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cup
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What is a cup?

The US cooking cup — 240 ml, not the same as UK or metric cup

Definition

The US cup equals 240 millilitres in common usage (legally defined as 236.588 ml). The metric cup (Australia, NZ) is 250 ml; the UK "cup" is 284 ml but rarely used in recipes. Cooking recipes from the US dominate online, so 240 ml is the safe default for "cup".

Common uses

  • US cooking and baking recipes
  • Cereal and beverage serving sizes in US nutrition labels
  • Volume estimation when no scale is available

🌍 Real-world scale

1 cup of water = 240 g = 240 ml. 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 g. A Starbucks Tall is 12 fl oz = 1.5 cups.

Convert from cups

14 conversions
Cup to Liter1 cup = 0.24 LCup to Milliliter1 cup = 240 mlCup to Cubic Meter1 cup = 0.00024 m³Cup to US Gallon1 cup = 0.0634 gal (US)Cup to UK Gallon1 cup = 0.05279 gal (UK)Cup to Fluid Ounce1 cup = 8.11537 fl ozCup to Pint1 cup = 0.5072 ptCup to Quart1 cup = 0.2536 qtCup to Tablespoon1 cup = 16.2162 tbspCup to Teaspoon1 cup = 48.6922 tspCup to Barrel1 cup = 0.00151 bblCup to Cubic Inch1 cup = 14.6457 in³Cup to Cubic Foot1 cup = 0.008476 ft³Cup to Cubic Yard1 cup = 0.0003139 yd³

Convert to cups

14 conversions
Liter to Cup1 L = 4.16667 cupMilliliter to Cup1 ml = 0.004167 cupCubic Meter to Cup1 m³ = 4,166.67 cupUS Gallon to Cup1 gal (US) = 15.7725 cupUK Gallon to Cup1 gal (UK) = 18.942 cupFluid Ounce to Cup1 fl oz = 0.1232 cupPint to Cup1 pt = 1.97157 cupQuart to Cup1 qt = 3.94314 cupTablespoon to Cup1 tbsp = 0.06167 cupTeaspoon to Cup1 tsp = 0.02054 cupBarrel to Cup1 bbl = 662.447 cupCubic Inch to Cup1 in³ = 0.06828 cupCubic Foot to Cup1 ft³ = 117.987 cupCubic Yard to Cup1 yd³ = 3,185.65 cup

Tips

  • US cup = 240 ml common; 236.6 ml legal; UK cup = 284 ml; metric cup (AU/NZ) = 250 ml.
  • Weights (grams) are more reliable than cups — a cup of flour can vary 30% depending on how packed.
  • For baking, always use the recipe author's country convention.

Common mistakes

  • Using a UK 284 ml cup for a US recipe calling for 240 ml — 18% overshoot.
  • Treating all dry ingredients as 1 cup = 240 g — only true for water.
  • Using a coffee mug as a "cup" — mugs vary 200–400 ml.

FAQ about the cup

What is a cup?
The US cup equals 240 millilitres in common usage (legally defined as 236.588 ml). The metric cup (Australia, NZ) is 250 ml; the UK "cup" is 284 ml but rarely used in recipes. Cooking recipes from the US dominate online, so 240 ml is the safe default for "cup".
Where is the cup used?
The cup is commonly used for: US cooking and baking recipes; Cereal and beverage serving sizes in US nutrition labels; Volume estimation when no scale is available.
What is an example of a cup in real life?
1 cup of water = 240 g = 240 ml. 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 125 g. A Starbucks Tall is 12 fl oz = 1.5 cups.
What category does the cup belong to?
The cup is a unit of volume, part of the 15-unit volume category on UnitConv.
How accurate are cup conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 15 volume units and their conversions.🧪 Volume hub →