Cooking
How Many Ounces Are in a Cup?
Published · Updated · By Convert & Calculate Everything
One US cup is 8 fluid ounces, 16 tablespoons or 236.6 mL. That holds for liquids; dry ingredients weigh less or more per cup: a cup of flour is about 4.25 oz and a cup of sugar about 7 oz. The charts below cover fractions of a cup, spoons, milliliters and common ingredients.
One US cup holds 8 fluid ounces, which is 236.6 milliliters, 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons. So 2 cups are 16 fl oz (a pint), and 4 cups are 32 fl oz (a quart). Nutrition labels round the cup to 240 mL.
Fluid ounces measure volume; ounces on a scale measure weight, and the two only match for water and similar liquids. A cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4.25 oz (120 g) and a cup of granulated sugar about 7 oz (198 g). To convert other volumes, use the volume converter.
Cups to fluid ounces, tablespoons and milliliters
| Cups | Fluid ounces | Tablespoons | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 1 fl oz | 2 tbsp | 29.6 mL |
| 1/4 cup | 2 fl oz | 4 tbsp | 59.1 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 2.67 fl oz | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp | 78.9 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 4 fl oz | 8 tbsp | 118.3 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 5.33 fl oz | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp | 157.7 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 6 fl oz | 12 tbsp | 177.4 mL |
| 1 cup | 8 fl oz | 16 tbsp | 236.6 mL |
| 1 1/2 cups | 12 fl oz | 24 tbsp | 354.9 mL |
| 2 cups (1 pint) | 16 fl oz | 32 tbsp | 473.2 mL |
| 4 cups (1 quart) | 32 fl oz | 64 tbsp | 946.4 mL |
Fluid ounces vs ounces of weight
A fluid ounce (fl oz) is 1/8 of a cup, 29.57 mL. An ounce of weight (oz) is 1/16 of a pound, 28.35 g. Water, milk and juice weigh about one ounce per fluid ounce, so a cup of water weighs about 8.3 oz (237 g). Flour is much lighter for its volume, and honey much heavier: a cup of honey weighs about 12 oz.
How much does a cup weigh? Common ingredients
Values from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart. Spooning flour into the cup and leveling it gives the 120 g figure; scooping straight from the bag packs it and can add 20% or more, which is why bakers prefer a scale.
| Ingredient (1 cup) | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 4 1/4 oz | 120 g |
| Granulated sugar | 7 oz | 198 g |
| Brown sugar, packed | 7 1/2 oz | 213 g |
| Confectioners’ sugar | 4 oz | 113 g |
| Butter (2 sticks) | 8 oz | 227 g |
| Milk or water | 8 oz | 227 g |
| Rolled oats | 3 1/8 oz | 89 g |
| Vegetable oil | 7 oz | 198 g |
US, metric, imperial and nutrition-label cups
The differences are small for one cup but add up: 4 metric cups are 1 liter, while 4 US cups are 946 mL.
- US customary cup: 8 US fl oz, 236.6 mL. Used in most American recipes.
- US “legal” cup: 240 mL, used for serving sizes on Nutrition Facts labels.
- Metric cup: 250 mL, used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
- Imperial cup: 10 imperial fl oz, 284 mL, found in older British recipes.
- Japanese cup: 200 mL.
Spoons and smaller measures
1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 1/2 fl oz = 14.79 mL, and 1 teaspoon = 4.93 mL. So 1 fluid ounce is 2 tablespoons, 1/4 cup is 4 tablespoons and a “stick” of butter is 1/2 cup, or 8 tablespoons. For oven temperatures, see the oven temperature conversion chart.
CHECK YOUR OWN NUMBERS
Use the free Volume Converter
Skip the manual work: the Volume Converter applies the method above instantly, with a clear formula and example, and shows your result right away.
Open the Volume Converter →In short
Step by step: How Many Ounces in a Cup
- Decide whether you are measuring volume (fluid ounces) or weight (ounces).
- For volume, multiply cups by 8: 1.5 cups × 8 = 12 fl oz.
- For weight, look up the ingredient: 1 cup of flour is about 4.25 oz.
- To work in metric, multiply cups by 236.6 to get milliliters.
Quick reference
cup to fl oz
| cup | fl oz |
|---|---|
| 0.25 cup | 2 fl oz |
| 0.5 cup | 4 fl oz |
| 0.75 cup | 6 fl oz |
| 1 cup | 8 fl oz |
| 1.5 cup | 12 fl oz |
| 2 cup | 16 fl oz |
| 3 cup | 24 fl oz |
| 4 cup | 32 fl oz |
| 6 cup | 48 fl oz |
| 8 cup | 64 fl oz |
Accuracy
How we checked this
We compared 4 results from this calculator with values we worked out independently, using exact decimal arithmetic and the published definitions, on October 26, 2026. 4 of 4 matched to the precision shown.
| Input | Independent value | This page | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 US gal → L | 3.785412 | 3.785412 | Yes |
| 1 Imp gal → L | 4.54609 | 4.54609 | Yes |
| 1 L → cup | 4.226753 | 4.226753 | Yes |
| 2 pt → mL | 946.352946 | 946.352946 | Yes |
From the source
For nutrition labeling purposes, a teaspoon means 5 milliliters (mL), a tablespoon means 15 mL, a cup means 240 mL, 1 fl oz means 30 mL, and 1 oz in weight means 28 g.
Sources
GOOD TO KNOW
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 cup 8 oz?
For liquids, yes: 1 US cup is 8 fluid ounces. For dry ingredients the weight varies: 1 cup of flour is about 4.25 oz.
How many ounces are in 2 cups?
16 fluid ounces, which is 1 US pint (473 mL).
How many ounces are in 1/2 cup?
4 fluid ounces (118 mL), or 8 tablespoons.
How many cups is 12 oz?
1 1/2 cups of liquid (12 fl oz). A 12 oz can of soda is 355 mL.
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