Cooking Unit Converter

About Cooking Unit Converter

Volume Conversions

Volume is the standard measurement system in American recipes. A US customary cup holds 236.59 mL and breaks down into 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons. The relationships between these units follow fixed ratios: 3 teaspoons make 1 tablespoon, 2 tablespoons make 1 fluid ounce, 8 fluid ounces make 1 cup, 2 cups make 1 pint, and 4 cups make 1 quart. A gallon is 16 cups. Metric recipes use millilitres and litres instead, and the converter above handles both systems.

Unit	Teaspoons	Tablespoons	Cups	Millilitres
1 teaspoon	1	0.333	0.021	4.93
1 tablespoon	3	1	0.0625	14.79
1 fluid ounce	6	2	0.125	29.57
1 cup (US)	48	16	1	236.59
1 pint (US)	96	32	2	473.18
1 quart (US)	192	64	4	946.35
1 litre	202.9	67.6	4.23	1,000
1 gallon (US)	768	256	16	3,785

US Cups vs UK (Imperial) Cups

A US cup is 236.59 mL while a UK imperial cup is 284.13 mL - a 20% difference that can ruin a recipe. The imperial cup is based on the imperial fluid ounce (28.41 mL) rather than the US fluid ounce (29.57 mL), which creates the gap. Australian and Canadian recipes use a metric cup of exactly 250 mL, and Japanese recipes use a 200 mL cup.

The US also has a separate "legal cup" of 240 mL defined by the FDA for nutrition labelling. This means the cup size on a cereal box (240 mL) is slightly larger than the measuring cup in your drawer (236.59 mL). When following international recipes, converting to millilitres or grams removes the ambiguity entirely.

Cup Standard	Volume (mL)	Common In
US customary cup	236.59	American recipes
US legal cup (nutrition labels)	240	FDA food labels
Metric cup	250	Australia, New Zealand, Canada
Imperial cup	284.13	Older UK recipes
Japanese cup	200	Japanese recipes

Why Weight Is More Accurate Than Volume

Professional bakers measure by weight (grams or ounces) rather than volume (cups and tablespoons) because weight gives consistent results every time. The problem with volume measurements is density variation. One cup of all-purpose flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 150 grams depending on technique. King Arthur Baking defines a cup of all-purpose flour as 120g using the spoon-and-level method, while the USDA standard is 125g. That 30-gram spread across three cups of flour adds up to nearly 90 grams of difference - enough to make bread too dense or a cake too dry.

This variation happens because flour compacts when scooped. Dipping a measuring cup straight into the flour bag pushes air out and packs the flour down, giving a heavier cup than the spoon-and-level method where you scoop flour into the cup with a spoon and scrape off the top with a knife. Sugar, salt, and cocoa powder all behave differently depending on how they settle into a cup.

Worked example: A chocolate cake recipe calls for 3 cups of flour. Using King Arthur's 120g standard, that is 360g. Using the USDA's 125g, it is 375g. A cook who scoops directly from the bag might measure 140g per cup, giving 420g total - 17% more flour than intended. That extra flour absorbs moisture and produces a dry, crumbly cake instead of a tender one. Weight eliminates this problem. 360 grams is 360 grams regardless of how the flour got onto the scale. If a recipe gives both volume and weight, always use weight. The weight converter handles grams, ounces, pounds, and kilograms for broader conversions.

Weight Conversions

The metric system (grams, kilograms) and imperial system (ounces, pounds) overlap in kitchens worldwide. The key conversion factors are 1 ounce = 28.35 grams and 1 pound = 453.59 grams (16 ounces). One kilogram equals 2.205 pounds or 35.27 ounces.

Unit	Grams	Ounces	Pounds
1 gram	1	0.0353	0.0022
1 ounce	28.35	1	0.0625
1 pound	453.59	16	1
1 kilogram	1,000	35.27	2.205

Common Ingredient Weights by Volume

Because ingredients have different densities, "1 cup" weighs very different amounts depending on what is being measured. A cup of honey (340g) weighs four times as much as a cup of cocoa powder (85g). The table below uses widely accepted values from King Arthur Baking and the USDA.

Ingredient	1 Cup (grams)	1 Tablespoon (grams)	Notes
All-purpose flour	120 - 130	8	Varies by scooping method; spoon and level for consistency
Bread flour	130	8	Slightly denser than all-purpose
Granulated sugar	200	12.5	Consistent density
Brown sugar (packed)	220	14	Pack firmly into the cup
Butter	227 (2 sticks)	14	1 stick = 113 g = 1/2 cup
Honey / maple syrup	340	21	Dense liquid, weighs more than water
Milk	245	15	Close to water density
Cocoa powder	85	5	Very light and fluffy
Rice (uncooked)	185	12	Varies by grain type
Rolled oats	90	6	Very light

How to Measure Flour Correctly

Incorrectly measured flour is the most common source of baking failure. There are three standard methods, and each gives a different result:

Spoon and level (most accurate volume method): Use a spoon to scoop flour from the bag into the measuring cup until it mounds above the rim. Do not shake or tap the cup. Scrape a straight edge (the back of a knife works well) across the top to level it off. This method typically gives 120-125g per cup and is what most modern recipe developers mean when they write "1 cup."

