Grams to cups converter
Pick the ingredient: each one has its own weight per cup.
Your inputs
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Example loaded. You can change any value.
There is no figure yet: nothing is calculated until you ask for it.
- Enter your measurements.
- Check the units and the assumptions.
- Press Calculate, or load the example.
Rather see a worked case? Press “Load example” and change any value afterwards.
Next step
The other direction, to check the figure or follow a US recipe with scales.
Where each number comes from Conversion constants are exact; densities and coverage rates come from cited sources; everything else is an assumption you can change. Methodology · Sources and updates
How to use it
- Type the amount in grams you have.
- Pick the ingredient from the list: that is what decides the answer.
- If your recipe uses metric or legal cups, change it in the advanced options.
- The result includes the nearest fraction on a real measuring cup.
How it is calculated
Going from weight to volume needs the density of the ingredient:
All-purpose flour has a bulk density of 0.507 g/ml, which means a US cup (236.6 ml) weighs 120 g. Granulated sugar, at 0.837 g/ml, weighs 198 g in the same cup. That is why there is no universal grams-to-cups conversion.
The fraction shown (½, ⅓, ¾...) is snapped to the sizes in a real measuring-cup set, because in practice you are not going to measure 0.87 cups: you will measure ⅞, or more likely a cup minus a couple of tablespoons.
Worked example
You have 250 g of all-purpose flour and the recipe calls for cups:
- Flour density: 0.507 g/ml
- Volume: 250 / 0.507 = 493 ml
- In US cups: 493 / 236.6 = 2.08 cups
- In practice: 2 level cups
The same 250 g of sugar gives 1.26 cups. The gap between those two answers is exactly why you pick the ingredient.
Good to know
- Three different cups. The US cup is 236.6 ml, the US legal cup 240 ml and the metric cup 250 ml. That is a 6 % spread between the first and the last.
- How you fill the cup matters. Scooping straight from the flour bag compacts it and can add 15 % to the weight compared with spooning it in.
- The figures are sourced. Solids come from the King Arthur Baking weight chart; liquids from their physical density. It is all in the ingredient table.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 250 grams of flour?
About 2.08 US cups, so a little over two level cups. With a 250 ml metric cup it is 1.97 cups: essentially two.
How many grams are in a cup?
It depends on the ingredient. A US cup of flour weighs 120 g, granulated sugar 198 g, butter 226 g and rolled oats 89 g. There is no single figure.
Which cup does this calculator use?
The 236.6 ml US cup by default, the one in American recipes. In the advanced options you can switch to the 240 ml legal cup or the 250 ml metric cup.
Why does my cup weigh something different?
Almost always how you fill it. Packing flour can add 15 %. The reference figures assume spooning into the cup and levelling without pressing.
Can I trust measuring in cups?
For stews and savoury cooking, yes. For baking, weighing gives better results, because the error from a badly filled cup is large.
My ingredient is not in the list
The list has 85 ingredients and is growing. If yours is missing, pick one of similar texture and density, and check the equivalence in the ingredient table.