Cups to Grams Converter
Written by Thierno Sadou Diallo, formula verified per our methodology • Last checked on 9/5/2026
A cup measures a volume, not a weight, so its conversion to grams depends on the ingredient. As a rule of thumb, 1 cup of flour weighs about 125 g, 1 cup of sugar about 200 g, and 1 cup of butter about 227 g.
Explanation
Many recipes, especially American and British ones, express quantities in cups rather than grams, which is a problem if you're used to weighing your ingredients: a cup is a unit of volume (the standard US cup is 236.588 ml), not weight, and its gram equivalent changes entirely depending on the density of the ingredient being measured. A cup of flour, light and airy, doesn't weigh the same as a cup of sugar, more compact, or a cup of butter, with almost no gaps between the molecules. This calculator applies a density specific to each of the three ingredients most commonly measured in cups in baking recipes. These values remain average benchmarks: for flour in particular, the actual weight of a cup can vary noticeably (by up to 15-20%) depending on whether it's packed or simply spooned and leveled into the cup, the method generally recommended to limit this variability. For maximum precision in baking, weighing ingredients directly on a scale remains the most reliable method, with cups mainly useful in a pinch or for following a recipe that offers no weight equivalent. For other cooking measurement units (spoons, milliliters, ounces), see our kitchen measurement conversion calculator.
Example: 2 cups of flour
Inputs
Quantity: 2 cups. Ingredient: flour.
Calculation
Weight = 2 × 125 = 250 g.
Result
2 cups of flour weigh about 250 g.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the weight of a cup of flour vary from one source to another?
Because flour packs down or stays airy easily depending on how it's poured into the cup: packed flour can weigh up to 20% more than flour simply spooned in and then leveled off with a knife. The most reproducible method is to spoon flour into the cup without packing it, then level the top with the back of a knife — that's the method assumed by the 125 g value used here.
Does this conversion work with any type of sugar?
No, the value given here (about 200 g/cup) corresponds to granulated white sugar. Powdered (confectioners') sugar, much lighter and airier, weighs noticeably less per cup (about 120 g), and brown sugar, often packed into the cup by habit, generally weighs more.
Should I use melted or solid butter for this conversion?
The value given here (about 227 g/cup, i.e. two standard US butter sticks of 113.5 g each) corresponds to solid butter, measured by packing it into the cup to remove air pockets. Melted butter occupies a slightly different volume, though the gram conversion stays close since the mass of butter doesn't change, only its shape does.