One cup of table salt weighs 288 g, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. Salt is the densest dry ingredient in the kitchen by the cup — denser than sugar, denser than flour, denser than baking soda — because its fine crystals pack together with almost no air gaps. The cup weight of 288 g is the number you need when a recipe is written in grams, when you are curing or brining, or when you are converting between salt types. All weights on this page are approximate; the crystal size is everything — kosher salt weighs far less per cup than table salt — so verify with a scale when precision matters.
Salt: weight and measurement table
The table below gives the weight of salt in every measure you will use, from a teaspoon up to 2 cups, all derived from the King Arthur Baking figure of 288 g per cup, spooned and levelled. Every figure is approximate — spooned and levelled is a technique, not a machine setting — so when the recipe matters, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale instead.
| Amount | Weight (approx.) |
| --- | --- |
| 1 teaspoon | 6 g |
| 1 tablespoon | 18 g |
| 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) | 72 g |
| 1/3 cup | 96 g |
| 1/2 cup (8 tbsp) | 144 g |
| 3/4 cup (12 tbsp) | 216 g |
| 1 cup (16 tbsp) | 288 g |
| 2 cups | 576 g |
| 100 g | 0.3 cups |
There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon and 16 tablespoons in a cup, so you can move between any of these measures by multiplying or dividing. If a recipe calls for 100 g and you only have measuring cups, that is about 0.3 cups. Keep the cups to grams converter open while you cook and you will never need to do the arithmetic in your head.
What is Salt?
Salt is fine-grained salt, the default seasoning salt. It is sodium chloride, mined or evaporated from seawater, ground fine and usually iodised. It is used for seasoning every dish and controlling yeast in bread, and it is the most important ingredient in cooking after water — a dish without salt tastes flat, and a dish with too much salt is inedible. Table salt's fine crystals dissolve quickly, which makes it ideal for baking and for any dish where the salt must disappear. It keeps indefinitely in a dry cupboard, and it never goes bad, though it can clump in humidity. A few grains of rice in the shaker absorb moisture and keep it flowing.
How to measure Salt correctly
Salt is measured spooned and levelled, and the method matters more than most cooks realise. For dry ingredients, spoon the ingredient into the measure with a smaller spoon, letting it fall loosely, then sweep a knife across the top to level it — never dip the measuring cup into the bag, because dipping compresses the ingredient and adds up to 20 percent. For liquids, pour into a liquid measuring jug and read the level at eye height, or weigh directly into the bowl, which is the most accurate method of all. The King Arthur Baking figure used on this page is 288 g per cup, and it is the figure the site's converters use, so the numbers here and the numbers in the tool always agree. Confidence in this figure is high.
A note on the published figures
Fine table salt packs at 288 g per cup (18 g per tablespoon). Kosher salt is far lighter: Diamond Crystal is about 128 g per cup and Morton about 256 g - never swap them cup-for-cup.
Worked examples
A brine for a roast chicken
A brine for a roast chicken uses 1/2 cup of table salt — 144 g — dissolved in 4 litres of water with sugar and aromatics. The weight matters because brining is chemistry: the salt concentration has to be about 5 percent for the brine to work, and that concentration is measured by weight, not by volume. Weighing 144 g of salt against 4,000 g of water gives a 3.6 percent brine, which is the right strength for a chicken brined overnight. A cup-measured brine can be off by 20 g, which is enough to make the chicken too salty or to leave it unseasoned. The chicken is submerged completely, refrigerated overnight, and patted dry before roasting.
A bread dough for a weekend
A bread dough uses 2 teaspoons of table salt — about 12 g — with 500 g of flour and 350 g of water. The weight is useful because salt controls the yeast: too little salt and the dough rises too fast and tastes flat, too much and the yeast is inhibited and the dough never rises. Twelve grams of salt against 500 g of flour is a 2.4 percent baker's percentage, which is the standard for bread. Weighing the salt keeps the percentage exact, and it also lets you scale the recipe — a double batch needs 24 g, and a half batch needs 6 g. The salt is mixed with the flour, not with the yeast directly, because concentrated salt can kill yeast on contact.
Seasoning a pot of soup
A soup for six is seasoned with 1 tablespoon of table salt — about 18 g — added gradually and tasted as it goes. The weight matters because salt is the seasoning you cannot remove: 18 g across six servings is 3 g per person, which is a reasonable amount, but adding it all at once risks over-salting. The salt is added in stages — half at the start, half near the end — and tasted after each addition, because the soup's flavour concentrates as it reduces. Weighing the salt also tells you how much is in the dish, which matters for anyone watching their sodium intake.
