Pounds to Cups Conversion Calculator

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

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Result in Cups:

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1 lb = 1.917222837193 c
1 lb ≈ 1 7/8 c

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How to Convert Pounds to Cups

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Since pounds are a unit of mass and cups are a unit of volume, 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 pounds and cups of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Pounds to Cups Formula

To convert a measurement in pounds to cups, divide the weight by the density of the ingredient or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in pounds per cup (lb/c).

If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), then first divide 1.9172 by the density to convert to lb/c.

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

cups = pounds × 1.9172density

Thus, the volume in cups is equal to the weight in pounds times 1.9172 divided by the density of the ingredient, substance, or material.

For example, here's how to convert 5 pounds to cups for an ingredient with a density of 0.7 g/mL.
cups = 5 lb × 1.91720.7 g/mL = 13.6944 c

When to Convert Pounds to Cups

Pounds and cups 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 weight to volume 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]

A third application of weight and volume conversions is when shipping freight when calculating the volumetric weight for cargo and packages. Trucks, ships, and airplanes are limited in the amount of weight or volume they can transport, so if one of those quantities is known, but the limitation is on the other, then it becomes necessary to convert between the two so as not to overload the shipping vehicle.

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.

How Many Cups Are in a Pound?

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

Pound measurements converted to cups for commonly used cooking and baking ingredients.
Weight in Pounds: Volume in Cups of:
Water Milk Cooking Oil All Purpose Flour Granulated Sugar
1 lb 1.9172 c 1.8614 c 2.1787 c 3.6242 c 2.268 c
2 lb 3.8344 c 3.7228 c 4.3573 c 7.2485 c 4.5359 c
3 lb 5.7517 c 5.5841 c 6.536 c 10.87 c 6.8039 c
4 lb 7.6689 c 7.4455 c 8.7146 c 14.5 c 9.0718 c
5 lb 9.5861 c 9.3069 c 10.89 c 18.12 c 11.34 c
6 lb 11.5 c 11.17 c 13.07 c 21.75 c 13.61 c
7 lb 13.42 c 13.03 c 15.25 c 25.37 c 15.88 c
8 lb 15.34 c 14.89 c 17.43 c 28.99 c 18.14 c
9 lb 17.26 c 16.75 c 19.61 c 32.62 c 20.41 c
10 lb 19.17 c 18.61 c 21.79 c 36.24 c 22.68 c
11 lb 21.09 c 20.48 c 23.97 c 39.87 c 24.95 c
12 lb 23.01 c 22.34 c 26.14 c 43.49 c 27.22 c
13 lb 24.92 c 24.2 c 28.32 c 47.12 c 29.48 c
14 lb 26.84 c 26.06 c 30.5 c 50.74 c 31.75 c
15 lb 28.76 c 27.92 c 32.68 c 54.36 c 34.02 c
16 lb 30.68 c 29.78 c 34.86 c 57.99 c 36.29 c
17 lb 32.59 c 31.64 c 37.04 c 61.61 c 38.56 c
18 lb 34.51 c 33.5 c 39.22 c 65.24 c 40.82 c
19 lb 36.43 c 35.37 c 41.39 c 68.86 c 43.09 c
20 lb 38.34 c 37.23 c 43.57 c 72.48 c 45.36 c
21 lb 40.26 c 39.09 c 45.75 c 76.11 c 47.63 c
22 lb 42.18 c 40.95 c 47.93 c 79.73 c 49.9 c
23 lb 44.1 c 42.81 c 50.11 c 83.36 c 52.16 c
24 lb 46.01 c 44.67 c 52.29 c 86.98 c 54.43 c
25 lb 47.93 c 46.53 c 54.47 c 90.61 c 56.7 c
26 lb 49.85 c 48.4 c 56.65 c 94.23 c 58.97 c
27 lb 51.77 c 50.26 c 58.82 c 97.85 c 61.23 c
28 lb 53.68 c 52.12 c 61 c 101.48 c 63.5 c
29 lb 55.6 c 53.98 c 63.18 c 105.1 c 65.77 c
30 lb 57.52 c 55.84 c 65.36 c 108.73 c 68.04 c
31 lb 59.43 c 57.7 c 67.54 c 112.35 c 70.31 c
32 lb 61.35 c 59.56 c 69.72 c 115.98 c 72.57 c
33 lb 63.27 c 61.43 c 71.9 c 119.6 c 74.84 c
34 lb 65.19 c 63.29 c 74.07 c 123.22 c 77.11 c
35 lb 67.1 c 65.15 c 76.25 c 126.85 c 79.38 c
36 lb 69.02 c 67.01 c 78.43 c 130.47 c 81.65 c
37 lb 70.94 c 68.87 c 80.61 c 134.1 c 83.91 c
38 lb 72.85 c 70.73 c 82.79 c 137.72 c 86.18 c
39 lb 74.77 c 72.59 c 84.97 c 141.35 c 88.45 c
40 lb 76.69 c 74.46 c 87.15 c 144.97 c 90.72 c

What Is a Pound?

Pounds are a widely used unit of weight in the United States. The National Bureau of Standards approved the international definition of the pound for use in the United States in 1959 after an agreement between six nations referred to as the International Yard and Pound Agreement.[3]

One pound is equal to 16 ounces, or 0.45359237 kilograms. In the avoirdupois or apothecaries' systems, one pound is equal to 7,000 grains.[4]

The pound is a US customary and imperial unit of mass. A pound is sometimes also referred to as a common ounce. Pounds can be abbreviated as lb (plural lbs), and are also sometimes abbreviated as lbm or #. For example, 1 pound can be written as 1 lb, 1 lbm, or 1 #, and 2 pounds can be written as 2 lbs.

A pound is frequently referred to as a unit of weight. While technically, a pound 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 pound weighs 1 pound on Earth, but only weighs one-sixth of that on the moon, yet still has the same mass.

Learn more about pounds.

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.[5] 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.

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. National Bureau of Standards, Refinement of Values for the Yard and Pound, U.S. Department of Commerce, July 1, 1959, https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/2017/05/09/frn-59-5442-1959.pdf
  4. Encyclopædia Britannica, Avoirdupois weight, https://www.britannica.com/science/avoirdupois-weight
  5. 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

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