How to Convert Cooking Measurements

5 min read · Updated September 26, 2026 · by the SolveCalcPro editorial team

How to Convert Cooking Measurements – feature image

Recipes switch between volume and weight, and the same “cup” weighs different amounts for different ingredients. This guide explains how to convert reliably.

Volume to volume

A US cup is 236.6 ml, a tablespoon 14.8 ml and a teaspoon 4.9 ml. Metric recipes use 250 ml, 15 ml and 5 ml; Australian recipes use a 20 ml tablespoon.

Volume to weight needs the ingredient

One US cup is about 120 g of flour, 198 g of sugar, 336 g of honey and 236.6 g of water. The weights come from each ingredient’s density.

Butter and small amounts

Four tablespoons of butter is 56.49 g — half a US stick.

Oven temperatures and other kitchen conversions

Recipes also differ in oven temperature: 180 °C is about 350 °F, or gas mark 4. Fan ovens usually need about 20 °C lower than the recipe’s conventional temperature. Butter is often sold in sticks in the US (one stick is 8 tablespoons, 113 g), while elsewhere it comes in 250 g blocks. Liquids such as milk and water weigh roughly 1 g per ml, but honey and syrup are about 40% heavier than water, so a cup of honey weighs far more than a cup of milk. When a recipe lists both cups and grams, trust the grams.

Weigh when you can

Scooping packs flour and changes weights by 20% or more. A kitchen scale removes the guesswork; the cooking converter gives you the numbers to start.

Practice questions

Test yourself, then tap to check. Answers are calculated by the tools linked below.

  1. How many grams is 2 cups of granulated sugar (US cups)?
    Show answer

    2 cups of sugar in g: 396

  2. A recipe needs 3 cups of milk. How many millilitres?
    Show answer

    3 cup in mL: 709.7647095

  3. Convert 12 stone to kilograms.
    Show answer

    12 st in kg: 76.20351816

Frequently asked questions

How many grams in a cup of flour?

About 120 g for spooned-and-levelled all-purpose flour.

How many ml in a cup?

236.6 ml in the US; 250 ml in metric recipes.

Why is an Australian tablespoon bigger?

It is defined as 20 ml, versus 15 ml elsewhere.

Is a fluid ounce the same as an ounce?

No; fluid ounces measure volume, ounces measure weight.

Try it yourself

Keep learning

Written and reviewed by the SolveCalcPro editorial team. Spot a mistake? Tell us. See our editorial policy.