1/2 Cup in Grams
1/2 cup in grams depends on the ingredient: flour is 60 g, sugar is 99 g and butter is 113 g. Half a cup in grams is the conversion that separates volume from weight, because the answer depends entirely on the ingredient: flour is 60 g, sugar is 99 g and butter is 113 g. The gap between the lightest and heaviest half cup on this page is more than 100 g, which is why swapping ingredients by the cup silently changes a recipe. This page gives the per-ingredient table and the method behind every figure.
Why this conversion exists
Grams measure mass and cups measure volume, and the bridge between them is density, which is different for every ingredient. A cup is always 236.59 ml of space, but what that space weighs depends on what fills it: a cup of flour weighs 120 g, a cup of granulated sugar weighs 198 g and a cup of butter weighs 227 g, and across the 120 ingredients in our table the figure runs from 48 g for dried oregano to 340 g for molasses. That is why this page gives a table instead of a single number, and why every figure on it is labelled approximate. Confusing volume with weight is how a cake ends up too dry or too sweet: the recipe asked for a weight and the cook supplied a volume, or the other way round. Keep the two apart, use the table for the ingredient in your bowl, and weigh the ingredient on a scale whenever the recipe matters.
1/2 Cup in Grams conversion table
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Grams | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Purpose Flour | 120 g per cup | 60 g | spooned and levelled |
| Granulated Sugar | 198 g per cup | 99 g | spooned and levelled |
| Butter | 227 g per cup | 113.5 g | scooped |
| Brown Sugar | 213 g per cup | 106.5 g | packed |
| Honey | 336 g per cup | 168 g | poured |
| Cocoa Powder | 84 g per cup | 42 g | spooned and levelled |
| Milk | 244 g per cup | 122 g | poured |
| Rolled Oats | 89 g per cup | 44.5 g | spooned and levelled |
The gram-per-cup figures in the table come from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central, and every converted figure is computed from them, so the table is consistent: the same density gives every row. All the converted figures are approximate, because densities are measured one way in one laboratory, and your kitchen will differ by a few grams. When a bake really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
The same conversion for flour, sugar and butter
The table above covers eight ingredients. The table below gives the same conversion for the three ingredients that appear in most recipes, at the amounts cooks actually use, so the common cases are all in one place.
| Cups | All-purpose flour | Granulated sugar | Butter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 30 g | 49.5 g | 56.8 g |
| 1/3 cup | 40 g | 66 g | 75.7 g |
| 1/2 cup | 60 g | 99 g | 113.5 g |
| 3/4 cup | 90 g | 148.5 g | 170.2 g |
| 1 cup | 120 g | 198 g | 227 g |
Worked examples
Cheese sauce calling for 0.5 of granulated sugar
A cheese sauce recipe that calls for 0.5 of granulated sugar needs . A cheese sauce is built on milk measured in fractions of a cup, and the milk is what turns a thick roux into a pourable sauce, so the amount has to be right. Check the marking stamped into the cup's handle before filling it, because a third-cup measure and a quarter-cup measure look alike. That is the figure to measure: 0.5 in the units the recipe uses, or on a scale or in a cup, whichever the recipe asks for. The figure is approximate, because it comes from the King Arthur Baking density of 198 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, so when the bake really matters, verify with a kitchen scale. A recipe that calls for 0.5 of granulated sugar and gets will behave as written, and a recipe that uses another ingredient's figure instead will not, because a cup of one ingredient weighs nothing like a cup of another.
Brownie batter calling for 1.0 of butter
A brownie batter recipe that calls for 1.0 of butter needs . Brownies are dense by design, and the fat and sugar in them are measured in fractions of a cup, so the conversion is part of getting the fudgy texture instead of a cakey one. If the right cup is missing, use the spoon equivalent, which is exact, rather than guessing the fraction by eye. That is the figure to measure: 1.0 in the units the recipe uses, or on a scale or in a cup, whichever the recipe asks for. The figure is approximate, because it comes from the King Arthur Baking density of 227 g per cup, measured scooped, so when the bake really matters, verify with a kitchen scale. A recipe that calls for 1.0 of butter and gets will behave as written, and a recipe that uses another ingredient's figure instead will not, because a cup of one ingredient weighs nothing like a cup of another.
Victoria sponge calling for 0.25 of all-purpose flour
A victoria sponge recipe that calls for 0.25 of all-purpose flour needs . A sponge cake is an equal-weight recipe in its classic form, and the fractions of a cup are how that equality is expressed in American measures, so the conversion carries the whole recipe. Spoon the ingredient into the cup and level it off, rather than scooping, because scooping packs it and adds weight. That is the figure to measure: 0.25 in the units the recipe uses, or on a scale or in a cup, whichever the recipe asks for. The figure is approximate, because it comes from the King Arthur Baking density of 120 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, so when the bake really matters, verify with a kitchen scale. A recipe that calls for 0.25 of all-purpose flour and gets will behave as written, and a recipe that uses another ingredient's figure instead will not, because a cup of one ingredient weighs nothing like a cup of another.
Scaling the recipe up and down
Scaling works the same way in both directions, and flour is the example here because it is the ingredient most recipes scale. Double the recipe and 0 g of all-purpose flour becomes 0.1 tbsp. Halve it and you need 0 tbsp. The same arithmetic applies to every ingredient in the table, using that ingredient's own density: double the amount, double the converted figure, and the ratio holds. When you scale, always scale by weight if the original recipe was written in grams, and by volume if it was written in cups, because mixing the two mid-recipe is how scaling errors creep in. And remember that the figures are approximate, so a scaled recipe is only as accurate as the original conversion: weigh the scaled amount on a scale rather than trusting the scaled cup figure.
