1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour in Grams
Weighing 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour gives you 40 g — the King Arthur Baking value for a spooned and levelled measure, where a full cup weighs 120 g. The standard white wheat flour for most baking, milled from a blend of hard and soft wheat. Everything on this page is approximate by design, so when a recipe matters, confirm the weight on a kitchen scale.
All-Purpose Flour cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 30 g | 4 |
| 1/3 cup | 40 g | 5.3 |
| 1/2 cup | 60 g | 8 |
| 2/3 cup | 80 g | 10.7 |
| 3/4 cup | 90 g | 12 |
| 1 cup | 120 g | 16 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 180 g | 24 |
| 2 cups | 240 g | 32 |
The tablespoon column shows how many tablespoons each amount equals: 1/3 cup is 5.3 tablespoons, and one tablespoon of all-purpose flour weighs about 7.5. A cup is 16 tablespoons, so the numbers in the table are just the cup weight divided by 16, rounded to one decimal place. For small amounts a scale that reads to the gram is far more reliable than a spoon, because a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one. Read the table from the 1/3 cup row outwards: every other row is a multiple of 40 g, so scaling a recipe up or down is simple multiplication.
When 1/3 cup shows up in real recipes
Recipes call for 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour more often than people expect, because recipe writers use it as a scaling step: it is the amount you get when you scale a recipe down to a third, or when you divide a full cup between three small bakes. That means it appears in scaled recipes and half-batches — exactly the situations where the margins are thin. Knowing that 1/3 cup is 40 g lets you scale the whole recipe in grams, which is the only way to keep every ingredient in proportion.
How the weight was measured
Spooned and levelled means the ingredient is measured the way King Arthur Baking measures it: spooned and levelled. For all-purpose flour, that gives 120 g per cup, and a third of a cup of that is 40 g. The source for the figure is King Arthur Baking, and the confidence in the value is high. King Arthur Baking publishes a standard ingredient weight chart that recipe developers use as a reference, and this page follows it exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
A note on disputed figures. Flour weight is the most disputed conversion in baking: King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup. We use the King Arthur spooned-and-levelled value as primary. That is why this page uses the King Arthur Baking value of 120 g per cup as its single, stated source, rather than averaging across charts. If a recipe you trust uses a different figure, follow that recipe's chart for that recipe — but do not mix charts inside one recipe.
Worked examples
A small batch built around 1/3 cup
Sometimes 1/3 cup is the whole point of the recipe, not a fraction of it. A small batch of a batch of morning muffins for two people often needs just 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour — 40 g — alongside the other ingredients, and at that scale there is nothing to hide behind: too much and the result is heavy or overpowering, too little and it is bland or falls apart. Weigh the 40 g first, before you start mixing, so you know the foundation is right. Once you know that 1/3 cup is 40 g, you can scale the same recipe up for four people by doubling to 80 g without ever touching a measuring cup, and the result will taste the same.
Doubling and halving from 1/3 cup
Halving a recipe is where 1/3 cup appears most often in real kitchens. A recipe written for a family might call for 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour; halved, that is 1/3 cup, or 40 g. The trap is halving by volume: half of 1 1/2 cups is easy to say and hard to measure, because few cup sets have a 3/4-cup measure and fewer still have a 1/3-cup one. Weighing 40 g sidesteps the problem entirely. And if you are doubling instead, two lots of 1/3 cup is 1 1/2 cups, which is 80 g — again, one number on the scale, no cup juggling, and the recipe stays in proportion.
Scaling a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup
A recipe for a layer cake calls for 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour, and you want to make one and a half times as much for guests. On the scale that is simple: 40 g times 1.5 is 60 g, and you weigh it straight into the bowl. Doing the same sum in cups means measuring a cup and an eighth, which no measuring cup marks, so most people guess — and guessing is how a good recipe goes wrong. The same logic works in reverse: halve the recipe and you need 20 g, which is 20 g on the scale and a fiddly 2.6 tablespoons by volume. all-purpose flour is used for cakes, cookies, breads, pastry and sauces, and the weighed amount keeps the ratio right at any scale.
