Cups (metric) to Cups (US legal) Converter

Convert cups (metric) to cups (us legal) for cooking measurements.

Common cooking measurement units

Metric cup (cup)

Definition: A metric cup is a volume unit equal to exactly 250 milliliters.

History/origin: The metric cup was adopted in countries that preferred a clean metric kitchen measure while still keeping the familiar idea of a cup.

Current use: Metric cups are used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada in some contexts, and modern metric-adapted recipes.

US legal cup (cup)

Definition: The US legal cup is a regulatory volume measure, not the usual home-cooking cup. Its value is exactly 240 mL.

History/origin: Food labeling rules needed a clean, consistent serving-size measure, so regulators defined a cup value that differs slightly from the customary kitchen cup.

Current use: The legal cup is used in US nutrition facts, serving-size references, packaged-food compliance, and official calculations where exact label values matter.

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