Cups to Grams Conversion Calculator

Enter the volume in cups below to calculate the weight in grams.

SWAP UNITS

Result in Grams:

Loading content.
1 c = 236.58823648491 g

Do you want to convert grams to cups?

How to Convert Cups to Grams

Person Icon
By
Bio image of Joe Sexton

Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.

Full bio

Review Badge Icon
Reviewed by
Bio image of Ethan Dederick, PhD

Ethan has a PhD in astrophysics and is currently a satellite imaging scientist. He specializes in math, science, and astrophysics.

Full bio

Since cups are a unit of volume and grams are a unit of mass, which are different physical quantities, we need to know one more physical quantity of the ingredient or substance to convert between them. In this case, we need to account for the density of the substance whenever we do a conversion.

Therefore, to convert between cups and grams of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Cups to Grams Formula

To convert a measurement in cups to grams, multiply the volume by the density of the ingredient or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in grams per cup (g/c).

If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), then first multiply the density by 236.5882 to convert to g/c.

For a density given in g/mL, you can use this simple formula to convert:

grams = cups × 236.5882 × density

Thus, the weight in grams is equal to the volume in cups multiplied by 236.5882 times the density (in g/mL) of the ingredient, substance, or material.

For example, here's how to convert 5 cups to grams for an ingredient with a density of 0.7 g/mL.
grams = 5 c × 236.5882 × 0.7 g/mL = 828.0588 g

When to Convert Cups to Grams

Cups and grams are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.

For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction and clumping.

The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the volume to weight conversion.

For cooking and baking ingredients, you can get more specific results using our butter, flour, and sugar conversion calculators.

Another useful application of weight and volume conversions is chemistry. When performing chemical reactions by combining separate chemicals to produce a new chemical, one must know the exact amount of each chemical to add in order to maximize the yield of the reaction.

It is common to mix powdered chemicals with liquid, or aqueous, chemicals, and this is where it becomes very useful to convert between weights and volumes.[2]

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.

How Many Grams Are in a Cup?

The actual weight of a cup will vary depending on the density of the material. The table below shows how many grams of various wet and dry ingredients are in a cup.

Cup measurements converted to grams for commonly used cooking and baking ingredients.
Volume in Cups: Weight in Grams of:
Water Milk Cooking Oil All Purpose Flour Granulated Sugar
1/8 c 29.57 g 30.46 g 26.02 g 15.64 g 25 g
1/4 c 59.15 g 60.92 g 52.05 g 31.29 g 50 g
1/3 c 78.86 g 81.23 g 69.4 g 41.72 g 66.67 g
1/2 c 118.29 g 121.84 g 104.1 g 62.58 g 100 g
2/3 c 157.73 g 162.46 g 138.8 g 83.44 g 133.33 g
3/4 c 177.44 g 182.76 g 156.15 g 93.87 g 150 g
1 c 236.59 g 243.69 g 208.2 g 125.16 g 200 g

What Is a Cup?

The cup is a unit of volume equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 fluid ounces. The cup should not be confused with the metric cup or the teacup, which are different units of volume.

One standard cup is equal to 236.588 milliliters, but for nutrition labeling, one cup is defined as 240 milliliters.[3] To further confuse things, a metric cup is equal to 250 mL, while in Japan, a cup is equivalent to only 200 mL.

The cup is a US customary unit of volume. Cups can be abbreviated as c, and are also sometimes abbreviated as C. For example, 1 cup can be written as 1 c or 1 C.

Learn more about cups.

What Is a Gram?

A gram is a unit of mass equal to 1/1,000 of a kilogram or 0.035274 ounces, and is equivalent to the mass of one cubic centimeter, or one milliliter, of water.

The gram, or gramme, is an SI unit of mass in the metric system. Grams can be abbreviated as g; for example, 1 gram can be written as 1 g.

A gram is also frequently referred to as a unit of weight. While technically, a gram is a measure of mass, and weight is actually a measure of force, the two are equivalent as long as we are performing our calculations on Earth.

For example, an object with a mass of 1 gram weighs 1 gram on Earth, but only weighs one-sixth of that on the moon, yet still has the same mass.

Learn more about grams.

References

  1. National Institute of Standards & Technology, Culinary Measurement Tips, https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/culinary-measurement-tips
  2. CK-12 Foundation, Introductory Chemistry (CK-12) - 12.6: Mass-Volume Stoichiometry, https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Introductory_Chemistry_(CK-12)/12%3A_Stoichiometry/12.06%3A_Mass-Volume_Stoichiometry
  3. U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Guidance for Industry: Guidelines for Determining Metric Equivalents of Household Measures, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-guidelines-determining-metric-equivalents-household-measures

More Cup & Gram Conversions