Practical guidance for all-purpose flour
Flour is the ingredient where measuring method matters most, and a third of a cup is small enough for a bad technique to ruin the ratio. Scooping the cup straight from the bag packs the flour down and can add a fifth to the weight; spooning it in loosely and levelling with a knife gives the figure used on this page, 120 per cup from King Arthur Baking, and a third of that is 40. That single technique — spoon and level — is worth learning properly, because it applies to every flour on this site. Sifting changes volume, not weight, so if a recipe calls for sifted flour, weigh 40 first and sift it afterwards. Flour also absorbs moisture from the air, so a bag left open in a humid kitchen will weigh more per cup than a fresh one, and the scale is the only tool that tells you the truth.
Scaling 1/3 cup up and down
Once you know that 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour is 40 g, the rest is arithmetic. A full cup is 120 g, half a cup is 60 g, and two cups is 240 g. Doubling a recipe that calls for 1/3 cup means weighing 80 g; halving it means 20 g, which is about 2.6 tablespoons. Writing the recipe in grams at this point is worth doing: the next time you make it, you weigh 40 g straight into the bowl and skip the measuring cup altogether. If you are scaling a recipe for a different tin size, convert every ingredient to grams first and then multiply — scaling by volume compounds the error on every ingredient at once, while scaling by weight keeps each one exact.
Common mistakes with all-purpose flour
- Scooping the cup from the bag. Scooping packs the ingredient down and can add several grams per cup. Always spoon and level, or weigh 40 g.
- Scooping the cup from the bag. Scooping packs the flour down and can add several grams even to a third of a cup. Always spoon and level, or weigh 40.
- Measuring over the mixing bowl. Levelling over the bowl drops the excess straight into the batter, so you have added all-purpose flour you did not intend. Level over the bag or the sink.
- Measuring over the mixing bowl. Levelling over the bowl drops the excess straight into the batter. Level over the bag or the sink.
Storage and handling
Airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. Keeping all-purpose flour stored properly also keeps its weight per cup stable: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, so a sealed container is not just about freshness, it is about measurement accuracy too. If a bag has been open for months in a humid kitchen, the first thing to do before a precise bake is to weigh the ingredient rather than trusting the cup. Label the container with the conversion — 1/3 cup is 40 g — and the next person to bake with it will thank you.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour?
1/3 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 40 g, measured spooned and levelled according to King Arthur Baking. That is a third of a cup of the full-cup weight of 120 g, and it is the figure to use when converting a recipe from cups to grams. All the figures on this page are approximate, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
How many tablespoons is 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour?
There are 5.3 tablespoons in 1/3 cup, whatever the ingredient. One tablespoon of all-purpose flour weighs about 7.5, so 5.3 tablespoons come to about 40 g. For amounts like this, a scale that reads to the gram is more reliable than spoons, because a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one.
How do I measure 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour without a scale?
All-purpose flour is measured spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. Spoon it into a 1/3 cup measure, level the top with the back of a knife, and you will be close to 40 g. That is the best you can do without a scale — but be honest with yourself that it is an estimate. A basic digital kitchen scale costs less than a bag of good ingredients and removes the guesswork from every recipe, not just this one.
What is all-purpose flour used for?
Cakes, cookies, breads, pastry and sauces. The standard white wheat flour for most baking, milled from a blend of hard and soft wheat. 1/3 cup — 40 g — is a common amount in small batches and scaled recipes, which is why this conversion comes up so often.
How should I store all-purpose flour?
Airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. Good storage keeps the ingredient fresh and keeps its weight per cup consistent, because moisture absorbed from the air adds grams that the recipe did not ask for.
Why do different charts give different weights for all-purpose flour?
Flour weight is the most disputed conversion in baking: King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup. We use the King Arthur spooned-and-levelled value as primary. We use the King Arthur Baking figure of 120 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, so 1/3 cup is 40 g. If a recipe you trust uses a different figure, follow that recipe's chart for that recipe — but do not mix charts inside one recipe.
Related conversions
Use the cups to grams converter flour substitute converter recipe scaler cups to grams hub for instant answers, or browse the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Related pages: 1 cup of all-purpose flour in grams, 120 g of all-purpose flour in cups, tablespoons of all-purpose flour in grams, all-purpose flour guide, 1/3 Cup Bread Flour in Grams, 1/3 Cup Cake Flour in Grams. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.