1 cup in milliliters is about 236.59 mL for a US customary cup (exactly 236.5882365 mL, or 8 US fluid ounces). However, US nutrition labels round it to 240 mL, the metric cup used in Australia, Canada and New Zealand holds 250 mL, and a modern Japanese cup holds 200 mL.
Convert 1 Cup in Milliliters (or Any Amount)
First, enter the number of cups you have. The converter then uses the exact US definition and shows the result in milliliters, fluid ounces, tablespoons and teaspoons. In addition, it lists the 250 mL metric cup and the 240 mL label cup, so you can compare them side by side.
Of all units, cups are the most common volume unit in American recipes, yet most of the world measures liquids in milliliters. As a result, you run into this conversion whenever you follow a recipe from another country, read a nutrition label, or own a measuring jug marked only in mL. In addition, the answer changes depending on which “cup” the recipe means, and that is where most mistakes start.
In the US, for example, the cup is a defined unit: 1 cup equals 8 US fluid ounces, half a US pint, or 16 tablespoons. Because the US fluid ounce is defined as exactly 29.5735295625 mL, one US cup works out to exactly 236.5882365 mL. For food labels, however, the US Food and Drug Administration rounds things for simplicity. Its guidance on household measures says 1 cup means 240 mL on a nutrition label. Similarly, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses 240 mL for a cup in its metric kitchen table.
1 Cup in Milliliters and Other Common Amounts
This chart covers the cup fractions you see most in recipes. Also, the US column uses the exact definition, rounded to two decimals. Next to it, the label column uses the FDA’s 240 mL cup, and the last column uses the 250 mL metric cup.
| Cups | US cup (mL) | Label cup (mL) | Metric cup (mL) | Also equals (US) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59.15 | 60 | 62.5 | 4 tbsp, 2 fl oz |
| 1/3 cup | 78.86 | 80 | 83.3 | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 1/2 cup | 118.29 | 120 | 125 | 8 tbsp, 4 fl oz |
| 2/3 cup | 157.73 | 160 | 166.7 | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 3/4 cup | 177.44 | 180 | 187.5 | 12 tbsp, 6 fl oz |
| 1 cup | 236.59 | 240 | 250 | 16 tbsp, 8 fl oz |
| 1 1/2 cups | 354.88 | 360 | 375 | 12 fl oz |
| 2 cups | 473.18 | 480 | 500 | 1 pint, 16 fl oz |
| 3 cups | 709.76 | 720 | 750 | 24 fl oz |
| 4 cups | 946.35 | 960 | 1,000 | 1 quart, 32 fl oz |
Printable tip: save or print this chart and tape it inside a cupboard door. Conversely, 1 liter is about 4.23 US cups, and 100 mL is a little under half a cup (about 0.42 cup). For small amounts, see how much 30 mL is in spoons and ounces.
Recommended Measuring Cups With mL Markings
In practice, the easiest way to skip the math is a measuring cup that shows both units. First, look for a clear liquid measuring cup with cups on one side and milliliters on the other. Next, check that the markings are printed or molded clearly enough to read at eye level. Also, a set of nested dry measuring cups is useful for flour and sugar, because you can level them with a knife.
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Why 1 Cup in Milliliters Has More Than One Answer
To begin with, a cup started out as an everyday drinking vessel, not a scientific unit. As a result, different countries settled on different sizes when they standardized their kitchens. For instance, the US kept a cup tied to its fluid ounce, so the number is not round. Meanwhile, countries that went metric picked a tidy 250 mL. Japan, on the other hand, chose 200 mL.
Besides, the US has a second, rounded cup. Food labels use 240 mL because it is easy to print and close enough to the real US cup, only about 1.4% larger. In short, a US recipe, a US food label and an Australian recipe can all say “1 cup” and mean three slightly different amounts.
Cup Sizes by Country Compared
Next, use this table to separate the cups people most often confuse. In particular, check where your recipe comes from before you convert.
| Cup type | Milliliters | US fl oz | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.59 mL | 8 | US recipes and US measuring cups |
| US legal (label) cup | 240 mL | 8.12 | US nutrition facts labels |
| Metric cup | 250 mL | 8.45 | Australia, Canada, New Zealand, many modern UK recipes |
| Japanese cup | 200 mL | 6.76 | Japanese recipes and measuring cups |
| Japanese rice cup (go) | about 180 mL | 6.09 | Rice cookers and the cup that comes with them |
| Half imperial pint | 284.13 mL | 9.61 | Some older British references (10 imperial fl oz) |
Above all, older British recipes are the tricky ones. Some treated a cup as half an imperial pint, while others simply meant a teacup or breakfast cup, so the size was never consistent. Today, however, most UK recipes use grams and milliliters instead. Our guide to US vs UK cooking measurements explains pints, ounces and spoons as well.
Which Cup Does Your Recipe Use?
You rarely need to guess. Instead, look for a few clues:
- Units elsewhere in the recipe. For example, Fahrenheit oven temperatures and ounces point to a US cup (236.59 mL).
- Celsius and grams. These suggest an Australian, New Zealand or Canadian source, so read “1 cup” as 250 mL.
- Japanese ingredients and a 200 mL note. For example, Japanese cookbooks often print the cup size near the front.
- Packaged foods. Likewise, serving sizes on US labels use the 240 mL cup.
When nothing gives it away, use the US cup for American sites and the metric cup for Australian or New Zealand ones. Either way, keep the same cup for every ingredient in the recipe, because the ratios matter more than the exact size.
How to Measure 1 Cup in Milliliters
- Choose a liquid measuring cup. To start, use a clear jug with mL markings and a spout.
