Cups ↔ Milliliters
Convert between cups and milliliters
Cups ↔ Milliliters
Quick Facts
- •1 US cup = 236.59 ml
- •1 cup = 16 tablespoons
- •1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
Cups to Milliliters
One US cup equals 236.588 milliliters. This is one of the most common kitchen conversions, essential when following recipes from different countries. Note that Australian cups (250 ml), UK cups (284 ml), and Japanese cups (200 ml) differ from US cups.
Cooking Tips
For dry ingredients, use dry measuring cups and level off with a straight edge. For liquids, use a glass measuring cup with a pour spout. Accuracy matters most in baking, where small measurement differences can affect the final result.
Understanding the cups ↔ milliliters
A cup is not one size. The US customary cup is 236.6 ml, the US legal cup used on nutrition labels is 240 ml, and the metric cup used in the UK, Australia and Canada is 250 ml. Most recipes round to 240 ml, which is close enough for cooking but not for baking a delicate cake or brewing coffee to a ratio.
Worked examples
Converting 2 1/2 cups of milk to millilitres
- 1Use the common rounded value of 240 ml per US cup.
- 22.5 × 240 = 600 ml.
- 3Using the exact customary cup of 236.6 ml gives 591.5 ml.
- 4The 8.5 ml difference is under 2 teaspoons, which does not matter for a sauce.
About 600 ml, or 591 ml if you want the precise US customary figure.
Adapting an Australian recipe in the US
- 1The recipe calls for 3 metric cups of stock, which is 3 × 250 = 750 ml.
- 2US cups hold 240 ml, so 750 ÷ 240 = 3.125.
- 3That is 3 US cups plus 2 tablespoons.
Measure 3 US cups plus 2 tablespoons to match 3 metric cups.
Cup standards around the world
| Standard | Millilitres | Where used |
|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.59 | Most US recipes |
| US legal | 240 | Nutrition labels |
| Metric | 250 | UK, Australia, NZ, Canada |
| Japanese | 200 | Japanese recipes |
| Imperial (historic) | 284.13 | Older UK cookbooks |
Cups to millilitres and fluid ounces
| Cups | US ml (240) | Metric ml (250) | US fl oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 60 | 63 | 2 |
| 1/3 | 80 | 83 | 2.7 |
| 1/2 | 120 | 125 | 4 |
| 2/3 | 160 | 167 | 5.3 |
| 3/4 | 180 | 188 | 6 |
| 1 | 240 | 250 | 8 |
| 1 1/2 | 360 | 375 | 12 |
| 2 | 480 | 500 | 16 |
| 4 | 960 | 1,000 | 32 |
Practical tips
- •Use a clear jug at eye level for liquids and a dry cup levelled with a knife for solids. Swapping them introduces error in both directions.
- •For anything below a quarter cup, use tablespoons. One US cup is 16 tablespoons and one tablespoon is 15 ml.
- •A litre is a little over four US cups, so a 1 L carton is 4.2 cups, not 4.
Frequently asked questions
More Volume & Cooking Tools
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This calculator is for educational and reference purposes only. Always verify critical calculations independently.