Cooking Measurement Converter
Convert volumetric cooking measures to grams, precisely by ingredient
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Weight
125.4g
125.4Flour (all-purpose): 1 cup = 125.4 g.
125.4 g equals 4.42 oz (1 oz = 28.35 g).
125.4 g of Flour (all-purpose) in every measure
Tap to use that measure.
1 cup weighs, depending on the ingredient
How this was calculated
Density: Flour (all-purpose) = 0.53 g/ml
Measured level; 1 cup = 1 US customary cup = 236.59 ml – the same cup the USDA gram figures refer to. Guide values – flour and sugar vary by type and how firmly they are packed.
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Converting cooking measurements: why the ingredient matters
Density, volume and weight in the kitchen explained
American and British recipes are measured almost exclusively by volume (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons). In Germany and Switzerland, weight (grams) is the standard. The decisive factor when converting is the ingredient's density: flour is much lighter than water, honey is heavier. 1 cup of water = 237 g, but 1 cup of flour = only about 125 g. Ignoring the ingredient-specific density leads to baking mistakes.
The US cup (1 cup = 236.59 ml) is the volume measure used most often in international recipes. A US customary cup is 1/16 US gallon = 236.59 ml; the gram figures in the USDA database refer to exactly this cup. The metric cup (common in Australia and Canada) is 250 ml – for recipes from there, choose “Metric cup (250 ml)” in the calculator.
Tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp) are largely standardized internationally: 1 tbsp = 15 ml (US, UK, DE), 1 tsp = 5 ml. One notable exception is Australia, where 1 Australian tablespoon = 20 ml. Our calculator uses the international standard (tbsp = 15 ml, tsp = 5 ml), which applies in most German and international cookbooks.
The density table used by our calculator is based on the USDA FoodData Central food database (grams per household cup): water (1.00 g/ml), flour (0.53 g/ml), sugar (0.85 g/ml), powdered sugar (0.51 g/ml), packed brown sugar (0.93 g/ml), butter (0.96 g/ml), long-grain rice (0.78 g/ml), milk (1.03 g/ml), cream (1.01 g/ml), yogurt (1.04 g/ml), honey (1.43 g/ml), maple syrup (1.33 g/ml), oil (0.92 g/ml), salt (1.23 g/ml), cocoa powder (0.36 g/ml), cornstarch (0.54 g/ml), rolled oats (0.34 g/ml) and ground almonds (0.40 g/ml, an approximation – the database gives no cup value for them). These values apply to level measuring without packing. Flour in particular can vary in density by up to 20% depending on sifting and storage time. For precise baking, weighing in grams with a kitchen scale is always recommended.
Practical tip for converting recipes: When converting an American recipe to metric measures, replace cups with grams. 3 cups of flour = 3 × 125 g = 375 g. ½ cup of butter = 0.5 × 227 g ≈ 114 g. For liquids (milk, water, oil), 1 cup = 236.59 ml, rounded 237 ml. With our measurement conversion and a kitchen scale, even American recipes turn out perfectly.
Density table of common ingredients
1 US cup (236.59 ml) in grams
- Water: 237 g
- Density 1.00 g/ml – reference value
- Flour: 125 g
- Density 0.53 g/ml – all-purpose flour
- Sugar: 201 g
- Density 0.85 g/ml – granulated sugar
- Butter: 227 g
- Density 0.96 g/ml – at room temperature
- Rice: 185 g
- Density 0.78 g/ml – long-grain, uncooked
- Honey: 338 g
- Density 1.43 g/ml – heaviest ingredient
Calculation examples
- Cup
- 1 × 236.59 ml = 236.59 ml
- Flour density
- 0.53 g/ml
- Calculation
- 236.59 ml × 0.53 g/ml
- Result
- 125.39 g
- Tablespoons
- 3 × 15 ml = 45 ml
- Honey density
- 1.43 g/ml
- Calculation
- 45 ml × 1.43 g/ml
- Result
- 64.35 g
- Teaspoons
- 2 × 5 ml = 10 ml
- Salt density
- 1.23 g/ml
- Calculation
- 10 ml × 1.23 g/ml
- Result
- 12.3 g
Frequently asked questions about the cooking measurement converter
Cups, tablespoons, teaspoons and grams explained clearly
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
A US cup (236.59 ml) of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 g. This follows from the density of flour: 0.53 g/ml × 236.59 ml = 125.4 g. Flour is loosely packed and varies depending on sifting and packing. When baking, weighing in grams is more precise than volume measurements.
Why is "1 cup" different in Germany than in the US?
In the US, 1 cup = 1/16 US gallon = 236.59 ml. In Germany, "1 Tasse" is not a standardized unit. The calculator therefore offers the US cup (236.59 ml), the metric cup (250 ml) and the coffee cup (assumption: 150 ml) – choose the one that matches the recipe.
How many grams does a tablespoon of sugar weigh?
1 tablespoon (tbsp) = 15 ml. Granulated sugar has a density of about 0.85 g/ml. That means 1 tbsp of sugar ≈ 15 × 0.85 = 12.75 g. When measuring with a tablespoon, a "heaped tbsp" is about 50% more than a "level tbsp". Our calculator always calculates with level (flat-measured) spoons.
Why does the calculator distinguish between ingredients?
Different ingredients have different densities. A US cup of water (236.59 ml) weighs 237 g (density 1.0), the same cup of flour 125 g (density 0.53), sugar 201 g (density 0.85) and butter 227 g (density 0.96). The densities come from USDA FoodData Central (the food database of the US Department of Agriculture), where they are given as grams per household cup.
Which ingredient has the highest density in the kitchen?
Among the ingredients included in the calculator, honey has the highest density at 1.43 g/ml. That means: 1 US cup (236.59 ml) of honey weighs about 338 g. Salt (1.23 g/ml) and milk (1.03 g/ml) also have higher densities than water. Oil, at 0.92 g/ml, is lighter than water. The ratio depends on molecular structure, crystallization and water content.