Grams To Cups Conversion Guide
Convert grams to cups, or cups to grams, for flour, sugar, butter and more. Includes an ingredient chart and both US and metric cup sizes, so your recipe turns out right.
Grams To Cups Converter
Pick your ingredient, enter an amount and choose which way to convert. The result also shows millilitres, tablespoons and the nearest practical measuring cup fraction.
Grams & Cups Converter
Approximate values for common ingredients.
Grams to Cups at a Glance
Quick facts for everyday baking
Grams Are Weight, Cups Are Volume
There is no single answer for grams to cups. You need to know the ingredient, because each one has a different density.
Handy Numbers to Remember
One US cup is roughly 120 g of plain flour, 200 g of sugar, 227 g of butter and 237 g of water.
Not All Cups Are Equal
A US cup is about 237 ml, and a metric cup is 250 ml. Check where your recipe comes from.
Scales Beat Cups
How you fill a cup can change the weight of flour by 20 g or more. Weighing is the most accurate way to bake.
How to Convert Grams to Cups
The simple maths behind the converter, so you can work it out without a calculator.
Why grams to cups is different for each ingredient
A cup measures how much space something takes up, while a gram measures how heavy it is. A cup of sifted flour is light and airy, so it weighs far less than a cup of dense honey. That is why a single “grams to cups” number does not exist.
The formula
Find how many grams one cup of your ingredient weighs, then divide.
For example, 250 g of plain flour at 120 g per cup is 250 ÷ 120, which is about 2.1 cups. To find the grams in 1½ cups of caster sugar at 200 g per cup, multiply 1.5 × 200 to get 300 g.
Changing the cup size
The chart on this page uses the US customary cup of about 237 ml. If your recipe uses a 250 ml metric cup, multiply the grams per cup by about 1.056. One metric cup of plain flour, for example, is roughly 127 g rather than 120 g.
Where the numbers come from
The weights used here are typical values for a cup that is spooned in and levelled, or packed in the case of brown sugar. Published figures differ slightly between sources, and some ingredients such as icing sugar and oats vary by brand, so treat every result as a guide.
Grams to Cups Ingredient Chart
Weights in grams for common cup fractions, based on a US cup of about 237 ml. Values are rounded to the nearest gram.
| Ingredient | 1 cup | ¾ cup | ⅔ cup | ½ cup | ⅓ cup | ¼ cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain, self-raising or bread flour | 120 g | 90 g | 80 g | 60 g | 40 g | 30 g |
| Wholemeal flour | 113 g | 85 g | 75 g | 57 g | 38 g | 28 g |
| Caster or granulated sugar | 200 g | 150 g | 133 g | 100 g | 67 g | 50 g |
| Light brown sugar (packed) | 213 g | 160 g | 142 g | 107 g | 71 g | 53 g |
| Icing (powdered) sugar | 113 g | 85 g | 75 g | 57 g | 38 g | 28 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 170 g | 151 g | 114 g | 76 g | 57 g |
| Honey or golden syrup | 340 g | 255 g | 227 g | 170 g | 113 g | 85 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 68 g | 60 g | 45 g | 30 g | 23 g |
| Cocoa powder | 84 g | 63 g | 56 g | 42 g | 28 g | 21 g |
| Ground almonds | 96 g | 72 g | 64 g | 48 g | 32 g | 24 g |
| Cornflour (cornstarch) | 112 g | 84 g | 75 g | 56 g | 37 g | 28 g |
| Long-grain rice (uncooked) | 185 g | 139 g | 123 g | 93 g | 62 g | 46 g |
| Chocolate chips | 170 g | 128 g | 113 g | 85 g | 57 g | 43 g |
| Vegetable oil | 218 g | 164 g | 145 g | 109 g | 73 g | 55 g |
| Milk | 245 g | 184 g | 163 g | 123 g | 82 g | 61 g |
| Water | 237 g | 178 g | 158 g | 119 g | 79 g | 59 g |
Cup and Spoon Sizes Compared
“A cup” is not the same everywhere. Knowing which one your recipe uses avoids small errors that add up.
