A stick of butter is 1/2 cup. That is the answer: 1 US stick of butter equals half a cup, which equals 8 tablespoons, which equals 4 ounces, which equals 113 grams. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, use 2 sticks. If it calls for a quarter cup, use half a stick. This page gives you the table, the baking examples, and the reason the stick is the most convenient unit in American baking — because it is marked in tablespoons on the wrapper, so you can measure it without a scale or a cup.
The conversion table
| Sticks of butter | Cups | Tablespoons | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 stick | 1/8 cup | 2 tbsp | 1 oz | 28.4 g |
| 1/2 stick | 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp | 2 oz | 56.7 g |
| 3/4 stick | 3/8 cup | 6 tbsp | 3 oz | 85.0 g |
| 1 stick | 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 4 oz | 113.4 g |
| 1 1/4 sticks | 5/8 cup | 10 tbsp | 5 oz | 141.7 g |
| 1 1/2 sticks | 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp | 6 oz | 170.1 g |
| 2 sticks | 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 8 oz | 226.8 g |
| 3 sticks | 1 1/2 cups | 24 tbsp | 12 oz | 340.2 g |
| 4 sticks | 2 cups | 32 tbsp | 16 oz | 453.6 g |
The gram figures are rounded to one decimal place. A stick is a quarter of a pound, and a pound is 2 cups of butter, so a stick is half a cup.
Worked example 1: a cake that needs a cup of butter
A cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, and your butter is in sticks. One cup is 2 sticks, so unwrap two sticks and use them both. If the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, that is 3 sticks, which is 12 ounces, or 340 grams. The conversion is so simple that it is easy to get careless, and the usual mistake is to use 1 stick for 1 cup, which halves the butter and leaves a dry, crumbly cake. Always double the cups to get sticks, and check the number before you unwrap.
Worked example 2: a sauce that needs a quarter cup
A pan sauce recipe calls for 1/4 cup of butter to finish it, and you have a stick. A quarter cup is half a stick, so cut the stick in half and drop one half into the pan. The butter will melt in seconds, and the sauce will turn glossy. If the recipe calls for 3/4 cup, that is a stick and a half, which is 12 tablespoons, and you should cut the second stick at the 4-tablespoon mark to get the extra half stick. The tablespoon marks on the wrapper make this exact, and they are the reason the stick is so convenient.
Worked example 3: a recipe written in cups only
An old recipe calls for 2/3 cup of butter, and you want to know how many sticks that is. Two thirds of a cup is 1 1/3 sticks, which is 1 stick plus 2 2/3 tablespoons — an awkward number. The practical answer is to measure 2/3 cup by weight: 2/3 of a cup is 151 grams, so weigh 151 grams from a block, or cut a stick and a third of a stick by eye and accept a small error. For a precise bake, weigh it; for a sauce or a soup, the error will not matter.
Method and source
A US stick of butter is defined as a quarter of a pound, which is 4 ounces, and a cup of butter is 8 ounces, because butter is sold by weight and a cup is a measure of volume, but the density of butter is such that 8 ounces fills a cup. That gives half a cup per stick, and the figure is printed on the wrapper of every stick sold in the United States. A European block of butter is usually 250 grams, which is about 1.1 cups, and it is not marked in cups, so a European baker weighs butter rather than measuring it in cups. The figure half a cup is exact for an American stick, and it is the most reliable butter conversion you will use, because the wrapper does the measuring for you.
Practical guidance
Use the tablespoon marks on the wrapper when you have American butter: a stick is 8 tablespoons, so half a stick is 4 tablespoons, which is a quarter cup, and a whole stick is 8 tablespoons, which is half a cup. When you have European butter, weigh it instead: half a cup is 113 grams, and a cup is 227 grams. Soften butter at room temperature for 30 minutes before you cream it, and do not melt it unless the recipe says to, because melted butter gives a different texture. Store butter in the fridge, and freeze it if you will not use it within a few weeks. And remember the anchor: a stick is half a cup, 8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, and 113 grams.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups are in a stick of butter?
There is half a cup in a stick of butter. That is the standard American conversion, and it is printed on the wrapper. A stick is also 8 tablespoons, 4 ounces, and 113 grams.
How many cups are in half a stick of butter?
There is a quarter cup in half a stick of butter. Half a stick is also 4 tablespoons, 2 ounces, and 57 grams.
How many cups are in 2 sticks of butter?
There is 1 cup in 2 sticks of butter. Two sticks is also 16 tablespoons, 8 ounces, half a pound, and 227 grams.
How many sticks of butter are in 1 cup?
There are 2 sticks in 1 cup of butter. One cup is 8 ounces, 16 tablespoons, and 227 grams, and it takes two sticks to make it.
How many grams are in half a cup of butter?
There are 113.4 g in half a cup of butter, usually rounded to 113 g. Half a cup is 1 stick, 8 tablespoons, and 4 ounces.
Is a stick of butter the same everywhere?
No. A US stick is 113 grams, but butter in Europe is usually sold in 250-gram blocks, and in some countries it is sold in 125-gram blocks. If a recipe says "stick", it means an American stick of 113 grams, unless the recipe is European, in which case it will give a weight in grams.
Why a stick is half a cup and not a third
A stick of butter is half a cup because butter is sold by the pound, and a pound is 2 cups, so a quarter of a pound is half a cup. The packaging was designed around the amounts a baker actually uses: half a cup is the most common amount of butter in a recipe, and it is a single stick, so the baker can unwrap one stick and be done. A quarter cup is half a stick, and a cup is two sticks, and those are the next most common amounts, so the system covers the recipes a home baker makes most often. The trade is that a third of a cup is 5 1/3 tablespoons, which is an awkward number, and a recipe that calls for a third of a cup of butter is better measured by weight: a third of a cup is 76 grams, and a scale will give you that exactly.