- Set it on a flat counter. Otherwise, holding it in your hand tilts the surface and skews the reading.
- Pour to the right line. Fill to 237 mL for a US cup, 240 mL for a label cup or 250 mL for a metric cup.
- Read at eye level. Next, bend down so your eye is level with the line, then read the bottom of the curved surface (the meniscus).
- Adjust a little at a time. Then add or pour off a splash until the liquid sits right on the mark.
- Use the converter for odd amounts. Enter your number of cups in the converter above to get the exact mL figure.
If your jug has no line for 237 mL, simply fill to just under the 240 mL mark. In practice, nobody can see a 3 mL difference in a kitchen jug.
Liquid vs Dry Measuring Cups
Of course, a cup is a unit of volume, so 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of water take up the same space. They do not, however, weigh the same. For example, a US cup of water weighs about 237 g, while a cup of all-purpose flour weighs roughly 120 to 130 g depending on how you fill it. That is why milliliters work well for liquids, but grams work better for flour, sugar and other dry ingredients.
| People often confuse | What it really measures |
|---|---|
| Cup (volume) | Space: about 236.59 mL in the US |
| Fluid ounce (fl oz) | Volume: 1/8 cup, about 29.57 mL |
| Ounce (oz) | Weight: about 28.35 g, unrelated to how much space something fills |
Therefore, “8 ounces” on a bag of cheese is a weight, not a cup. For more on the weight ounce, see how much is an ounce. For smaller volumes, our page on teaspoons vs tablespoons shows that 1 cup holds 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons.
Do and Don’t for Cup Conversions
Do
- First, check which country the recipe comes from.
- Also, measure liquids in a clear jug at eye level.
- Keep one cup size for the whole recipe, because ratios matter.
- Weigh flour and sugar when baking needs precision.
- Finally, round 236.59 mL to 237 or 240 mL for cooking.
Don’t
- Mix a 250 mL cup with a 236.59 mL cup in one recipe.
- Use a coffee mug as a measuring cup, because mug sizes vary.
- Confuse fluid ounces with weight ounces, since they measure different things.
- Scoop flour straight from the bag, since it packs down.
- Likewise, avoid treating a rice cooker cup as a standard cup.
Honest Limits of 1 Cup in Milliliters Conversions
Admittedly, the figure 236.5882365 mL is a definition, not what every cup in every kitchen holds. For one thing, measuring cups have small manufacturing tolerances, and printed lines can sit slightly off. Moreover, how you fill and read a cup changes the result more than the cup itself. A cup of liquid read from above, for instance, can easily be off by 5 mL or more.
Furthermore, dry ingredients add another layer. Because flour, sugar and cocoa settle and pack differently, the same cup can hold quite different weights. In short, milliliters describe volume well, but they cannot tell you how much flour you have. Instead, a kitchen scale is the better tool for that.
When Accuracy Really Matters
For soups, sauces and most cooking, any of the cup sizes above works fine. Still, a few situations deserve more care:
- Baking. Cakes and breads depend on the ratio of flour to liquid, so use the same cup throughout or weigh ingredients.
- Infant formula. Instead, follow the scoop and water amounts printed on the container exactly, not a cup conversion.
- Liquid medicine. Use the oral syringe or dosing cup that comes with the medicine and dose in mL, never a kitchen cup.
- Lab or classroom work. Use a graduated cylinder, since kitchen jugs are not precise enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 1 cup in milliliters?
One US cup is exactly 236.5882365 mL, or about 236.59 mL. Nutrition labels, however, round it to 240 mL, and the metric cup is 250 mL.
Is 250 mL equal to 1 cup?
Yes, in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, where the metric cup is 250 mL. By comparison, a US cup is a little smaller, at about 236.59 mL.
Is 240 mL the same as 1 cup?
Close enough for cooking. After all, the FDA uses 240 mL as 1 cup on US nutrition labels, while the exact US customary cup is about 236.59 mL.
Is 200 mL equal to 1 cup?
Only in Japan, because the modern Japanese cup is 200 mL. In other words, it is about 0.85 of a US cup.
How do I convert 1 cup in milliliters to fluid ounces?
One US cup is 8 US fluid ounces. Since each fluid ounce is about 29.57 mL, 8 x 29.57 gives about 236.59 mL.
How many cups are in 1 liter?
There are about 4.23 US cups in 1 liter. In contrast, a liter holds exactly 4 metric cups of 250 mL.
Is 125 mL half a cup?
Yes, half of a 250 mL metric cup is 125 mL. Half of a US cup, by contrast, is about 118.29 mL.
How many tablespoons are in 1 cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup. Likewise, a cup equals 48 teaspoons.
Does 1 cup in milliliters change for flour or sugar?
No. The volume stays the same, about 236.59 mL in a US cup. The weight, on the other hand, changes with the ingredient and how you fill the cup.
Why is 1 cup in milliliters not a round number in the US?
Because the US cup comes from the US fluid ounce, not from the metric system. Eight fluid ounces of 29.5735295625 mL each make 236.5882365 mL.
1 Cup in Milliliters: The Bottom Line
To sum up, a US cup holds about 236.59 mL, US food labels round it to 240 mL, and metric recipes from Australia, Canada and New Zealand use 250 mL. Japan, meanwhile, uses a 200 mL cup. Overall, for most cooking, rounding to 240 mL is fine, as long as you use the same cup for every ingredient.
Finally, if you need an exact figure for any amount, the converter at the top of this page handles cups, milliliters, fluid ounces and spoons. And for medicine, skip the kitchen cups and use the dosing device in mL.
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