| Measure | Volume | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | About 236.6 ml | US recipes. The chart on this page is based on this size. |
| US legal cup | 240 ml | US nutrition labelling. Many US recipes treat a cup as 240 ml. |
| Metric cup | 250 ml | Modern recipes in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. |
| Old imperial cup | About 284 ml | Some older British recipes, based on half an imperial pint. Rarely used now. |
| US tablespoon | About 14.8 ml | US recipes. There are 16 tablespoons in a US cup. |
| UK and metric tablespoon | 15 ml | UK and most metric recipes. |
| Australian tablespoon | 20 ml | Australian recipes only. This is larger than other tablespoons, so take care. |
Measuring Cups or Kitchen Scales?
Both work, but they suit different jobs. Here is how they compare.
Measuring Cups
Quick and familiar
- Fast. Ideal for forgiving recipes like soups, stews and pancakes.
- No scales needed. Handy when you do not have any in the kitchen.
- Good for liquids. A jug marked in cups or millilitres works well.
- Less consistent for dry goods. Flour can vary by 20 g or more per cup.
Digital Scales
Accurate and repeatable
- Precise. The same weight every time, whoever does the measuring.
- Best for baking. Bread, cakes and pastry are sensitive to small changes.
- Less washing up. Weigh everything into one bowl using the tare button.
- Easy to scale a recipe. Halving or doubling is simple with grams.
How to Measure a Cup Accurately
If you are using cups, these steps get you closest to the weights in this guide.
Fluff up the flour first
Flour packs down in the bag or container. Stir or whisk it with a fork or spoon so it is light and loose before you measure.
Spoon it into the cup
Lightly spoon flour and other dry powders into the cup until they heap over the top. Do not scoop the cup straight into the bag, which packs the flour and adds extra weight.
Level it off
Sweep the back of a knife across the rim of the cup so the surface is flat. Do not tap or shake the cup.
Pack brown sugar
Brown sugar is the exception. Press it firmly into the cup so it holds its shape when tipped out, unless the recipe says otherwise.
Measure liquids at eye level
Use a clear jug with markings for liquids, place it on a flat surface and read the line at eye level. Dry cups are not designed to be filled to the brim with liquid.
Grams to Cups FAQ
Answers to the questions bakers ask most about converting grams and cups.
It depends on the ingredient, because a cup measures volume and grams measure weight. One US cup holds about 120 g of plain flour, 200 g of granulated sugar, 227 g of butter and 237 g of water.
Divide the weight in grams by the number of grams in one cup of that ingredient. For example, 250 g of plain flour divided by 120 g per cup is about 2.1 cups.
Every ingredient has a different density. A cup of light, fluffy flour weighs much less than a cup of dense honey, even though both fill the same space.
100 g of plain flour is about five-sixths of a US cup, which is roughly three-quarters of a cup plus 1 tablespoon, using 120 g per cup.
A US cup of granulated or caster sugar weighs about 200 g. Firmly packed light brown sugar weighs about 213 g per cup, and icing sugar weighs about 113 g per cup, although this varies by brand and how it is measured.
A US cup of butter weighs about 227 g, which is two US sticks. A 250 g UK block of butter is a little over one cup.
Not exactly. A US customary cup is about 237 ml, while modern UK, Australian and New Zealand recipes usually use a metric cup of 250 ml. That is roughly 5% to 6% more, which can matter in baking. Very old British recipes may use a cup of about 284 ml.
No, they are estimates. The weight of a cup of flour can change by 20 g or more depending on whether you spoon it in and level it or scoop it straight from the bag. For accurate baking, weigh ingredients with digital scales.
500 g of plain flour is about 4 cups, or 4 and one-eighth cups using 120 g per US cup. Recipes that use 125 g per cup will give slightly under 4 cups.
Yes. Water weighs about 237 g per US cup, so grams and millilitres are almost identical. Milk is slightly heavier at about 245 g per cup, and oil is lighter at about 218 g per cup.