in loosely and level it, or better, weigh it.
Are UK and US cups the same?
No. A US cup is 236.6 ml. Many other countries use a 250 ml metric cup, and older British recipes rarely use cups at all. Choose the right Cup size before converting.
Can I convert ounces instead of grams?
Yes. Switch to Imperial at the top and every weight is shown in ounces, while cups and spoons stay the same.
Why is honey so heavy per cup?
Honey is much denser than water, about 1.4 g per millilitre, so a cup weighs around 336 g. Maple syrup and molasses are similarly heavy.