Why a cup of flour is not a cup of sugar
Cups measure volume; grams measure weight. Different ingredients pack differently, so the same cup holds very different weights. That is why converting cups to grams needs the specific ingredient. The table below shows USDA's weight for one US cup of common ingredients.
| Ingredient | 1 cup weighs about |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 125 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g |
| Brown sugar | — |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g |
| Butter | 227 g |
| White rice, uncooked | 185 g |
| Rolled oats | 81 g |
| Whole milk | 244 g |
| Olive oil | 216 g |
| Honey | 339 g |
Flour is the most variable: spooned lightly into the cup and leveled, it weighs less than if you scoop the cup through the bag. If a recipe gives grams, weighing is more reliable than measuring by cup.
US volume equivalents
| Unit | Equals | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon (tsp) | ⅓ tablespoon | 4.93 ml |
| 1 tablespoon (tbsp) | 3 teaspoons | 14.79 ml |
| 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) | 2 tablespoons | 29.57 ml |
| 1 cup | 16 tablespoons or 8 fl oz | 236.59 ml |
| 1 pint | 2 cups | 473.18 ml |
| 1 quart | 4 cups | 946.35 ml |
| 1 gallon | 4 quarts | 3,785.41 ml |
Nutrition labels in the US use a rounded "cup" of 240 ml, and metric cups in Australia and other countries are 250 ml. UK imperial pints (568 ml) and fluid ounces (28.4 ml) also differ from US measures. For most cooking the difference is small, but it adds up in baking.
Oven temperatures
| Fahrenheit | Celsius | Gas mark | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250°F | 120°C | ½ | Very low |
| 275°F | 140°C | 1 | Very low |
| 300°F | 150°C | 2 | Low |
| 325°F | 160°C | 3 | Moderately low |
| 350°F | 180°C | 4 | Moderate |
| 375°F | 190°C | 5 | Moderately hot |
| 400°F | 200°C | 6 | Hot |
| 425°F | 220°C | 7 | Hot |
| 450°F | 230°C | 8 | Very hot |
| 475°F | 240°C | 9 | Very hot |
The exact formula is °C = (°F − 32) × 5 ÷ 9. The table uses the rounded values printed on recipes and oven dials, so 350°F appears as 180°C rather than 176.7°C.
Weight equivalents
- 1 ounce (oz) = 28.35 g, and 1 pound (lb) = 16 oz = 453.6 g.
- 100 g ≈ 3.5 oz, and 1 kg ≈ 2.2 lb.
- Weight ounces and fluid ounces are different: 1 fl oz of water weighs about 1.04 oz, but 1 fl oz of honey weighs much more.
Sources
- FoodData Central (SR Legacy dataset, April 2018) — USDA Agricultural Research Service
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement — National Institute of Standards and Technology
Found a mistake? See our corrections policy.