There are 4 sticks of butter in a pound. That is the answer: 1 pound of butter equals 4 sticks, which equals 2 cups, which equals 32 tablespoons, which equals 16 ounces, which equals 454 grams. If a recipe calls for a pound of butter, unwrap 4 sticks. If it calls for half a pound, use 2 sticks. This page gives you the table, the baking examples, and the reason the pound is the unit that ties butter together — because butter is sold by the pound, and the pound is 4 sticks.
The conversion table
| Pounds of butter | Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 lb | 1 stick | 1/2 cup | 8 tbsp | 4 oz | 113.4 g |
| 1/2 lb | 2 sticks | 1 cup | 16 tbsp | 8 oz | 226.8 g |
| 3/4 lb | 3 sticks | 1 1/2 cups | 24 tbsp | 12 oz | 340.2 g |
| 1 lb | 4 sticks | 2 cups | 32 tbsp | 16 oz | 453.6 g |
| 1 1/2 lb | 6 sticks | 3 cups | 48 tbsp | 24 oz | 680.4 g |
| 2 lb | 8 sticks | 4 cups | 64 tbsp | 32 oz | 907.2 g |
| 3 lb | 12 sticks | 6 cups | 96 tbsp | 48 oz | 1,360.8 g |
| 5 lb | 20 sticks | 10 cups | 160 tbsp | 80 oz | 2,268.0 g |
The gram figures are rounded to one decimal place. A pound is defined as exactly 453.59237 grams, and a stick is a quarter of a pound, so a pound is 4 sticks.
Worked example 1: a pound cake, literally
A pound cake is named for its recipe: a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs, and a pound of flour. A pound of butter is 4 sticks, so unwrap four sticks and cream them with a pound of sugar, which is 2 cups, or 454 grams. The name is a reminder that the pound was once the standard unit for baking, and that a recipe written in pounds is easy to remember because the amounts are all the same. If you are making a half pound cake, use 2 sticks of butter, which is half a pound, and halve everything else.
Worked example 2: a pastry recipe that needs a pound
A puff pastry recipe calls for 1 pound of butter, and your butter is sold in boxes of 4 sticks. One box is a pound, so unwrap the whole box. If the recipe calls for half a pound, use 2 sticks, which is 1 cup, and save the other 2 sticks for another recipe. The conversion matters most when you are buying butter: a box of 4 sticks is a pound, and a recipe that calls for a pound needs a whole box. If you buy butter in 250-gram blocks, a pound is 454 grams, so you need two blocks minus 46 grams.
Worked example 3: a large batch, scaled in pounds
You are baking for a market stall and the recipe calls for 2 pounds of butter. Two pounds is 8 sticks, which is 4 cups, or 907 grams, and you should check that you have enough before you start: 8 sticks is two boxes, if butter is sold in boxes of 4 sticks. If you buy butter in bulk, 2 pounds is just under a kilogram, so a 1-kilogram block is slightly more than you need, and you will have about 93 grams left over. The pound is the unit that makes these large amounts easy, because butter is sold by the pound and the recipe is written in pounds.
Method and source
A US pound of butter is defined as 16 ounces, and a US stick of butter is defined as a quarter of a pound, which is 4 ounces, so a pound is 4 sticks. The stick is a packaging unit: butter is sold in quarter-pound sticks in the United States, and a box holds 4 sticks, which is a pound. A European block of butter is usually 250 grams, which is 0.55 pounds, and it is not divided into sticks, so a European baker weighs butter rather than counting sticks. The figure 4 sticks is exact for an American pound, and it is the most reliable butter conversion you will use, because the box does the measuring for you.
Practical guidance
Buy butter in boxes of 4 sticks when you can, because a box is a pound and most recipes are written in pounds or in sticks. Use the tablespoon marks on the wrapper to cut a stick: a stick is 8 tablespoons, so a pound is 32 tablespoons. 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 pound is 4 sticks, 2 cups, 32 tablespoons, 16 ounces, and 454 grams.
Frequently asked questions
How many sticks of butter are in 1 pound?
There are 4 sticks in 1 pound of butter. That is the standard American conversion, and it is how butter is packaged: a box holds 4 sticks, which is a pound.
How many sticks of butter are in half a pound?
There are 2 sticks in half a pound of butter. Half a pound is also 1 cup, 16 tablespoons, 8 ounces, and 227 grams.
How many sticks of butter are in 2 pounds?
There are 8 sticks in 2 pounds of butter. Two pounds is also 4 cups, 64 tablespoons, 32 ounces, and 907 grams.
How many pounds are in 4 sticks of butter?
There is 1 pound in 4 sticks of butter. Four sticks is the definition of a pound in American butter packaging, so if a recipe calls for 4 sticks, you need a pound.
How many grams are in a pound of butter?
There are 453.6 g in a pound of butter, usually rounded to 454 g. A pound is 4 sticks, 2 cups, 32 tablespoons, and 16 ounces.
Is a pound of butter the same everywhere?
No, by packaging. A US pound is 4 sticks of 113 grams each, but butter in Europe is usually sold in 250-gram blocks, so a European pound — if the term is used at all — would be 454 grams, which is not a standard block size. If a recipe says "pound", it means an American pound of 454 grams.
Why butter is sold by the pound
Butter is sold by the pound in the United States because a pound is a convenient block for both shops and home cooks: four sticks, each wrapped and marked in tablespoons, so you can cut exactly what a recipe needs without a scale. Buy the pound, keep one stick in the fridge for spreading and cooking, and freeze the rest — frozen butter keeps for six months and grates cleanly into pastry while still cold. In much of Europe butter comes in 250-gram blocks instead, which is about 10 percent more than half a pound, so a European recipe that calls for 250 grams needs slightly more than two American sticks. When a recipe says a pound of butter, it always means the American pound of four sticks and 454 grams, and that is the only sense in which the number is exact.