Scoop and sweep: Dip the measuring cup directly into the flour container, then sweep the excess off the top. This compresses the flour as the cup pushes through it, giving roughly 140-150g per cup - about 15-20% more than spoon-and-level.

Shake and settle: Some older recipes assume you tap or shake the cup to settle the flour, which packs it further. This can push a cup above 150g.

When a recipe just says "1 cup of flour" without specifying a method, assume spoon-and-level unless the source says otherwise. Better still, weigh it on a kitchen scale.

Oven Temperature Conversions

The formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius is °C = (°F - 32) x 5/9. Gas marks, used in British and Irish recipes, follow a scale where each step up adds roughly 14°C (25°F). Gas mark 4 at 177°C (350°F) is the standard baking temperature for cakes. The gas mark system was standardised by the British gas cooker industry in the mid-20th century and remains common in UK cookbooks.

Description	°F	°C	Gas Mark	Common Uses
Very cool	250	120	1/2	Meringues, drying herbs
Cool	300	150	2	Slow roasting
Moderate	350	177	4	Cakes, biscuits, casseroles
Moderately hot	375	190	5	Cookies, pies
Hot	400	204	6	Roast vegetables, bread
Very hot	425	218	7	Pizza, scones
Extremely hot	475	246	9	Pizza stone, searing

Fan Oven and Convection Adjustments

Fan ovens (called convection ovens in the US) circulate hot air around the food, which cooks faster and more evenly than a conventional (static) oven. The standard adjustment is to reduce the temperature by 20°C (about 35°F) from what a conventional oven recipe states, or to cut the cooking time by roughly 10-15% instead.

For example, a recipe calling for 180°C in a conventional oven should be set to 160°C in a fan oven. The temperature table above lists conventional (non-fan) temperatures. If your oven only shows fan settings, add 20°C to find the equivalent conventional temperature. Most modern ovens have both modes, and the manual will specify which the dial refers to. For air fryers, which are essentially small convection ovens, the air fryer converter handles temperature and time adjustments.

Common Kitchen Conversion Mistakes

A few errors come up repeatedly in home cooking:

Confusing fluid ounces with weight ounces. A fluid ounce measures volume (29.57 mL), while a weight ounce measures mass (28.35 grams). They are close for water, but not for other ingredients. Honey weighs about 1.5 times as much per fluid ounce as water does, and oil weighs about 0.9 times as much. When a recipe says "ounces", check from context whether it means a liquid measure or a dry weight.

Using the wrong cup standard. An American recipe calling for 2 cups of milk means 473 mL. Using metric cups (250 mL each) gives 500 mL instead - about 6% more liquid. For soups and stews this barely matters, but for baking it can throw off the wet-to-dry ratio.

Forgetting that tablespoon sizes vary. A US tablespoon is 14.79 mL, but an Australian tablespoon is 20 mL - about 35% larger. Australian recipes that call for tablespoons use the 20 mL size, so using a US tablespoon set gives noticeably less of each ingredient. The UK tablespoon is 15 mL, very close to the US standard.

Packing brown sugar inconsistently. Brown sugar should be packed firmly into the measuring cup so it holds its shape when turned out. Loosely scooped brown sugar weighs roughly 150-170g per cup instead of the expected 220g. This is the one ingredient where packing is the correct technique.

Not adjusting for altitude. At elevations above 1,000 metres (3,500 feet), water boils at a lower temperature and leavening agents (baking powder, baking soda, yeast) produce more gas. Most high-altitude baking adjustments involve reducing sugar by up to 1 tablespoon per cup, increasing liquid by 1-2 tablespoons per cup, and raising the oven temperature by about 15-25°F.

Quick Mental Shortcuts

A few rules of thumb make it easier to estimate conversions on the fly:

Cups to mL: Multiply cups by 240 (close enough to the exact 236.59 for cooking purposes). Two cups is about 480 mL, half a cup is about 120 mL.

Ounces to grams: Multiply by 28, or for a rough estimate multiply by 30 and subtract a little. Four ounces is about 113g, eight ounces is about 227g.

Fahrenheit to Celsius (oven temps): Memorise three anchor points: 350°F = 177°C, 400°F = 204°C, 450°F = 232°C. Each 25°F step is roughly 15°C. For precise results, use the temperature tab above or the temperature converter.

Tablespoons to cups: Divide by 16. Four tablespoons is 1/4 cup, eight tablespoons is 1/2 cup, twelve tablespoons is 3/4 cup.

Sticks of butter: One stick = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 113g. Most American recipes use sticks as the primary butter measurement.

For scaling entire recipes up or down, the recipe scaler adjusts all ingredient quantities at once. For finding ingredient swaps when you are out of something, the baking substitution calculator lists alternatives with exact amounts.

Sources

• King Arthur Baking - Ingredient weight chart
• US FDA (21 CFR 101.9) - Legal cup (240 mL) for nutrition labelling
• USDA FoodData Central - Ingredient densities
• NIST - Metric conversions and measurement units
• King Arthur Baking - High-altitude baking guide
• Wikipedia - Gas mark oven scale