Cups to Grams Converter
Accurate conversions adjusted for each ingredient — because a cup of flour and a cup of sugar don't weigh the same.
Common Cups to Grams Conversions
| Ingredient | 1 Cup | 1/2 Cup | 1/4 Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 125 g | 63 g | 31 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 100 g | 50 g |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 220 g | 110 g | 55 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 60 g | 30 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 114 g | 57 g |
| Milk / Water | 240 g | 120 g | 60 g |
| Honey | 340 g | 170 g | 85 g |
| Rolled oats | 80 g | 40 g | 20 g |
| Rice (uncooked) | 180 g | 90 g | 45 g |
| Cocoa powder | 90 g | 45 g | 23 g |
How to Measure Cups Correctly
For dry ingredients like flour, spoon the ingredient into the cup and level off with a knife — don't scoop directly from the bag, as this packs the ingredient and can add up to 30% more weight.
For liquids, use a clear measuring cup and read at eye level on a flat surface. The measurement should be at the bottom of the meniscus (the curve at the liquid's surface).
Why Grams Are More Accurate
Volume measurements (cups, tablespoons) vary depending on how you measure and how packed the ingredient is. Weight measurements (grams, ounces) are always exact. Professional bakers worldwide use grams for consistency — if a recipe calls for 250g of flour, you'll get the same result every time.
Why weight beats cups
A cup is a measure of volume, but recipes really depend on mass — and the two don't line up because ingredients have different densities. A cup of flour weighs about 120–125 g, a cup of granulated sugar about 200 g, and a cup of water 240 g. Worse, the same cup of flour can vary by 20% depending on whether it's scooped or spooned. This converter uses ingredient-specific densities so "one cup" turns into the correct grams for that particular food.
That's why serious baking recipes list grams. Weight removes the biggest source of inconsistency in home baking — how packed your cup happens to be — and lets you reproduce a good result every time. For cooking, cups are usually close enough; for baking, a scale is transformative.
Tips
If you must use cups for flour, spoon it into the cup and level it off — never scoop straight from the bag, which compacts it and adds up to a fifth more. Brown sugar is the opposite: it's measured firmly packed. And note that US and metric/UK cups differ slightly (240 ml vs 250 ml), another reason grams are more reliable across recipes from different countries.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is a cup of flour?
About 120–125 g of all-purpose flour, if spooned and levelled. Scooping straight from the bag can push it to 150 g, which is enough to make bakes dense.
Is a cup of every ingredient the same weight?
No — it depends on density. A cup of water is 240 g, sugar about 200 g, flour about 125 g, and oats far less. That's exactly why this converter is ingredient-specific.
Are US and UK cups the same?
Almost, but not exactly: a US cup is 240 ml and a metric cup 250 ml. The small difference is another reason to weigh in grams when precision matters.
Written by Nicolas Martin. Last updated July 2026 · How we keep our tools accurate →