Cooking measurement converter

Common cooking measurement units

Cup (US)

Definition: A US cup is a unit of volume equal to 8 US fluid ounces, or approximately 236.588 milliliters. It is one of the most commonly used units in American cooking and baking recipes.

History/origin: The cup as a standard cooking measure was formalised in the United States in the late 19th century, largely through the work of Fannie Farmer, whose 1896 Boston Cooking-School Cook Book promoted level, standardised measurements in place of imprecise instructions like "a handful" or "a wine glass." The US cup of 236.588 mL has been the standard ever since.

Current use: The cup is the primary volume unit in US recipes and is also used in Canada (250 mL) and Australia (250 mL), though those countries use a slightly larger cup. When following a US recipe in a metric kitchen, 1 cup = 240 mL is the practical working value; the 3.4 mL difference rarely affects the outcome for most recipes.

Tablespoon (tbsp)

Definition: A US tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons, 1/16 of a cup, or approximately 14.787 milliliters. The abbreviation is tbsp or T.

History/origin: The tablespoon developed alongside the spoon as a household measure, originally varying by region and even by the size of the spoon used. Standardisation followed the same push for precision in cooking that produced the modern cup. The US tablespoon is now defined as exactly 1/16 of a US cup.

Current use: Tablespoons are used for smaller amounts of liquid and dry ingredients — oils, vinegars, spices, leavening agents, and condiments. Many recipes use tablespoons for quantities between a teaspoon and a quarter cup, where measuring by eye is impractical but a full cup would be excessive.

Teaspoon (tsp)

Definition: A US teaspoon is equal to 1/3 of a tablespoon, 1/48 of a cup, or approximately 4.929 milliliters. The abbreviation is tsp or t.

History/origin: Like the tablespoon, the teaspoon was originally an actual spoon measure. The formal standardisation of the teaspoon as exactly 1/3 of a tablespoon came with the widespread adoption of level measurement standards in the early 20th century.

Current use: Teaspoons are the standard unit for small amounts of flavouring ingredients: vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices, and concentrated liquids. At approximately 5 mL, the teaspoon closely matches the 5 mL medicine spoon used in healthcare, making it a practical crossover unit.

Fluid ounce (fl oz)

Definition: A US fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to 1/8 of a US cup, 2 tablespoons, or approximately 29.574 milliliters. It is distinct from the UK imperial fluid ounce (28.413 mL).

History/origin: The fluid ounce originated in England as the volume of one avoirdupois ounce of water. The US and UK values diverged when the US retained the wine gallon as its gallon standard in 1776 rather than adopting the imperial gallon later formalised by the UK in 1824.

Current use: Fluid ounces appear on US beverage containers, nutrition labels, and recipes that bridge cooking and bartending. A standard US coffee mug holds 8–12 fl oz; a shot of spirits is typically 1.5 fl oz.

Milliliter (mL)

Definition: A milliliter is one thousandth of a liter (0.001 L), exactly equal to one cubic centimeter (1 cm³). It is the metric system's standard unit for small liquid volumes.

History/origin: The milliliter follows from the liter and the metric prefix "milli-" meaning 1/1,000. Its exact equivalence to 1 cm³ makes it the natural unit for scientific and precision measurement of liquids.

Current use: Milliliters are the standard cooking volume unit in most of the world outside the United States. European, Asian, and most international recipes express liquid quantities in milliliters or liters. Kitchen scales that also measure liquids typically display in milliliters, and all nutrition labels in metric countries use milliliters for liquid volumes.

Pint (US)

Definition: A US pint is equal to 2 US cups, 16 US fluid ounces, or approximately 473.176 milliliters. The US pint differs from the UK imperial pint, which is 568.261 mL — about 20% larger.

History/origin: The pint is one of the oldest English volume measures, used for ale and wine in medieval England. The US and imperial pints diverged for the same reason as the gallon: the US retained the older wine measure while the UK standardised a new imperial system in 1824.

Current use: US pints are used for berries, cream, and other produce sold by volume in American markets. In a cooking context, a pint of heavy cream or a pint of stock is a common recipe quantity. The UK pint, being larger, is the standard for draught beer in British pubs.

Cooking conversion tables

Liquid measurement conversions

Dry ingredient conversions (cups to grams)

Volume measures for dry ingredients are imprecise because different ingredients have different densities. The values below use standard culinary density assumptions.

How to convert cooking measurements

Cups to milliliters

mL = cups × 236.588

Example: 2.5 cups = 2.5 × 236.588 = 591.47 mL

Tablespoons to milliliters

mL = tablespoons × 14.787

Example: 4 tbsp = 4 × 14.787 = 59.15 mL

Teaspoons to milliliters

mL = teaspoons × 4.929

Example: 3 tsp = 3 × 4.929 = 14.79 mL (≈ 1 tablespoon)

Fluid ounces to milliliters

mL = fl oz × 29.574

Example: 8 fl oz = 8 × 29.574 = 236.59 mL (≈ 1 US cup)

Why volume measurements are unreliable for dry ingredients

A cup is a fixed volume, but the weight of a cup of flour varies significantly depending on how it is measured. A cup of flour scooped directly from the bag — compressing it as the measuring cup pushes in — can weigh up to 160 g. A cup of flour spooned into the measuring cup and levelled weighs closer to 125 g. A cup of sifted flour weighs around 100 g. That is a 60% difference between the heaviest and lightest method, all from "one cup of flour."

This is why professional bakers and all serious baking recipes use weight (grams or ounces) rather than volume. Weight is consistent regardless of how the ingredient was packed, sifted, or settled. If you are scaling a recipe or baking anything where precision matters — bread, pastry, macarons — convert to grams and use a kitchen scale.

The converter uses standard culinary density values, which correspond to the spooned-and-levelled method for flour and the packed method for brown sugar. If your measuring technique differs, your results may vary by up to 10–15%.

Common cooking conversion questions

How many tablespoons are in a cup? 16 tablespoons = 1 US cup.

How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon? 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.

How many ml is a cup? 1 US cup = 236.588 mL. For practical purposes, 240 mL is the standard working value used in most conversions.

How many cups is 250 mL? 250 mL = 1.057 US cups, or approximately 1 cup and 1 tablespoon. Note that 250 mL is the cup size used in Australia, Canada, and many metric-adapted recipes — not the US cup of 236.588 mL.

How many grams is a cup of flour? Using the standard spooned-and-levelled method: 125 g for all-purpose flour. Using weight rather than volume is more reliable for baking.

How many grams is a cup of sugar? 200 g for granulated white sugar. Brown sugar packed firmly into the cup is approximately 220 g.

What is a stick of butter in grams? One US stick of butter = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 113.4 g.