A stick of butter weighs 113 g. That is the answer: 1 US stick of butter equals 113.4 grams, usually rounded to 113 g, which is 4 ounces, half a cup, and 8 tablespoons. If a recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, weigh 227 grams. If it calls for half a stick, weigh 57 grams. This page gives you the table, real baking examples, and the reason a 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 | Grams | Ounces | Cups | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 stick | 28.4 g | 1 oz | 1/8 cup | 2 tbsp |
| 1/2 stick | 56.7 g | 2 oz | 1/4 cup | 4 tbsp |
| 3/4 stick | 85.0 g | 3 oz | 3/8 cup | 6 tbsp |
| 1 stick | 113.4 g | 4 oz | 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp |
| 1 1/2 sticks | 170.1 g | 6 oz | 3/4 cup | 12 tbsp |
| 2 sticks | 226.8 g | 8 oz | 1 cup | 16 tbsp |
| 3 sticks | 340.2 g | 12 oz | 1 1/2 cups | 24 tbsp |
| 4 sticks | 453.6 g | 16 oz | 2 cups | 32 tbsp |
The gram figures are rounded to one decimal place. A stick is defined as a quarter of a pound, and a pound is 453.59237 grams, so a stick is 113.398 grams.
Worked example 1: a cookie recipe that needs two sticks
A cookie recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, and your butter is sold in 250-gram blocks. Two sticks is 226.8 grams, so weigh 227 grams from the block. If you do not have a scale, cut the block into tablespoons: a stick is 8 tablespoons, so 2 sticks is 16 tablespoons, and a tablespoon of butter weighs about 14 grams, so 16 tablespoons is 227 grams. The stick is the unit that ties butter together: 1 stick is 113 grams, 4 ounces, half a cup, and 8 tablespoons, and if you know that, you can convert butter in any direction without a calculator.
Worked example 2: a pastry recipe that needs half a stick
A pastry recipe calls for half a stick of butter, and you are using a European block. Half a stick is 56.7 grams, so weigh 57 grams. If you do not have a scale, cut the block in half by eye, then cut that half in half again — a quarter of a 250-gram block is 62.5 grams, which is close to half a stick, and the difference of 6 grams will not matter in a pastry. For a precise bake, weigh it: 57 grams is the figure, and a scale will not guess.
Worked example 3: a recipe written in grams only
A European recipe calls for 100 grams of butter, and you want to know how many sticks that is. One hundred grams divided by 113.4 is 0.88 sticks, which is just under a stick — about 7 tablespoons. Measure 7 tablespoons, or weigh 100 grams if you have a scale, which is easier. The conversion is most useful in the other direction: a recipe that calls for 1 stick needs 113 grams, and a recipe that calls for 2 sticks needs 227 grams, and those are the numbers to remember.
Method and source
A US stick of butter is defined as a quarter of a pound, which is 4 ounces, or 113.398 grams. The stick is a packaging unit, not a scientific one: butter is sold in quarter-pound sticks in the United States, and the wrapper is marked in tablespoons so that a baker can cut off the amount they need. A European block of butter is usually 250 grams, which is 2.2 sticks, and it is not marked in tablespoons, so a European baker weighs butter rather than cutting it. The figure 113 grams is approximate in the sense that sticks vary slightly in weight between brands, but the variation is less than a gram, and it does not matter in cooking. As with every weight on this site, treat the result as approximate and verify with a scale when it matters.
Practical guidance
Use the tablespoon marks on the wrapper when you have American butter: cut at the marks, and you have an exact measure without washing a cup or a scale. When you have European butter, weigh it: 113 grams is a stick, 227 grams is two sticks, and 57 grams is half a stick. 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 — it keeps for months in the freezer, and you can grate frozen butter into a pastry dough for a flaky result. And remember the anchor: a stick is 113 grams, 4 ounces, half a cup, and 8 tablespoons.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in a stick of butter?
There are 113.4 g in a stick of butter, usually rounded to 113 g. A stick is a quarter of a pound, which is 4 ounces, half a cup, and 8 tablespoons.
How many grams are in half a stick of butter?
There are 56.7 g in half a stick of butter, usually rounded to 57 g. Half a stick is also 2 ounces, a quarter cup, and 4 tablespoons.
How many grams are in 2 sticks of butter?
There are 226.8 g in 2 sticks of butter, usually rounded to 227 g. Two sticks is also 8 ounces, half a pound, and 1 cup.
How many sticks of butter are in 250 grams?
There are about 2.2 sticks in 250 grams. Two hundred and fifty grams divided by 113.4 is 2.2, so a European block of butter is a little more than 2 sticks. Weigh it rather than guessing.
How many grams are in a tablespoon of butter?
There are about 14.2 g in a tablespoon of butter. A stick is 113.4 grams and 8 tablespoons, so 113.4 divided by 8 is 14.2 grams per tablespoon.
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 the stick is 113 grams and not 100
A stick of butter weighs 113 grams because it is a quarter of a pound, and a pound is 454 grams, so a quarter is 113.4 grams. It is not a round number, and that is the point: the stick comes from the American pound, not from the metric system, and the two systems do not divide evenly. A European block of butter is 250 grams, which is a round number in grams but an awkward 2.2 sticks, and the same mismatch appears in reverse. That is why a recipe written in sticks should be followed in sticks, and a recipe written in grams should be followed in grams: converting between the two introduces a rounding error, and the error is larger than it looks, because 113 grams is not 100 grams and 250 grams is not 227 grams.