How Many ml in a Cup? US, Metric Cups, Tablespoons, Teaspoons

The short answer

One US customary cup is 236.6 ml. A metric cup, used in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, is 250 ml, and the cup on US nutrition labels is defined as 240 ml. A US tablespoon is about 14.8 ml and a US teaspoon about 4.9 ml. The Volume Converter uses the US customary cup, tablespoon and teaspoon, and shows every other unit at the same time.

Why there is more than one "cup"

A cup is a kitchen measure that grew up differently in different countries. The main ones you will meet in recipes:

Cup	Volume	Where you see it
US customary cup	236.588 ml	Most American recipes and US measuring cups
US legal cup	240 ml	Serving sizes on US nutrition labels
Metric cup	250 ml	Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some other Commonwealth countries
Japanese cup	200 ml	Japanese recipes and appliance measuring cups

For a single cup of milk, the difference between 236.6 ml and 250 ml is only about 13 ml. Across a recipe that uses 4 cups of flour or liquid, it adds up to more than 50 ml, which can change the texture of baking.

Quick conversion table (US customary units)

These values are what the Volume Converter returns for US units:

Amount	Millilitres
1 cup	236.6 ml
3/4 cup	177.4 ml
2/3 cup	157.7 ml
1/2 cup	118.3 ml
1/3 cup	78.9 ml
1/4 cup	59.1 ml
1 tablespoon	14.8 ml
1 teaspoon	4.9 ml
1 US fluid ounce	29.6 ml
1 US pint (2 cups)	473.2 ml

Useful relationships in the US system:

• 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
• 1 cup = 8 US fluid ounces
• 2 cups = 1 pint, 4 cups = 1 quart

Going the other way: ml to cups

Millilitres	US cups
200 ml	0.85 cup
240 ml	1.01 cups
250 ml	1.06 cups
500 ml	2.11 cups
1 litre	4.23 cups

So a 250 ml metric cup is a little more than one US cup. If a recipe written with metric cups says "2 cups", that is 500 ml, or about 2 and 1/8 US cups.

How to convert in the tool

Open the Volume Converter.

Type the amount, for example 0.75 for three-quarters of a cup. Use decimals, not fractions: 1/3 is 0.333.

Set From to Cup (US), Tablespoon or Teaspoon.

Set the target to Milliliter (mL). The table underneath also lists litres, fluid ounces, pints and the other units.

To convert metric-cup recipes, enter the amount in millilitres instead (for example, 2 metric cups = 500 ml) and convert from there.

Scaling a recipe

To scale a recipe, convert each amount to millilitres first, multiply, and then convert back if you need cups. For example, 1.5 US cups of milk is 354.9 ml. Doubling it gives 709.8 ml, which is easier to measure with a jug marked in millilitres than as "3 cups". Working in millilitres also avoids adding up awkward fractions like 2/3 + 3/4.

Which cup does my recipe use?

Look for these clues:

• Fluid ounces, Fahrenheit or sticks of butter: almost certainly US cups.
• Grams, Celsius and a website or book from Australia, Canada or New Zealand: probably metric 250 ml cups.
• A Japanese recipe or rice cooker: the 200 ml cup. Rice cooker cups are often smaller again; check the cooker's own manual.
• Recipes that give both cups and grams: use the grams. Weight is more reliable than volume for dry ingredients.

Spoons: tablespoons and teaspoons

The Volume Converter's tablespoon (14.8 ml) and teaspoon (4.9 ml) are the US customary spoons. Many recipes and measuring sets outside the US round these to 15 ml and 5 ml, and the difference is too small to matter in cooking.

Ordinary cutlery is not a reliable measure. A dining spoon or a tea spoon from a cutlery set can hold noticeably more or less than a measuring spoon. For baking powder, salt or yeast, where small amounts matter, use proper measuring spoons.

Dry ingredients: why cups are approximate

A cup measures volume, not weight. One cup of flour can weigh quite different amounts depending on whether it was scooped and packed or spooned in loosely. For this reason:

• Convert liquids by volume with confidence.
• For flour, sugar and other dry ingredients, use a weight given in the recipe if there is one.
• If you need to convert a dry ingredient's weight, the Weight Converter handles grams, ounces and pounds, and the guide to converting kg to lbs, stone and ounces has worked examples.

Common mistakes

Confusing fluid ounces and ounces

A fluid ounce is volume (29.6 ml for a US fluid ounce). An ounce is weight (28.35 g). They are only roughly equal for water-like liquids.

Mixing US and UK pints

A US pint is 473 ml. A UK (imperial) pint is about 568 ml. The converter's pint, quart and gallon options are US measures, except for the separate UK Gallon option. For gallons, see US gallon vs UK gallon.

Typing fractions

The value box accepts numbers only. Enter 1.5, not 1 1/2. The Fraction Calculator can turn fractions into decimals if needed.