How to use this table
A cup measures volume, a gram measures weight, and density is the bridge between them. To convert grams to cups, divide by the grams-per-cup figure: cups = grams ÷ grams per cup. To convert grams to millilitres, divide by the density: ml = grams ÷ density (g/ml). To go from cups to millilitres, multiply cups by 236.588 (one US cup). Every converter on this site uses these same figures — pick a tool below to do the arithmetic.
All cup figures are for a US cup (236.588 ml), spooned and levelled unless stated otherwise. A metric cup is 250 ml, so metric-cup weights run about 5.7% higher. Figures marked typical come from standard kitchen references and the USDA FoodData Central database; they are the values most recipes assume, but your brand and your measuring technique will shift them by a few percent.
Liquids: density in grams per ml
For liquids, density is all you need: 100 g of a liquid at 1.25 g/ml is 80 ml. Water is the reference at exactly 1.00 g/ml.
| Liquid | Density (g/ml, typical) | 100 g in ml |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 1.00 | 100.0 ml |
| Heavy / double cream | 1.00 | 100.0 ml |
| Single cream | 1.01 | 99.0 ml |
| Milk | 1.03 | 97.1 ml |
| Plain yogurt | 1.05 | 95.2 ml |
| Greek yogurt | 1.06 | 94.3 ml |
| Cooking oil | 0.92 | 108.7 ml |
| Maple syrup | 1.32 | 75.8 ml |
| Honey | 1.42 | 70.4 ml |
Dry goods: grams per US cup
Dry goods are quoted per cup because that is how recipes measure them. The g/ml column is derived (grams per cup ÷ 236.588) so you can also convert straight to millilitres.
| Ingredient | Grams per US cup (typical) | Density (g/ml) |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | 0.507 |
| Bread flour | 127 g | 0.537 |
| Whole wheat flour | 113 g | 0.478 |
| Cake flour | 100 g | 0.423 |
| Rye flour | 102 g | 0.431 |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 0.845 |
| Caster sugar | 225 g | 0.951 |
| Brown sugar, packed (recipe standard) | 220 g | 0.930 |
| Brown sugar, spooned not packed | 145 g | 0.613 |
| Brown sugar, firmly packed | 230 g | 0.972 |
| Powdered sugar, sifted | 110 g | 0.465 |
| Powdered sugar, unsifted (spooned) | 120 g | 0.507 |
| Powdered sugar, scooped | 130 g | 0.549 |
| Butter | 227 g | 0.959 |
| Cocoa powder, sifted | 84 g | 0.355 |
| Cocoa powder, spooned (unsifted) | 100 g | 0.423 |
| Rolled / old-fashioned oats | 90 g | 0.380 |
| Quick / instant oats | 80 g | 0.338 |
| Steel-cut oats | 160 g | 0.676 |
| White long-grain rice | 185 g | 0.782 |
| Brown rice | 190 g | 0.803 |
| Basmati rice | 200 g | 0.845 |
| Jasmine rice | 200 g | 0.845 |
| Chocolate chips, standard | 170 g | 0.719 |
| Chocolate chips, mini | 185 g | 0.782 |
| Chocolate chunks | 150 g | 0.634 |
| Peanut butter, smooth | 258 g | 1.091 |
| Peanut butter, crunchy | 250 g | 1.057 |
Small quantities: grams per teaspoon
Leavening and seasoning are measured by the teaspoon, where a gram or two changes the result. These are per level US teaspoon (4.92892 ml).
| Ingredient | Grams per level teaspoon (typical) |
|---|---|
| Baking powder | 4 g |
| Fine table salt | 6 g |
| Morton kosher salt | 4.8 g |
| Diamond Crystal kosher salt | 3 g |
| Coarse sea salt | 5 g |
Worked examples
Flour: a recipe needs 300 g of all-purpose flour. 300 ÷ 120 = 2.5 cups. Honey: a recipe needs 150 g of honey. 150 ÷ 1.42 = 105.6 ml, or 105.6 ÷ 236.588 = 0.45 cups. Butter: a recipe needs 1.5 cups of butter. 1.5 × 227 = 340.5 g — three US sticks (113 g each) plus a little.
Browse all our tools from the homepage, or see the full list of guides for more step-by-step explainers.