📚 How it works
The real formula behind cups to grams
Most “cups to grams” confusion comes from one simple fact: cups measure volume
(how much space something takes up), while grams measure mass (how much matter is there).
If two ingredients fill the same amount of space, they can still weigh very different amounts.
That’s why 1 cup of flour is far lighter than 1 cup of honey.
This calculator converts cups to grams using ingredient-specific grams-per-cup averages.
We keep a reference table for common ingredients (like all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, butter, milk, and oats).
Then we adjust the grams-per-cup number based on your selected cup type:
US cup (236.588 mL), Metric cup (250 mL), or Imperial cup (284.131 mL).
Core conversion formula
Step 1: Start with a known reference value:
gramsPerUSCup(ingredient)
Step 2: Adjust for cup size:
gramsPerSelectedCup = gramsPerUSCup × (selectedCupMl ÷ 236.588)
Step 3: Multiply by the number of cups:
grams = cups × gramsPerSelectedCup
Step 4 (bonus): Convert grams to ounces:
ounces = grams ÷ 28.3495
Why cup type changes grams
Some countries use a “metric cup” (250 mL) in everyday cooking. Australia commonly uses 250 mL cups in many recipes.
Meanwhile, older UK recipes might be closer to imperial measures (bigger cup). If you keep the ingredient the same
but change the cup volume, you are changing the amount of space that ingredient occupies — so the weight changes too.
That’s why this calculator includes a cup-type selector: it turns your cup into an actual milliliter volume.
Important: averages (not magic)
Kitchen conversions are never perfect because real life isn’t perfectly consistent. Flour can be “fluffy” or compacted.
Brown sugar can be lightly filled or tightly packed. Cocoa powder can be sifted or clumpy. Even humidity affects dry ingredients.
So the best way to interpret this calculator is:
it gives you a strong everyday conversion baseline — perfect for most cooking and baking —
but if you want laboratory-level precision, always weigh directly on a scale.
Examples (so you can sanity-check)
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Example 1: 2 cups of all-purpose flour (US cup). If flour is ~120 g per US cup, then:
grams ≈ 2 × 120 = 240 g.
-
Example 2: 1.5 cups of granulated sugar (US cup). Sugar is ~200 g per US cup:
grams ≈ 1.5 × 200 = 300 g.
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Example 3: 1 cup of honey (Metric cup). Honey is ~340 g per US cup.
Metric cup is slightly larger (250 mL vs 236.6 mL), so:
grams ≈ 340 × (250/236.6) ≈ ~359 g.
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Example 4: 0.75 cups of rolled oats (US cup). Oats are light (~90 g per US cup):
grams ≈ 0.75 × 90 = 67.5 g (about 68 g rounded).
How to get the most accurate results
- Flour: spoon into the cup and level; don’t scoop/pack unless the recipe says “packed”.
- Brown sugar: if recipe says “packed”, press it firmly into the cup.
- Butter: melted butter volume differs from solid butter cut into pieces; use the form your recipe assumes.
- Liquids: cups to grams depend on density; water is simple (~236 g per US cup), oils are different, milk is slightly heavier than water.
If you’re building content around this calculator, a viral angle is to remind users:
“Cups lie. Grams don’t.” People love quick fixes to hidden cooking mistakes — and this is one of the most common.