1 Cup Powdered Sugar in Millilitres
1 cup of powdered sugar is 236.6 ml and weighs 113 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking). Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
If you have ever wondered why a recipe that works with one sugar fails with another, the answer is usually in the cup. Volume stays constant at 236.6 ml per cup, but weight does not, and baking is really a matter of weight. The table below gives you both, so you can measure with a jug or a scale and get the same result.
Why millilitres and grams are two different answers
Millilitres measure space and grams measure mass, and for sugar the two drift apart because crystals do not pack the same way. A cup of fine caster sugar settles with very little air between the grains, while a cup of coarse demerara leaves gaps. Syrups are denser still, because there is no air in them at all. So the millilitre figure — 236.6 ml per cup — is a property of the cup, while the gram figure is a property of the sugar. Confusing the two is how a cake ends up too sweet or too dry: the recipe asked for a weight and the cook supplied a volume, or the other way round. Keep the two columns of the table separate in your mind, and use the millilitre column when your recipe speaks in cups and the gram column when it speaks in grams.
Powdered Sugar cups to millilitres conversion table
| Cups | Millilitres | Grams | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.1 ml | 28.2 g | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 cup | 78.9 ml | 37.7 g | 5.3 tbsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.3 ml | 56.5 g | 8 tbsp |
| 2/3 cup | 157.7 ml | 75.3 g | 10.7 tbsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.4 ml | 84.8 g | 12 tbsp |
| 1 cup | 236.6 ml | 113 g | 16 tbsp |
| 2 cups | 473.2 ml | 226 g | 32 tbsp |
| 3 cups | 709.8 ml | 339 g | 48 tbsp |
| 4 cups | 946.4 ml | 452 g | 64 tbsp |
The table covers the amounts recipes actually ask for, from a quarter cup up to four cups. One tablespoon of powdered sugar is about 7.1 g and 14.8 ml, which is handy when a recipe calls for a spoonful rather than a cup: divide the cup weight by 16 and you have the tablespoon weight. Remember that the millilitre column never changes — 1 cup is always 236.6 ml — while the gram column depends on the King Arthur Baking density of 113 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled. If your recipe was written in grams, read the gram column; if it was written in cups or millilitres, read the millilitre column.
How much is 100 ml, 250 ml and 500 ml of powdered sugar?
| Millilitres | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 ml | 0.4 cups | 47.8 g |
| 250 ml | 1.1 cups | 119.4 g |
| 500 ml | 2.1 cups | 238.8 g |
Recipes written in metric units often call for round millilitre amounts rather than cups, so this table bridges the two. 250 ml of powdered sugar is just over a cup — 1.1 cups — and weighs 119.4 g, while 500 ml is 2.1 cups and 238.8 g. A standard measuring jug usually has both millilitre and cup markings, so you can pour to either scale, but the gram column is the one to use on a scale. Note that 100 ml is 0.4 of a cup, which is why metric recipes rarely line up neatly with cup measures.
Worked examples
Icings calling for 2 cups of powdered sugar
A icings recipe that calls for 2 cups of powdered sugar needs 473.2 ml, which weighs 226 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 473.2 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 226 g straight into the bowl. Because powdered sugar is used for icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 226 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Glazes calling for half a cup of powdered sugar
A glazes recipe that calls for half a cup of powdered sugar needs 118.3 ml, which weighs 56.5 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 118.3 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 56.5 g straight into the bowl. Because powdered sugar is used for icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 56.5 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Dusting calling for 3 cups of powdered sugar
A dusting recipe that calls for 3 cups of powdered sugar needs 709.8 ml, which weighs 339 g. That is the figure to measure: pour 709.8 ml into a liquid jug, or weigh 339 g straight into the bowl. Because powdered sugar is used for icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. the amount matters — too little and the result is flat or bland, too much and the balance of the dish tips. Weighing 339 g removes the guesswork entirely, and it is the only way to repeat the recipe exactly next time.
Scaling works the same way in both directions. Double the recipe and 3 cups becomes 1419.6 ml, or 678 g. Halve it and you need 354.9 ml, or 169.5 g. When you scale, always scale by weight if the original recipe was written in grams, and by volume if it was written in cups — mixing the two mid-recipe is how scaling errors creep in. And remember that a US cup is 236.6 ml, while a metric cup is 250 ml: if you are following a recipe from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, one cup means 250 ml, which is 119.4 g of powdered sugar, not 113 g. Check which cup your recipe uses before you convert.
