If you came here for one number, here is the honest version: One cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 g spooned and levelled, one cup of granulated sugar weighs 198 g, and one cup of butter weighs 227 g. The conversion changes with the ingredient, because a cup of flour weighs far less than a cup of honey. This page lists the per-ingredient figures from King Arthur Baking and USDA FoodData Central, explains why they differ, works through three real recipes, and tells you which numbers are solid and which are disputed — flour at 120 g per cup spooned and levelled is the one most often argued about.
1 Cup in Grams by ingredient
All figures below are approximate. Densities come from King Arthur Baking and USDA FoodData Central; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.
| Ingredient | 1 cup weighs | Method |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | spooned and levelled |
| Granulated sugar | 198 g | spooned and levelled |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 213 g | packed |
| Powdered sugar | 113 g | spooned and levelled |
| Butter | 227 g | spooned and levelled |
| Honey | 336 g | poured |
| Milk | 244 g | poured |
| Water | 237 g | poured |
| Heavy cream | 238 g | poured |
| Olive oil | 216 g | poured |
| Vegetable oil | 218 g | poured |
| Rolled oats | 89 g | spooned and levelled |
| Cocoa powder | 84 g | spooned and levelled |
| Table salt | 288 g | spooned and levelled |
| Yogurt | 245 g | spooned and levelled |
Method and sources
The figures here are reference values, and understanding the method is what makes them useful. A cup is 236.6 ml of volume. What that volume weighs depends on density, and density depends on how the ingredient is put into the cup. King Arthur Baking spoons dry ingredients into the cup and levels them off — never scooping, which compacts the ingredient — and packs brown sugar firmly. Liquids are poured. The table records each ingredient's grams per cup under that method, with the source (King Arthur Baking or USDA FoodData Central). Two disputes are worth knowing. Flour: King Arthur says 120 g spooned and levelled; other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup. Sugar: King Arthur says 198 g; USDA rounds to 200 g. Neither dispute changes the advice: spoon and level, and verify with a scale when the bake matters.
Why this conversion comes up
Every number on this page is approximate, and that is not a weakness — it is the truth about cooking. Flour weighs more when it is scooped than when it is spooned and levelled; brown sugar weighs more packed than loose; honey weighs differently at different temperatures. The table gives the standard value and the method it assumes, and the worked examples show how much the method matters in a real recipe. When the result has to be exact, the answer is always the same: use a kitchen scale.
Worked examples
A cake that lists everything in grams
A cake recipe calls for 2 cup of All-purpose flour, and your cups are the only measure to hand. 2 cup of All-purpose flour is about 240 g grams. But notice the word 'about': the figure assumes the standard method, so spoon the ingredient into the cup and level it off rather than scooping. For a cake, that 10 g difference between scooping and spooning is the difference between a tender crumb and a dry one.
Bread dough, converted to cups
A bread recipe calls for 3 cup of Butter, and you have no scale. 3 cup of Butter is about 681 g grams. Bread is the least forgiving place to convert by volume: flour compacts so easily that two cups measured two ways can differ by 30 g. If you bake bread more than once a month, a scale is the single best purchase you can make.
A pancake batter on a slow morning
A pancake recipe calls for 1.5 cup of Powdered sugar. That is about 169.5 g grams. Pancakes are forgiving — a slightly thick or thin batter still makes a pancake — so this is a safe place to use the table instead of a scale. Whisk the dry ingredients before adding the wet ones, and let the batter rest for five minutes so the flour hydrates.
Practical guidance
Scaling is where this conversion earns its keep. Doubling a recipe doubles every liquid; halving it halves them. The danger is not the arithmetic but the vessel: a doubled soup needs a pot that holds the doubled volume, and a halved brine needs a container the ingredient actually fits in. Convert first, then check the container, then cook. The table below lists the amounts you will meet most often, so the scaling is a lookup rather than a calculation done with wet hands.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Measuring honey or syrup in a dry cup. Measuring honey or syrup in a dry cup. Sticky liquids cling to the cup and you lose a tablespoon to the sides. Use a liquid jug, or lightly oil the cup first so the honey slides out.
- Treating all flours as interchangeable by weight. Treating all flours as interchangeable by weight. Cake flour, bread flour, whole-wheat flour and almond flour all weigh differently per cup, and they behave differently too. Convert with the right row of the table, and do not swap flours cup-for-cup without expecting a different result.
- Forgetting that salt is not salt. Forgetting that salt is not salt. Fine table salt is 288 g per cup; Diamond Crystal kosher salt is about 128 g per cup and Morton kosher about 256 g. Swapping them cup-for-cup can double or halve the salt in a dish.
- Scooping flour with the cup instead of spooning and levelling. Scooping flour with the cup instead of spooning and levelling. Scooping compacts the flour and can add 20 g or more per cup — the single most common reason a cake comes out dry. Spoon the flour in, level it off, and never tap the cup down.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use these conversions for any ingredient?
Only for the ingredients in the table. Every density is measured individually, so an ingredient that is not listed has no figure here — and this guide does not guess one. If your ingredient is not in the table, weigh it on a scale, or convert it by volume (cups to millilitres) instead, which needs no density at all.
Should I spoon and level, or scoop?
Spoon and level, always, for dry ingredients. Spoon the ingredient into the cup, then level it off with the back of a knife. Scooping with the cup compacts the ingredient and can add 20 g or more of flour per cup — the most common reason a cake comes out dry.
What is the best way to convert a whole recipe?
Convert every ingredient before you start, write the converted amounts in the margin, and then cook without stopping to calculate. If you own a scale, weigh each ingredient directly in the unit the recipe uses — that is more accurate than any conversion table.
Does brown sugar really weigh more than white sugar?
Yes, when packed. Packed brown sugar is 213 g per cup against 198 g for granulated sugar, because the molasses coating makes the crystals stick together and pack down. Loosely spooned, brown sugar is only about 170 g per cup — which is why the method matters as much as the number.
Why does cup to grams depend on the ingredient?
Because a cup measures volume and a grams measures weight, and different ingredients pack different weights into the same volume. A cup of flour weighs 120 g, a cup of sugar 198 g, a cup of honey 336 g and a cup of butter 227 g. There is no single conversion factor — you need the ingredient's density, which is what the table on this page gives.
Related links
- ingredient density lookup — convert instantly without doing the arithmetic by hand.
- All unit conversions — the full units hub for every volume and weight conversion on CookScale.
- 1 Gram in Cups — the reverse conversion, for going back the other way.
- 1 Tablespoon in Grams — another conversion in the same family.
- 1 Pound in Cups — another conversion in the same family.
- All-purpose flour: cups to grams — the most-used ingredient conversion, 120 g per cup spooned and levelled.
- All-purpose flour: cups to millilitres — 1 cup is 236.6 ml for every ingredient.
- About CookScale — how our conversions are sourced and checked.
- Disclaimer — all conversions are approximate where a density is involved; verify with a scale when it matters.