Cooking converter
Kitchen measures by volume. A US cup (236.6 mL) is smaller than a metric cup (250 mL). Cups measure volume, not weight: converting cups to grams depends on the ingredient, so we do not guess.
US customary and British imperial units with the same name differ in size. Each is labelled US or UK in the unit list.
1 US cup = 236.59 millilitres
How it’s calculated
mL = cup (US) × 236.5882365
- Multiply the value in US cups by 236.5882365.
- To go back, divide by 236.5882365 (or multiply by 0.004226752838).
- 1 cup (US) = 236.5882365 mL · 1 mL = 0.004226752838 cup (US)
Show worked solutionFactor, unit cancellation and rounding, step by step
Find the conversion factor
By definition 1 cup (US) = 0.0002365882365 m³ and 1 mL = 0.000001 m³, so 1 cup (US) = 236.5882365 mL. Source: NIST SP 811 / Handbook 44; BIPM SI Brochure (9th ed.).
Multiply by the factor written as a fraction
Put cup (US) in the denominator so it cancels, leaving mL.
Calculate (unrounded)
Round the answer
Rounded to 5 significant figures.
Answer: 236.59 mL
1 cup (US) in other units
Batch convert cup (US) → mL
- 1 cup (US) = 236.59 mL
- 5 cup (US) = 1182.9 mL
- 10 cup (US) = 2365.9 mL
- 25 cup (US) = 5914.7 mL
Common cooking conversions
Cooking units and exact definitions
| Unit | System | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| US cup (cup (US)) | US customary | 1 cup (US) = 0.0002365882365 m³ |
| Metric cup (cup (metric)) | metric (non-SI) | 1 cup (metric) = 0.00025 m³ |
| Imperial cup (cup (UK)) | British imperial | 1 cup (UK) = 0.000284130625 m³ |
| US tablespoon (tbsp (US)) | US customary | 1 tbsp (US) = 0.00001478676478 m³ |
| Metric tablespoon (tbsp (metric)) | metric (non-SI) | 1 tbsp (metric) = 0.000015 m³ |
| US teaspoon (tsp (US)) | US customary | 1 tsp (US) = 0.000004928921594 m³ |
| Metric teaspoon (tsp (metric)) | metric (non-SI) | 1 tsp (metric) = 0.000005 m³ |
| US fluid ounce (fl oz (US)) | US customary | 1 fl oz (US) = 0.00002957352956 m³ |
| Imperial fluid ounce (fl oz (UK)) | British imperial | 1 fl oz (UK) = 0.0000284130625 m³ |
| Millilitre (mL) | metric (non-SI) | 1 mL = 0.000001 m³ |
| Litre (L) | metric (non-SI) | 1 L = 0.001 m³ |
| US liquid pint (pt (US)) | US customary | 1 pt (US) = 0.000473176473 m³ |
| Imperial pint (pt (UK)) | British imperial | 1 pt (UK) = 0.00056826125 m³ |
| US liquid quart (qt (US)) | US customary | 1 qt (US) = 0.000946352946 m³ |
| Decilitre (dL) | metric (non-SI) | 1 dL = 0.0001 m³ |
| Cubic metre (m³) | SI (metric) | Base unit |
| US gallon (gal (US)) | US customary | 1 gal (US) = 0.003785411784 m³ |
| Imperial gallon (gal (UK)) | British imperial | 1 gal (UK) = 0.00454609 m³ |
| Imperial quart (qt (UK)) | British imperial | 1 qt (UK) = 0.0011365225 m³ |
| Cubic inch (in³) | US & imperial (identical) | 1 in³ = 0.000016387064 m³ |
| Cubic foot (ft³) | US & imperial (identical) | 1 ft³ = 0.02831684659 m³ |
| Cubic yard (yd³) | US & imperial (identical) | 1 yd³ = 0.764554858 m³ |
| Oil barrel (bbl) | US customary | 1 bbl = 0.1589872949 m³ |
US cups to millilitres conversion table
| US cups (cup (US)) | Millilitres (mL) |
|---|---|
| 0.125 cup (US) | 29.574 mL |
| 0.25 cup (US) | 59.147 mL |
| 0.3333333333 cup (US) | 78.863 mL |
| 0.5 cup (US) | 118.29 mL |
| 0.6666666667 cup (US) | 157.73 mL |
| 0.75 cup (US) | 177.44 mL |
| 1 cup (US) | 236.59 mL |
| 1.5 cup (US) | 354.88 mL |
| 2 cup (US) | 473.18 mL |
| 3 cup (US) | 709.76 mL |
| 4 cup (US) | 946.35 mL |
| 5 cup (US) | 1,182.9 mL |
| 6 cup (US) | 1,419.5 mL |
| 8 cup (US) | 1,892.7 mL |
Frequently asked questions
Which cooking units can I convert?
US cups (cup (US)), metric cups (cup (metric)), imperial cups (cup (UK)), US tablespoons (tbsp (US)), metric tablespoons (tbsp (metric)), US teaspoons (tsp (US)), metric teaspoons (tsp (metric)), US fluid ounces (fl oz (US)), imperial fluid ounces (fl oz (UK)), millilitres (mL), litres (L), US liquid pints (pt (US)), imperial pints (pt (UK)), US liquid quarts (qt (US)).
How accurate are the results?
Every unit is stored with its exact defining factor (NIST SP 811, NIST Handbook 44 or the BIPM SI Brochure). Calculations use double-precision arithmetic and are rounded only for display, to 5 significant figures by default (trailing zeros dropped, so 1 km shows as 1000 m). You can choose Auto (up to 10 digits), fixed decimals or more significant figures, or switch to scientific or engineering notation.
Why do US and UK (imperial) units give different answers?
Several units share a name but not a size. A US gallon is exactly 3.785411784 L while an imperial gallon is exactly 4.54609 L; a US fluid ounce is about 29.57 mL and a UK fluid ounce about 28.41 mL. Units are labelled US or UK throughout so you can pick the right one.
Can I convert cups to grams?
Not directly: cups measure volume and grams measure mass, so the answer depends on the ingredient’s density. Weighing ingredients is the most accurate approach.