How It Works

Converting cups to grams isn’t as simple as applying one universal formula because different ingredients have different densities. A cup of flour weighs much less than a cup of honey, even though both occupy the same volume. This calculator accounts for ingredient density to give you accurate weight measurements.

The basic conversion uses this relationship:

For example, one cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 120 grams, while one cup of granulated sugar weighs 200 grams. The calculator stores the standard density for each ingredient, then multiplies your cup measurement by that density to give you the gram equivalent. This is why you need to select your ingredient first before converting.

Why Bakers Prefer Grams Over Cups

Professional bakers and most international recipes use grams instead of cups because weight is more accurate than volume. When you scoop flour into a measuring cup, you might pack it tightly or leave it loose, which can change the actual amount by 20-30 grams. That variance affects texture, moisture, and whether your cake rises properly.

Grams eliminate this problem. 120 grams of flour is always 120 grams, regardless of how you scooped it. This precision matters most in baking, where ratios between flour, fat, and liquid determine structure. Bread dough needs exact hydration percentages. Cookies spread differently if you add 20 extra grams of butter. Using weight measurements removes guesswork and makes recipes reproducible.

Common Cup to Gram Conversions

Ingredient	1 Cup	½ Cup	¼ Cup
All-Purpose Flour	120g	60g	30g
Granulated Sugar	200g	100g	50g
Brown Sugar (packed)	220g	110g	55g
Butter	227g	113g	57g
Honey	340g	170g	85g
Cocoa Powder	85g	43g	21g
Chocolate Chips	140g	70g	35g

What If I’m Converting Flour?

Flour is tricky because how you measure it dramatically changes the weight. If you scoop your measuring cup directly into the flour bag, you compress the flour and can end up with 140-150 grams per cup instead of the standard 120 grams. This extra flour makes baked goods dense and dry.

The proper technique is to spoon flour into your measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. But honestly, the easiest solution is to skip volume measuring entirely and use a kitchen scale. Once you start weighing flour, you’ll notice your baking becomes more consistent. This calculator uses the spooned-and-leveled standard (120g per cup for all-purpose flour), which matches most American recipes.

What If My Recipe Uses Different Flour Types?

Different flours have different densities. Bread flour is slightly heavier than all-purpose (125g vs 120g per cup) because it contains more protein. Cake flour is lighter (115g per cup) because it’s more finely milled. Whole wheat flour is denser (130g per cup) because it includes the bran and germ.

If you’re substituting one flour for another, you need to adjust by weight, not volume. Swapping one cup of all-purpose flour (120g) for one cup of whole wheat flour (130g) adds 10 extra grams, which absorbs more liquid and changes texture. The calculator handles this automatically when you select your flour type.

What If I’m Converting Butter?

Butter conversions are straightforward because butter is sold by weight in most countries. One cup of butter equals 227 grams, which is exactly two standard American sticks (each stick is 113g or ½ cup). If your recipe calls for tablespoons instead, remember that one tablespoon of butter is about 14 grams.

The confusion usually comes from recipes that mix volume and weight. A recipe might say “1 cup butter (2 sticks)” and you’re not sure if that means volume or weight. They’re the same thing for butter, so don’t overthink it. One cup equals 227g equals two sticks.

What If I’m Converting Liquids?

For water, milk, and most thin liquids, the conversion is simple because their density is close to 1 gram per milliliter. One cup equals 237 milliliters, which means one cup of water weighs about 237 grams. Milk is slightly denser (240g per cup) because of the fat and protein content.

Thick liquids like honey, maple syrup, and molasses are much denser. One cup of honey weighs 340 grams, which is why honey measurements feel so heavy when you’re stirring them into dough. Oil is lighter than water (about 200g per cup) because it’s less dense.

What If I Need to Convert Back from Grams to Cups?

This calculator focuses on cups to grams, but you can reverse the process by dividing grams by the ingredient’s density. If you have 300 grams of sugar and need to know how many cups that is, divide 300 by 200 (sugar’s density) to get 1.5 cups. However, most people find it easier to use a dedicated grams to cups calculator for the reverse direction.

What If I’m Using a Recipe from Another Country?

American recipes use cups, while European, Australian, and most other countries use grams. But there’s another wrinkle: British recipes sometimes use “cups” that are slightly different from American cups (250ml instead of 237ml). This usually doesn’t matter much for forgiving recipes like cookies, but it can throw off precise formulas.

If you’re following a European recipe that already lists grams, you don’t need this calculator at all (just use a scale). But if you’re adapting an old American recipe that only has cup measurements, converting to grams makes the recipe easier to scale up or down. Want to make half a batch? Easier to work with 60g of flour than “⅔ of ¾ cup.”

Should I Buy a Kitchen Scale?

If you bake more than once a month, yes. A decent digital kitchen scale costs $15-25 and removes all the ambiguity from measuring. You place your bowl on the scale, zero it out, and add ingredients until you hit the target weight. No washing measuring cups, no wondering if you packed the brown sugar enough, no variance between batches.

Scales also make cleanup easier because you can measure everything directly into your mixing bowl. And once you start thinking in grams, you realize how much easier it is to scale recipes (doubling 125g is simpler than doubling “1 cup plus 2 tablespoons”). This calculator bridges the gap while you’re transitioning from volume to weight measurements.