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Calculator Answers

How Many Grams in a Cup

Blake Boege
Written by Blake Boege · Founder, Calculator Answers

A grams-in-a-cup conversion is a kitchen measurement translation from volume to mass. Because different ingredients have different densities, a cup of flour weighs less (120 grams) than a cup of sugar (200 grams) or water (236.6 grams). Precise weighing in grams is standard for professional baking to ensure recipe consistency.

Calculate exact weight conversions for recipes. Switch between cups and grams for flour, sugar, butter, liquids, and other kitchen staples.

See also: How Many Tablespoons in a Cup, How Many Grams in an Ounce, and How Many Ounces in a Cup.

Quick Answer

Convert cups to grams for flour, sugar, butter, water, milk, and other common ingredients based on density.

Direct Answer

How Many Grams in a Cup?

The weight depends on the ingredient density:

  • Water / Milk: 236.6 grams
  • All-Purpose Flour: 120 grams
  • Granulated White Sugar: 200 grams
  • Butter: 227 grams

Note: Cups measure volume, while grams measure weight. Conversions depend on ingredient density.

Common Baking Ingredients Conversion Chart

Ingredient1/4 Cup1/2 Cup1 Cup
Water59 g118 g237 g
Flour (AP)30 g60 g120 g
White Sugar50 g100 g200 g
Butter57 g113 g227 g
Milk60 g120 g240 g
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Examples

1 Cup of Water

236.6 grams

1 Cup of Flour (AP)

120 grams

1 Cup of Granulated Sugar

200 grams

How it works

Because cups measure volume and grams measure weight, you cannot use a single multiplier. The formula to convert cups to grams is:

Weight (grams) = Volume (cups) × Density (grams/cup)

Why Weighing Ingredients is Better for Baking

In baking, precision is everything. Flour is particularly notorious for packing. Depending on how you scoop flour, a cup can weigh anywhere from 120 grams to 150 grams. This 25% variation can ruin cookies, cakes, and bread.

Using a digital kitchen scale and measuring in grams ensures consistent results every time, matching professional baking standards worldwide.

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Frequently asked questions

Grams measure mass/weight, whereas cups measure volume. Different ingredients have different densities. For instance, a cup of lead would weigh much more than a cup of feathers. In baking, a cup of dense granulated sugar (200g) weighs much more than a cup of airy all-purpose flour (120g).

One cup of all-purpose flour weighs approximately 120 grams when scooped correctly (using the 'spoon and level' method). Scooping directly with the cup compresses the flour, adding up to 20-30% more weight.

Close to those round numbers, but not exactly, and the reason matters: a cup measures volume and a gram measures mass, so the bridge between them is the density of water, which changes with temperature. A US customary cup is exactly 236.5882365 mL. At 20°C, water has a density of 998.207 kg/m³ in NIST's data, so a cup of it weighs about 236.2 grams rather than 236.59. A metric cup is exactly 250 mL and holds about 249.6 grams at the same temperature. The rule that 1 mL of water weighs 1 g is accurate to about two parts in a thousand at room temperature, which is fine for cooking and wrong as soon as you need the third digit.

It depends on the ingredient. For water, a half cup is 118.3 grams. For flour, it is 60 grams. For granulated sugar, it is 100 grams.