Cups to mL Converter
Recipe cards flip between cups and milliliters depending on where they were written. Enter either unit, pick US (240 mL) or metric (250 mL) cup size, and read the matching volume for your measuring jug or scale bowl.
½ cup to mL120 mL US · 125 mL metric
1 cup to mL240 mL US · 250 mL metric
1½ cups to mL360 mL US · 375 mL metric
Cup size
Quick amounts
Need grams for flour or sugar, not just volume? Use the cups to grams converter — cup size still matters, but density changes the weight.
Why cup size matters
A “cup” is not universal. American test kitchens and FDA references use 240 mL. Australian and Canadian home cooks often learn on 250 mL cups. If you convert 2 cups without checking which standard the author meant, you can be off by 20 mL — noticeable in panna cotta, simple syrup, or cocktail ratios.
For baking weights, volume in mL still does not tell you grams. After you know the liquid volume, switch to the cups to grams converter when the ingredient is flour, sugar, or cocoa.
Cups to mL quick chart
Rounded values for mid-recipe checks, including the mixed fractions people often type as 1 1/2 cups, 1 1/3 cups, or 1 1/4 cups. Use the calculator above for exact amounts.
| Cups | US (240 mL) | Metric (250 mL) |
|---|---|---|
| ⅛ cup1/8 cup | 30 mL | 31 mL |
| ¼ cup1/4 cup | 60 mL | 62.5 mL |
| ⅓ cup1/3 cup | 80 mL | 83 mL |
| ½ cup1/2 cup | 120 mL | 125 mL |
| ⅔ cup2/3 cup | 160 mL | 167 mL |
| ¾ cup3/4 cup | 180 mL | 188 mL |
| 1 cup | 240 mL | 250 mL |
| 1¼ cups1 1/4 cups | 300 mL | 312.5 mL |
| 1⅓ cups1 1/3 cups | 320 mL | 333 mL |
| 1½ cups1 1/2 cups | 360 mL | 375 mL |
| 1¾ cups1 3/4 cups | 420 mL | 438 mL |
| 2 cups | 480 mL | 500 mL |
| 3 cups | 720 mL | 750 mL |
| 4 cups (1 qt) | 960 mL | 1000 mL |
Related kitchen tools
Celsius to Fahrenheit for oven dials. Rice portion calculator for dry US cups of rice. Ingredient scaling when you multiply every line on the card.
FAQ
- How many mL in a US cup?
- A US legal cup is 240 milliliters (about 8.12 US fluid ounces). That is the standard used on this site for dry and liquid US recipe measures unless a card specifies otherwise.
- Is a metric cup 250 mL?
- Yes. Australia, New Zealand, and many European home references use a 250 mL cup. One metric cup is about 4% more volume than a US cup — enough to matter in custards or gelatine.
- Should I use a dry or liquid measuring cup?
- For water, milk, and broth, use a clear liquid cup with the meniscus at eye level. For flour or sugar, this page only converts volume — use the cups to grams tool when you need weight on a scale.
- How many mL is 1/2 cup?
- In US recipe measurements, 1/2 cup is 120 mL. With a metric cup standard, 1/2 cup is 125 mL.
- How many mL is 1 1/2 cups?
- In US recipe measurements, 1 1/2 cups is 360 mL. With a metric cup standard, 1 1/2 cups is 375 mL.
- Do water and milk change the cup-to-mL conversion?
- No. Milliliters measure volume, so 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk are both 120 mL with the US cup setting. Weight in grams changes by ingredient density, but volume in mL does not.
- Does 1 cup of flour equal 240 mL of flour by weight?
- A US cup of water is about 240 g, but a cup of flour weighs far less (often near 120–130 g spooned). Volume in mL does not equal grams unless you know the ingredient density.
Elsewhere on Kitchen Calculators
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