Why salt weight varies by crystal size
Salt's weight per cup depends entirely on crystal size, and the range is enormous. Fine table salt packs at 288 g per cup, because its tiny crystals leave almost no air gaps. Kosher salt is far lighter: Diamond Crystal kosher salt, with its hollow, flaky crystals, weighs about 128 g per cup — less than half of table salt — while Morton kosher salt, with denser crystals, weighs about 256 g per cup. That means a recipe that calls for 1 tablespoon of table salt needs 1.5 tablespoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1.25 tablespoons of Morton, to give the same saltiness. Swapping salts cup-for-cup is the most common seasoning mistake in cooking, and it is why a dish made with kosher salt can taste underseasoned while the same dish made with table salt tastes over-salted. The practical rule is to measure salt by weight, not by volume, whenever precision matters — 18 g per tablespoon for table salt, 8 g for Diamond Crystal, 16 g for Morton — and to taste as you go. For baking, table salt is the standard, because its fine crystals dissolve evenly and its weight is consistent. For finishing, flaky sea salt is the choice, because its large crystals give a crunch and a burst of flavour that fine salt cannot.
What to use instead
If you run out of salt, these are the tested substitutes from our substitution data, with the ratio and the case where each one does not work. Use the ratio by weight where it is given, and check the warning before you commit the batter.
Table salt to Kosher salt: 1 1/2 tsp Diamond Crystal (or 1 1/4 tsp Morton) per 1 tsp table salt. Do not swap salts cup-for-cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half the weight of table salt per cup.
Table salt to Sea salt: 1:1 by weight (flakes measure differently by volume). Do not swap salts cup-for-cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half the weight of table salt per cup.
Table salt to Flaky sea salt: 1:1 by weight (about 2x by volume). Do not swap salts cup-for-cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half the weight of table salt per cup.
Table salt to Soy sauce: 1 tbsp soy sauce per 1 tsp salt, minus 1 tbsp other liquid. Do not swap salts cup-for-cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about half the weight of table salt per cup.
The golden rule for any substitution is to match the job, not just the ingredient: a substitute that works in a sauce may fail in a cake, because the two recipes ask different things of the ingredient. When in doubt, use a recipe written for the substitute rather than adapting one written for the original.
Storage
Dry cupboard, indefinitely. That is the headline, but the details matter. Store salt in an airtight container, away from heat, light and strong smells — dry ingredients absorb odours readily, and a bag of flour stored next to the spices will taste of them within a week. Label the container with the date you opened it, so you know how long it has been there, and check it before you bake: if it smells off, tastes bitter, or shows any sign of moisture or insects, discard it. Buying in smaller quantities and using it promptly is better than buying in bulk and storing it for a year, because every ingredient loses flavour with time, even the ones that never truly go bad.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of table salt?
One cup of fine table salt weighs 288 g, spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. One tablespoon weighs 18 g and one teaspoon weighs 6 g. Kosher salt weighs far less per cup — Diamond Crystal is about 128 g and Morton about 256 g.
How many tablespoons of salt are in 100 g?
There are about 5.5 tablespoons in 100 g of table salt (100 divided by 18 is 5.6). A standard 500 g box holds about 28 tablespoons, which is roughly 1.75 cups.
Can I use kosher salt instead of table salt?
Yes, but adjust the amount. Use 1.5 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1.25 teaspoons of Morton) per teaspoon of table salt, because kosher salt's larger crystals weigh less per spoonful. Never swap them cup-for-cup — Diamond Crystal is about half the weight of table salt per cup.
Does salt go bad?
No — salt keeps indefinitely in a dry cupboard. It can clump in humidity; add a few grains of rice to the shaker to absorb moisture. Discard it only if it has absorbed a strong odour from nearby spices.
Why do recipes specify table salt for baking?
Because its fine crystals dissolve evenly and its weight is consistent. Kosher salt's large crystals do not dissolve as reliably in a dough, and its weight varies by brand, which makes baking less predictable. For finishing a dish, flaky sea salt is better, because its crunch and flavour are the point.
Related pages
If you cook with this ingredient regularly, these pages will help: the cups to grams converter for any amount, the ingredient density lookup for the full table of 120 ingredients, the Salt cups to grams page for cup conversions, the Salt grams to cups page for working backwards from grams, and the Salt tablespoons to grams page for spoon measures. You may also want Baking Soda, Baking Powder.