Convert cups of flour, sugar, butter and other ingredients to pounds, ounces and grams, and work out how many cups you'll get from a bag.
Pounds = cups × weight per cup
Weight of one level US cup. Dry ingredients are spooned in and levelled, and brown sugar is packed.
| Ingredient | lb per cup | oz per cup | g per cup | Cups per lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 0.276 | 4.4 | 125 | 3.6 |
| Bread flour | 0.282 | 4.5 | 128 | 3.5 |
| Cake flour | 0.249 | 4 | 113 | 4 |
| White sugar (granulated) | 0.441 | 7.1 | 200 | 2.3 |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 0.485 | 7.8 | 220 | 2.1 |
| Powdered sugar | 0.265 | 4.2 | 120 | 3.8 |
| Butter | 0.5 | 8 | 227 | 2 |
| Vegetable oil | 0.481 | 7.7 | 218 | 2.1 |
| Honey | 0.747 | 12 | 339 | 1.3 |
| Milk (whole) | 0.538 | 8.6 | 244 | 1.9 |
| Heavy cream | 0.525 | 8.4 | 238 | 1.9 |
| Water | 0.522 | 8.4 | 237 | 1.9 |
| Rice (long grain, uncooked) | 0.408 | 6.5 | 185 | 2.5 |
| Rolled oats | 0.179 | 2.9 | 81 | 5.6 |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened) | 0.19 | 3 | 86 | 5.3 |
| Table salt | 0.644 | 10.3 | 292 | 1.6 |
US groceries are sold by the pound, but recipes ask for cups. These are approximate yields for common package sizes. Round down if a recipe needs every last cup.
| Package | Size | About this many cups |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 5 lb | 18.1 |
| White sugar (granulated) | 4 lb | 9.1 |
| Brown sugar (packed) | 2 lb | 4.1 |
| Powdered sugar | 2 lb | 7.6 |
| Butter (4 sticks) | 1 lb | 2 |
| Rice (long grain) | 2 lb | 4.9 |
A bread recipe uses 3 cups of all-purpose flour per loaf. You're baking 8 loaves for a sale. Is one 5 lb bag enough?
Step 1: Total cups
Step 2: Convert to pounds (125 g per cup)
You need about 6.6 lb of flour, so one 5 lb bag (about 18 cups) isn't enough. Buy two, or a 10 lb bag. Weighing 375 g per loaf instead of scooping cups also keeps all eight loaves consistent.
"One cup" isn't the same size everywhere. This converter uses the US customary cup. A recipe from Australia or Canada using a 250 mL cup holds about 6% more, which matters in baking.
| Cup | Volume | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.6 mL | US recipes and measuring cups |
| US legal cup | 240 mL | US nutrition labels |
| Metric cup | 250 mL | Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa |
If a recipe gives weights, use them. Use cup conversions when it doesn't.
About 0.28 lb (125 g) for all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled. That's about 3.6 cups per pound.
About 2.3 cups of granulated sugar, at 200 g per cup.
Yes. A US cup of butter is 2 sticks, which is exactly ½ lb (227 g).
Weigh one level cup on a kitchen scale once, then multiply by the number of cups. That's more reliable than borrowing another ingredient's weight.
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