Why do cups weigh differently for different ingredients?

A cup is a volume measure (240ml for a US cup), but ingredients have different densities. A cup of flour weighs about 125g because flour is light and fluffy, while a cup of sugar weighs 200g because sugar granules pack more tightly. A cup of honey weighs 340g because it is dense.

Should I use US or metric cups?

This converter defaults to the US cup (240ml), which is the standard in most recipes. There is no official UK cup measurement. The metric cup (250ml) is used in Australia and some other countries — to convert those, open Advanced options and change Cup Volume to 250ml and the grams will rescale by 250/240 (about 4% more). A 250ml metric cup of water reads 250g; a 240ml US cup reads 240g.

Why is weighing better than using cups?

Cups can vary by 10-20% depending on how you scoop the ingredient. Scooping flour directly from the bag compresses it, giving more weight than spooning it in. Weighing in grams removes this inconsistency and gives reproducible results every time.

How do I measure a cup of flour correctly?

The most accurate method is to spoon the flour into the cup and level off with a knife (the spoon and sweep method). Never scoop directly from the bag or tap the cup to settle the flour, as this compresses it and gives too much. Better yet, just weigh it.

What about fractions of cups?

Enter the fraction as a decimal — half a cup is 0.5, a third is 0.33, a quarter is 0.25, three-quarters is 0.75. The calculator will give you the correct gram weight.

BakeCalcs

Cups to Grams Converter

Convert US cup measurements to grams for common baking and cooking ingredients.

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Cups

US cups (240ml)

How We Calculate This

This converter uses ingredient-specific weight-per-cup data calibrated to the US cup (240ml). Simply multiply the number of cups by the grams-per-cup value for your ingredient. If your recipe uses a 250ml metric (Australian) cup, set Cup Volume to 250 in Advanced options and the grams rescale automatically by 250/240.

Typical figures are taken from baking weight charts (e.g. King Arthur Baking) using the spoon-and-level method. Real cup weights vary by 10–20% depending on how you pack the ingredient, so weighing on a scale is always more reliable than scooping.

Common Conversions (1 US Cup)

Plain flour: 125g
Caster sugar: 200g
Brown sugar (packed): 220g
Butter: 227g
Rice (uncooked): 185g
Rolled oats: 90g
Cocoa powder: 85g
Icing sugar: 120g

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are based on standard ratios and conversions. Results may vary with specific ingredients, equipment, and conditions.