Why grams-to-cups depends on the ingredient
A cup is a volume; a gram is a weight. The bridge between them is density, and baking ingredients vary wildly: a US cup holds about 120 g of flour, 200 g of sugar, 227 g of butter or 340 g of honey. Any converter that uses one number for everything will ruin recipes — this one carries a measured density for every ingredient in the list.
Common conversions at a glance
| Ingredient | 1 cup | ½ cup | ¼ cup | 1 tbsp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour, all-purpose | 120 g | 60 g | 30 g | 7.5 g |
| Sugar, granulated | 200 g | 100 g | 50 g | 12.5 g |
| Sugar, brown (packed) | 220 g | 110 g | 55 g | 13.8 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 60 g | 30 g | 7.5 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 113 g | 57 g | 14.2 g |
| Cocoa powder | 85 g | 43 g | 21 g | 5.3 g |
| Milk | 244 g | 122 g | 61 g | 15.3 g |
| Honey | 340 g | 170 g | 85 g | 21.3 g |
| Rolled oats | 89 g | 45 g | 22 g | 5.6 g |
Spoon, don't scoop
Density values assume the standard spoon-and-level method: fluff the flour, spoon it into the cup, level with a knife. Dragging the cup through the bag compacts flour by up to 20% — the classic reason cookies come out dry and cakes dense. If you ever weigh one "scooped" cup of flour, don't be surprised to see 145 g instead of 120 g.
Which cup is this?
All conversions here use the US legal cup of 240 ml (the one on US nutrition labels and in modern US recipes). Australian recipes use a 250 ml metric cup — about 4% bigger, rarely enough to matter — and old British recipes occasionally mean the 284 ml imperial cup, which does matter. When in doubt with a modern recipe, assume 240 ml.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a cup of flour?
About 120 g for all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled. Scooped straight from the bag it compacts to 140–150 g, which is why "it worked in cups" recipes often fail.
How many grams are in a cup of sugar?
Granulated white sugar: 200 g per cup. Packed brown sugar: ~220 g. Powdered (icing) sugar: ~120 g.
How many grams is a stick of butter?
One US stick is 113 g = ½ cup = 8 tbsp. Two sticks make a cup (227 g). The butter widget above converts any direction.
Why not one conversion number for everything?
Because cups measure volume and grams measure weight — the link is density, and flour (120 g/cup) is nothing like honey (340 g/cup). Pick the ingredient and the converter applies its real density.
Are US, UK and Australian cups the same?
No — this tool uses the 240 ml US legal cup. Australia uses 250 ml; old UK recipes sometimes mean 284 ml. For modern recipes, 240 ml is the safe assumption.
Is baking by weight really better?
Yes — a scale removes the 10–20% person-to-person variation in how cups get filled. Convert once, then bake by grams.
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