How the conversion is defined
The gram figures on this page come from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central, the two sources used across this site. Dry ingredients are measured spooned and levelled, which means the ingredient is spooned loosely into the measuring cup and the top is swept flat with a straight knife, never scooped and never pressed down. Butter is measured scooped, because it is a solid fat pressed into the cup, and liquids are measured poured into a jug and read at eye level. Every density-based result on this page is approximate, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale. Two figures on this page carry a dispute worth knowing about. Flour is the most disputed conversion in baking: King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup, so this page uses the King Arthur spooned-and-levelled value. Granulated sugar is listed at 198 g per cup by King Arthur while USDA rounds it to 200 g; the 2 g difference is rounding, not a real disagreement, and this page uses 198 g.
Measuring a fraction of a cup without the right cup
Not every kitchen owns a third-cup measure, and even a half-cup measure goes missing, so the spoon equivalents on this page are the practical fallback. A quarter cup is 4 tablespoons, a third of a cup is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, half a cup is 8 tablespoons and three quarters of a cup is 12 tablespoons. Counting spoonfuls is slower than using a cup, but it is exact, and for a dry ingredient it is often more accurate than a small cup, because a spoon is levelled more reliably than a shallow cup. For a liquid, the better fallback is a measuring jug: pour to the millilitre marking instead of counting spoonfuls. And for anything that matters, a scale removes the problem entirely, because the gram figure does not depend on which cups you own.
Common mistakes
- Guessing a fraction instead of measuring it. Eyeballing a third of a cup is how a cake ends up with a third of a cup of oil too much or too little. Use the right cup, or the spoon equivalent, rather than guessing.
- Using the wrong cup for the fraction. A third-cup measure and a quarter-cup measure look alike in a drawer, and swapping them changes the recipe by a third. Check the marking on the cup before you fill it.
- Filling the cup above the brim. A fraction of a cup is measured to the marking, not to the brim. Overfilling a half-cup measure by a spoonful adds an eighth of a cup the recipe did not ask for.
- Scooping flour into a fraction cup. Scooping packs flour and adds weight, and the error is proportionally larger in a small cup. Spoon the flour in and level it off, or weigh it on a scale.
Practical guidance
Fractions of a cup are where American recipes are at their most awkward, because the cup set does not include every fraction, and the fractions it does include are easy to confuse in a drawer. The practical answer is to own a full set of cup measures, a quarter, a third, a half and a full cup, and to check the marking stamped into the handle before filling it, because a third-cup measure and a quarter-cup measure look alike. When the right cup is missing, the spoon equivalents on this page are exact: a quarter cup is 4 tablespoons, a third is 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon, half is 8 tablespoons and three quarters is 12 tablespoons. For a dry ingredient, spoon it into the cup and level it off rather than scooping, because scooping packs flour and adds weight, and the error is proportionally larger in a small cup. For a liquid, use a jug and pour to the millilitre marking instead. And for anything structural, a scale removes the whole problem, because the gram figure does not depend on which cups you own.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are the figures on this page?
They are approximate, and they are honest about it. The densities come from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart and USDA FoodData Central, measured spooned and levelled for dry ingredients, packed for brown sugar, scooped for butter and poured for liquids. Packing, moisture and brand all move the real weight by a few grams, so a kitchen scale is the only way to know the exact weight. For cooking, the table is more than accurate enough; for baking, weigh the ingredient.
Can I use the flour figure for sugar, or the sugar figure for butter?
No. Flour is 120 g per cup, granulated sugar is 198 g per cup and butter is 227 g per cup, so the three figures are far apart, and using one for another changes the recipe by tens of grams. That is the commonest error in cup-to-gram conversions, and it is the reason this page lists the ingredients separately instead of giving a single number.
How do I measure this amount without a scale?
Spoon a dry ingredient into the cup and level it off with a straight knife, never scoop, because scooping packs it and adds weight. Pour a liquid into a jug on a flat surface and read the meniscus at eye level. Press butter into the cup to remove air pockets and level the top. Those are the methods the figures on this page were measured with, so measuring the same way gives the closest result to the table.
What about the dispute over the weight of flour?
Flour is the most disputed conversion in baking: King Arthur lists 120 g per cup spooned and levelled, while other sources quote 125 g, 130 g and up to 142 g for a scooped cup. This page uses the King Arthur spooned-and-levelled value of 120 g, because it is measured the way the method describes. Granulated sugar carries a smaller dispute: King Arthur lists 198 g per cup and USDA rounds it to 200 g, which is rounding rather than a real disagreement, and this page uses 198 g.
Does packing change the answer?
Yes, and for some ingredients it changes it a great deal. Brown sugar is measured packed at 213 g per cup, while loosely spooned it weighs about 170 g, so packing is part of the number for brown sugar and muscovado. Flour, sugar and cocoa powder are measured spooned and levelled, never packed, because packing them adds grams the recipe did not ask for. Butter is measured scooped, because it is a solid fat that has to be pressed into the cup to fill it.
Related conversions
Use the tablespoons to cups converter, cups to grams converter, recipe scaler for instant answers, or browse the units hub for every conversion on this site. For the weight of the same ingredients by the cup, see all-purpose flour in grams, granulated sugar in grams and butter in grams. Nearby pages in this series: 1/2 cup in millilitres, 1/4 cup in millilitres, 1/4 cup in grams. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions and about CookScale for how our figures are sourced.