How to use the Cooking Measurement Converter
Cooking measurement conversions are trickier than they look because volume and weight are not the same thing. A cup measures space (236.588 mL, to be exact, for 1 US cup); a gram or ounce measures mass. The only way to convert correctly between the two is to know the ingredient's density — how much a given volume of that specific substance weighs. That is why 1 cup of honey (about 336 g) weighs almost three times as much as 1 cup of cocoa powder (about 84 g), even though both fill the same cup.
To use this tool: enter an amount, pick the volume unit (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, or milliliters), and choose the ingredient from the list. The calculator converts your volume to milliliters first, then multiplies by that ingredient's density (grams per milliliter) to get the weight in grams, which it also converts to ounces. It shows the tablespoon-equivalent too, since 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons exactly.
The formula
Weight (g) = Volume (mL) × Density (g/mL), where Volume (mL) is derived from the unit you chose using the exact US customary conversions: 1 cup = 236.588 mL, 1 tablespoon = 14.7868 mL (1/16 cup), and 1 teaspoon = 4.92892 mL (1/48 cup). Ounces are then grams ÷ 28.3495 (1 oz = 28.3495 g).
Reference densities used here (grams per US cup, spooned and leveled)
- Water: 236.588 g (density 1.00 g/mL, the baseline)
- All-purpose flour: 120 g
- Granulated sugar: 200 g; powdered/confectioners' sugar: 120 g; brown sugar, firmly packed: 220 g
- Butter: 227 g (1 cup = 2 sticks = 8 oz)
- Honey or corn syrup: 336 g
- Milk: 245 g; vegetable oil: 218 g
- Uncooked white rice: 185 g; cocoa powder: 84 g; table salt: 292 g
These figures come from standard baking references (King Arthur Baking's ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central) and assume the "spoon and level" method: spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup, then level it off with a straight edge, rather than scooping and packing it in.
Scaling recipes
Most ingredients scale linearly — if a recipe calls for 2 cups and you want triple the batch, use 6 cups (or convert to grams first and multiply by 3, which is more accurate). Two categories don't scale linearly in practice: leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda, yeast) tend to over-leaven large batches, so many bakers use about 75–80% of the linear amount when tripling a recipe; and strong spices or salt are usually scaled to 50–75% of the linear amount and adjusted to taste, since perceived intensity doesn't grow proportionally with volume.
Accuracy tips
- Weigh ingredients on a kitchen scale for baking — volume measurements are inherently imprecise for dry, compressible ingredients like flour or brown sugar.
- Zero (tare) your scale between additions when combining multiple ingredients in one bowl.
- For amounts under about 5 g (a pinch of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda), most home scales lose precision; a calibrated volume measure (measuring spoon) is often more reliable than weighing.
- Always spoon flour and sugar into the cup and level with a knife — scooping directly from the bag compacts the ingredient and can add 20–30% extra weight.