This cups to grams converter converts volume to weight the only correct way — per ingredient. Pick what you are measuring, enter cups, tablespoons or teaspoons, and get grams (or run it in reverse).
Weights use standard US reference values (King Arthur / USDA style): spooned-and-leveled flour, packed brown sugar. Your flour brand and scooping style can swing results ±10% — the eternal argument for weighing.
Why “1 Cup = 240 Grams” Is Wrong
A cup measures volume; a gram measures mass. The conversion between them is the ingredient’s density, and ingredients differ wildly: a cup of honey (340 g) weighs nearly three times a cup of flour (120 g). Any converter using one number for everything is quietly sabotaging your baking. This page uses the standard per-ingredient reference weights used by professional test kitchens, with the measuring conventions stated (spooned flour, packed brown sugar). It is the kitchen companion to our general Weight Converter, in our Food Calculators collection.
The Chart (Screenshot-Worthy)
| Ingredient | 1 cup | 1 tbsp | Ingredient | 1 cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | 7.5 g | Butter | 227 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 12.5 g | Honey | 340 g |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 220 g | 13.8 g | Milk | 240 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 7.5 g | Water | 236 g |
| Cocoa powder | 100 g | 6.3 g | Rolled oats | 90 g |
Worked Examples (Verified)
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour → 2.5 × 120 = 300 g
- 3 tablespoons of sugar → 3 × 12.5 = 37.5 g
- Reverse: a recipe wants 250 g flour → 250 ÷ 120 = 2.08 cups (2 cups + a heaping tablespoon, if you must)
Measuring Honestly
- Scooping flour from the bag packs it — a “cup” can reach 150 g, 25% over the standard, and is the #1 cause of dense, dry bakes. Spoon flour into the cup and level it, or better: weigh.
- US cups here (240 ml). An Australian cup is 250 ml and its tablespoon 20 ml — international recipes convert with slightly different numbers.
- “Packed” brown sugar means pressed until it holds the cup’s shape when tipped out — the one ingredient where violence is specified.
Related Tools
- Weight Converter — pure units, no ingredients
- Recipe Scaler Calculator — scale the whole recipe
- Food Calculators — the full collection
Frequently Asked Questions
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
120 grams for all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (the King Arthur standard; some charts use up to 125 g). Scooped from the bag it can hit 150 g — weighing removes the ambiguity entirely.
How many grams in a cup of sugar?
Granulated: 200 g. Brown (packed): 220 g. Powdered: 120 g. Same word “sugar,” three very different answers — exactly why ingredient matters.
Why do different websites give different cup weights?
Different flour brands, measuring conventions (scooped vs. spooned) and national cup definitions. Within a system (this page uses King Arthur-style values), consistency matters more than the last 5 grams.
Is a US cup the same as a metric cup?
No — US cup = 236.6 ml (240 in nutrition labeling, used here); metric cup = 250 ml. On large quantities the 5% difference is worth knowing about.
How many grams is a tablespoon of butter?
Butter runs 227 g per cup ÷ 16 = about 14.2 g per tablespoon — conveniently, US butter sticks are marked in tablespoons for exactly this reason.
Is this cups to grams converter free?
Yes — free, instant, no sign-up.