RationOne cup of flour is about 125 g. One cup of granulated sugar is about 201 g. Both are "a cup", but the sugar weighs over 60% more.
That gap is why recipes written in cups can give different results, and why weighing is more reliable. This chart gives the gram weight of one US cup (236.6 ml) and one tablespoon for 25 baking staples. The numbers come from the same table that powers Ration's free unit converter, which was checked against the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart.
Cups to grams chart
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose (plain) flour | 125 g | 8 g |
| Bread (strong) flour | 121 g | 8 g |
| Cake flour | 121 g | 8 g |
| Whole wheat (wholemeal) flour | 118 g | 7 g |
| Almond flour | 97 g | 6 g |
| Cornstarch (cornflour) | 111 g | 7 g |
| Granulated sugar | 201 g | 13 g |
| Caster sugar | 208 g | 13 g |
| Powdered (icing) sugar | 114 g | 7 g |
| Brown sugar, packed | 213 g | 13 g |
| Honey | 341 g | 21 g |
| Maple syrup | 322 g | 20 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 14 g |
| Vegetable or olive oil | 218 g | 14 g |
| Milk | 244 g | 15 g |
| Water | 237 g | 15 g |
| Greek yogurt | 251 g | 16 g |
| Peanut butter | 270 g | 17 g |
| Cocoa powder | 83 g | 5 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 6 g |
| White rice, uncooked | 201 g | 13 g |
| Chocolate chips | 142 g | 9 g |
| Baking powder | 213 g | 13 g |
| Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) | 206 g | 13 g |
| Table salt | 284 g | 18 g |
Weights are rounded to the nearest gram. For small amounts of leaveners and salt, use measuring spoons or a scale that reads to 0.1 g.
Why a cup of flour and a cup of sugar weigh different amounts
A cup measures space, not weight. How much fits in that space depends on the ingredient's density.
Flour is fine and full of air, so a cup holds relatively little of it. Sugar crystals pack tightly, so the same cup holds more. Honey and syrups are denser than water, which is why a cup of honey weighs more than a cup of milk.
How you fill the cup matters too. Flour scooped straight from the bag weighs noticeably more than flour spooned in and levelled, because scooping packs it down. Brown sugar is the opposite: recipes expect it pressed firmly into the cup, which is why "packed" appears in the chart.
US cups, metric cups and UK recipes
The chart uses the US cup of 236.6 ml, which is what most American recipes mean. Australia, New Zealand and Canada often use a 250 ml metric cup, which holds about 6% more. For most baking the difference is small, but in a large batch it adds up.
UK and Irish recipes usually give weights in grams already. If you're baking from an American recipe in a European kitchen, convert cups to grams and weigh. It's faster and more accurate than hunting for measuring cups.
How to convert any recipe
- Find the ingredient in the chart above, or look it up in the unit converter, which covers 80+ ingredients.
- Multiply the grams per cup by the amount in the recipe. Half a cup of butter is 227 ÷ 2 = about 114 g.
- Weigh everything into one bowl, zeroing the scale between ingredients.
Keep your conversions with your Meals
If you cook the same things often, Ration stores each Meal with its ingredients, tracks what's in your kitchen, and builds your shopping list from what you plan to cook, so you're not converting the same recipe every week.
FAQ
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
One US cup of all-purpose flour is about 125 g when spooned and levelled. Scooped flour can weigh noticeably more.
How many grams are in a cup of sugar?
One US cup of granulated sugar is about 201 g. Packed brown sugar is about 213 g, and powdered sugar is about 114 g.
How many grams are in a cup of butter?
One US cup of butter is about 227 g, which is two US sticks.
Is a cup of water 250 grams?
A US cup of water is about 237 g. A 250 ml metric cup of water weighs 250 g.
Is it better to weigh or measure baking ingredients?
Weighing is more accurate, because the weight of a cup changes with how it's filled. Most professional recipes use grams for this reason.