Quick answer
Volume to weight uses a density per cup for each ingredient. 2.5 US cups of all-purpose flour weigh 312.5 g (11.02 oz), at 125 g per cup.
Choose an ingredient, the direction, the amount and the unit. The calculator returns weight or volume. Use this cooking ingredient converter to check your own figures.
Related tools: Ingredient Cost Calculator: Cost of the amount of an ingredient used.
How to use the Cooking Ingredient Converter
- Choose ingredient: All-purpose flour (white, enriched, bleached), Whole-wheat flour, Granulated sugar, Brown sugar, packed, Powdered sugar, unsifted and Butter, salted and 17 more.
- Choose convert: Volume → weight and Weight (grams) → volume.
- Enter amount (above 0).
- Choose volume unit: US cups, Tablespoons, Teaspoons, US fluid ounces and Milliliters.
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient | Choose one: All-purpose flour (white, enriched, bleached); Whole-wheat flour; Granulated sugar; Brown sugar, packed; Powdered sugar, unsifted; Butter, salted; Honey; Whole milk; … | Starts at All-purpose flour (white, enriched, bleached) |
| Convert | Choose one: Volume → weight; Weight (grams) → volume | Starts at Volume → weight |
| Amount | A number | > 0 |
| Volume unit | Choose one: US cups; Tablespoons; Teaspoons; US fluid ounces; Milliliters | Starts at US cups |
Formula and method
Formula
grams = amount × (grams per cup for the ingredient) × (unit as a fraction of a cup)
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places.
Gram weights per US cup come from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018; Public domain (CC0 1.0)). The same ingredient weighs differently depending on how it is scooped, sifted or packed, so each entry names its measure (for example brown sugar is packed). 1 US cup = 236.5882365 mL.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Ingredient = All-purpose flour (white, enriched, bleached); Convert = Volume → weight; Amount = 2.5; Volume unit = US cups.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 312.5 g |
| Ounces | 11.02 |
| Pounds | 0.689 |
Example 2
Inputs: Ingredient = Granulated sugar; Convert = Volume → weight; Amount = 3; Volume unit = Tablespoons.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 37.5 g |
| Ounces | 1.32 |
| Pounds | 0.083 |
Example 3
Inputs: Ingredient = Brown sugar, packed; Convert = Volume → weight; Amount = 0.75; Volume unit = US cups.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 165 g |
| Ounces | 5.82 |
| Pounds | 0.364 |
The first line is the headline result (weight). Below it the cooking Ingredient Converter lists ounces and pounds, which describe the same case from other angles. IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places.
Why weights differ
A cup of sugar weighs about 200 g, flour 125 g and butter 227 g, because ingredients have different densities. Scooping flour packs it and can add 10 to 20%, so spoon and level, or better weigh it.
Only listed ingredients
Only the ingredients in the list are supported, using typical values. Brands, humidity and sifting change the weight, so treat the conversion as a good estimate.
How the result changes with amount
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only amount. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Amount | Weight | Ounces | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.25 | 156.3 g | 5.51 | 0.344 |
| 2.5 | 312.5 g | 11.02 | 0.689 |
| 5 | 625 g | 22.05 | 1.378 |
| 10 | 1,250 g | 44.09 | 2.756 |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Amount: entering "0" shows "Amount must be greater than 0." beside that field and no result.
- Ingredient: entering "unobtainium" shows "Choose a valid ingredient." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Cooking Ingredient Converter and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Ingredient Cost Calculator](/cooking/ingredient-cost-calculator/) | package price, package size and amount used | Cost of ingredient used |
| [Turkey Cooking Time Calculator](/cooking/turkey-cooking-time-calculator/) | turkey weight and weight unit | Roasting time |
| [Ham Cooking Time Calculator](/cooking/ham-cooking-time-calculator/) | ham, ham weight and weight unit | Heating time |
| [Turkey Thawing Time Calculator](/cooking/turkey-thawing-time-calculator/) | method and turkey weight | Thawing time |
| [Brine Concentration Calculator](/cooking/brine-concentration-calculator/) | salt and water | Brine concentration |
Background: cooking measurements
For baking, weight is more reliable than volume. A cup holds a fixed volume but its weight depends on the ingredient's density, and a cup of flour can vary by 20 to 30 grams depending on how it is scooped, so published gram-per-cup values for the same ingredient differ from site to site. Spoon and level flour if you must measure by volume.
Check which cup a recipe uses: the US cup is 236.588 mL, while a metric cup is 250 mL.
Assumptions and limitations
- Scooping, sifting and packing change the weight of dry ingredients by 10–20%
- Only the listed ingredients are supported
Cooking times are guides. Use a food thermometer to confirm safe internal temperatures.
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for amount and ingredient to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams in a cup of sugar?
About 200 grams of granulated sugar.
How many cups is 500 g of flour?
All-purpose flour is about 125 g a cup, so 500 g is roughly 4 cups, but weighing is more accurate.
Why use a scale?
It is more accurate than cups.
What does the Cooking Ingredient Converter calculate?
Convert between volume and weight for common baking and cooking ingredients, using USDA gram weights per cup. It returns Weight, Ounces and Pounds.
What formula does the Cooking Ingredient Converter use?
grams = amount × (grams per cup for the ingredient) × (unit as a fraction of a cup). Gram weights per US cup come from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018; Public domain (CC0 1.0)).
What do I need to enter in the cooking Ingredient Converter?
You enter Ingredient, Convert, Amount and Volume unit.
How is the result rounded or limited?
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places. Scooping, sifting and packing change the weight of dry ingredients by 10–20%.
What are the limits of this converter?
Scooping, sifting and packing change the weight of dry ingredients by 10–20%. Only the listed ingredients are supported.
What does the “Convert” option change?
It sets how the cooking Ingredient is worked out. The choices are Volume → weight and Weight (grams) → volume.
What is an example of a cooking Ingredient result?
With ingredient All-purpose flour (white, enriched, bleached), convert Volume → weight, amount 2.5 and volume unit US cups, the weight is 312.5 g.
Where does the method come from?
The method follows: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, April 2018, food_portion table (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/); NIST SP 811: US cup = 236.5882365 mL.
Can I rely on this converter for a decision?
Cooking times are guides. Use a food thermometer to confirm safe internal temperatures. For this converter in particular: Scooping, sifting and packing change the weight of dry ingredients by 10–20%.
Related calculators
- Ingredient Cost Calculator — Cost of the amount of an ingredient used.
- Brine Concentration Calculator — Salt concentration of a brine by weight.
- Cost per Serving Calculator — Cost of one serving.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, April 2018, food_portion table (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/)
- NIST SP 811: US cup = 236.5882365 mL
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.