How the weight was measured
Spooned and levelled means the ingredient is spooned loosely into the measuring cup and the top is swept flat with a straight knife. The ingredient is never scooped with the cup itself and never pressed down, because both of those habits pack extra material into the cup and push the weight up.
The source for the 113 g figure is King Arthur Baking, and the confidence in the value is high. King Arthur Baking publishes a standard ingredient weight chart that recipe developers use as a reference, and this page follows it exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
There is a dispute worth knowing about. King Arthur lists 113 g unsifted; sifted powdered sugar is about 100 g per cup because sifting adds air. This page follows the King Arthur Baking value of 113 g per cup, measured spooned and levelled, rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
Common mistakes with powdered sugar
- Scooping instead of spooning. Dipping the cup into the bag packs the sugar and adds grams the recipe did not ask for. Spoon it in and level it off.
- Packing a sugar that should be spooned. Only brown sugar and muscovado are measured packed. Packing granulated or caster sugar over-measures it by a wide margin.
- Measuring syrups in a dry cup. Sticky syrups cling to a dry cup and never fully reach the bowl. Use a liquid jug, or weigh the syrup straight into the bowl.
- Swapping sugars cup for cup. A cup of honey weighs nearly 70 percent more than a cup of granulated sugar. Swap by weight, and adjust the liquid in the recipe, or the bake will be too wet and too sweet.
Storage and handling
Airtight container, cool and dry, indefinitely. Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. Keeping powdered sugar stored properly also keeps its weight per cup stable: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, so a sealed container is not just about freshness, it is about measurement accuracy too. If a container has been open for months in a humid kitchen, the first thing to do before a precise bake is to weigh the ingredient rather than trusting the cup. powdered sugar is used for icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. and it is worth keeping a note of the 113 g per cup figure on the container, so the conversion is always to hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 cup of powdered sugar always 236.6 ml?
Yes, as long as the recipe means a US customary cup. One US cup is 236.6 ml by definition, whatever is in it. The confusion comes from the metric cup, which is 250 ml, and from the old imperial cup. If a recipe does not say which cup it uses, a US recipe almost always means the 236.6 ml cup, while a recipe from Australia or New Zealand usually means the 250 ml metric cup.
How do I measure powdered sugar without a scale?
Spooned and levelled means the ingredient is spooned loosely into the measuring cup and the top is swept flat with a straight knife. The ingredient is never scooped with the cup itself and never pressed down, because both of those habits pack extra material into the cup and push the weight up. That gives the closest result to 113 g per cup, but it is still an estimate: the honest answer is that a scale is the only way to know the exact weight, and a basic digital kitchen scale costs less than a bag of good flour.
Does powdered sugar weigh the same as water?
No. One cup of powdered sugar weighs 113 g, which is lighter than water, which weighs 237 g per cup — 124 g lighter. That is why you cannot convert powdered sugar by assuming a millilitre weighs a gram: for water the shortcut works, but for powdered sugar it would be off by 124 g per cup, and the error grows with the size of the recipe.
How many cups is 250 ml of powdered sugar?
250 ml of powdered sugar is 1.1 cups, and it weighs 119.4 g. The table above lists 100 ml, 250 ml and 500 ml alongside their cup equivalents, so a recipe written in millilitres converts in one step. For anything more precise, weigh the powdered sugar on a kitchen scale.
How many millilitres is 1 cup of powdered sugar?
1 cup of powdered sugar is 236.6 ml. That is the fixed volume of one US customary cup, and it is the same for every ingredient on this site: the cup does not change, only the weight inside it does. If your recipe is from a metric country, note that a metric cup is 250 ml, which is a different measure — check which cup the recipe means before converting.
Related conversions
Use the cups to millilitres converter or the millilitres to cups converter for instant answers, or the liquid volume converter for other units. For the weight of the same ingredient, see Powdered Sugar in grams, 113 g of powdered sugar in cups, and powdered sugar by the tablespoon. Browse the units hub or the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Other pages in this series: Granulated Sugar in millilitres, Brown Sugar in millilitres. More tools: cups to grams converter and weight converter. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.