Cooking Measurement Converter — Cups, Tablespoons, Ounces & More
Free US customary volume converters for cooking and baking. All conversions use exact ratios defined by NIST Handbook 44 — no rounding, no density lookups, no approximations. Recipe-friendly fractions (¼, ⅓, ½, ⅔, ¾) are supported throughout.
Quick Reference Chart — US Customary Volume
Key relationships between US cooking volume units. Every value below is exact by NIST Handbook 44 / US customary definition — not an approximation.
Gallon, Quart, Pint
| 1 gallon | = | 4 quarts | exact |
| 1 gallon | = | 8 pints | exact |
| 1 gallon | = | 16 cups | exact |
| 1 gallon | = | 128 fl oz | exact |
| 1 quart | = | 2 pints | exact |
| 1 quart | = | 4 cups | exact |
| 1 quart | = | 32 fl oz | exact |
| 1 pint | = | 2 cups | exact |
| 1 pint | = | 16 fl oz | exact |
Cup, Fluid Ounce, Tablespoon, Teaspoon
| 1 cup | = | 8 fl oz | exact |
| 1 cup | = | 16 tablespoons | exact |
| 1 cup | = | 48 teaspoons | exact |
| 1 fl oz | = | 2 tablespoons | exact |
| 1 fl oz | = | 6 teaspoons | exact |
| 1 tablespoon | = | 3 teaspoons | exact |
| 1 tablespoon | = | ½ fl oz | exact |
US vs Metric vs Imperial Cup
| 1 US cup | = | 236.5882 mL | exact |
| 1 metric cup | = | 250 mL | exact |
| 1 imperial cup | = | 284.1306 mL | exact |
| 1 US fl oz | = | 29.5735 mL | exact |
| 1 imp fl oz | = | 28.4131 mL | exact |
All ratios are defined by NIST Handbook 44 (US customary) and the UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 (Imperial). The US cup (236.6 mL) and Imperial cup (284.1 mL) differ by ~20% — a traditional imperial cup is about 20% larger than a US cup. Modern UK recipes are typically written in metric (grams and mL), so “cup” usage varies by source. Australian and New Zealand recipes usually use the metric cup (exactly 250 mL). Metric equivalents (mL) are rounded to 4 decimal places — for cooking purposes, this precision far exceeds what kitchen measuring tools can achieve.
About Cooking Measurements
Baking & Precision
Baking relies on exact ratios — too much flour and bread turns out dense, too little and cakes collapse. For flour and sugar, a kitchen scale is more reliable than volume cups. A cup of all-purpose flour is commonly treated as about 4.25 oz (120 g), but actual weight varies with measuring method — scooped flour can weigh up to 5 oz.
Cooking & Estimation
For soups, sauces, stews and most savory cooking, volume measurements (cups, tablespoons, teaspoons) are precise enough. Recipes usually round to the nearest ¼ cup or 1 tablespoon, so exact mL values rarely matter in the pot.
Fluid Ounce vs Ounce (Weight)
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume. An ounce (without “fluid”) is a unit of weight. A cup holds 8 fluid ounces, but a cup of flour weighs only ~4.25 ounces. If a recipe says “8 oz of flour”, it almost always means weight — not 1 cup.
US vs UK vs Metric
“One cup” means different things: 236.6 mL (US), 284.1 mL (Imperial/UK), or exactly 250 mL (metric, used in Australia and New Zealand). This hub uses US customary units. For metric or Imperial, use the full volume converter.
The most common baking mistake is confusing fluid ounces (volume) with ounces (weight). When a recipe just says “8 oz of flour”, reach for the scale — not the measuring cup.
Popular Cooking Conversions
These links go to the full volume converter where you can enter any amount and see the exact result, plus a dedicated conversion table.
Cups & Ounces
- Cups to Fluid Ounces — 1 cup = 8 fl oz
- Fluid Ounces to Cups
- Cups to mL
- mL to Cups
Spoons & Small Volumes
Larger Volumes
- Gallons to Fluid Ounces — 1 gal = 128 fl oz
- Fluid Ounces to Gallons
- Quarts to Cups — 1 qt = 4 cups
- Cups to Quarts
- Quarts to Fluid Ounces
- Fluid Ounces to Quarts
Quick Answers — “How Many…” Reference Pages
Direct answers to the most-searched cooking measurement questions, grouped by the unit you’re converting into. Each page has a full conversion table and metric equivalents.
Cups
- How many cups in a pint? — 2 cups
- How many cups in a quart? — 4 cups
- How many cups in a half gallon? — 8 cups
- How many cups in a gallon? — 16 cups
- How many cups in a liter? — ~4.23 cups
Fluid Ounces
- How many ounces in a tablespoon? — 0.5 fl oz
- How many ounces in a shot? — 1.5 fl oz
- How many ounces in a cup? — 8 fl oz
- How many ounces in a pint? — 16 fl oz
- How many ounces in a liter? — ~33.81 fl oz
- How many ounces in a quart? — 32 fl oz
- How many ounces in a half gallon? — 64 fl oz
- How many ounces in a gallon? — 128 fl oz
Spoons
- How many teaspoons in a tablespoon? — 3 tsp
- How many tablespoons in an ounce? — 2 tbsp
- How many tablespoons in a cup? — 16 tbsp
- How many teaspoons in a cup? — 48 tsp
Milliliters (metric)
- How many mL in an ounce? — 29.57 mL
- How many mL in a cup? — 237 mL
- How many mL in a liter? — 1,000 mL
Larger Volumes
- How many pints in a quart? — 2 pints
- How many quarts in a gallon? — 4 quarts
- How many pints in a gallon? — 8 pints
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ounces are in a cup?
There are exactly 8 fluid ounces in 1 US cup. This is a defined relationship in the US customary measurement system — 1 cup = 8 fl oz always, no rounding.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
1 US cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons. This means 1 tablespoon = 1/16 cup and 1 teaspoon = 1/48 cup.
How many cups are in a quart?
1 US quart = 4 cups = 2 pints = 32 fluid ounces. A half quart equals 1 pint or 2 cups.
Are US cups and UK cups the same?
No. A US cup is 8 US fluid ounces (236.6 mL). An Imperial (UK) cup is 10 Imperial fluid ounces (284.1 mL). A metric cup (used in Australia and New Zealand) is exactly 250 mL. These converters use US customary units.
Is a fluid ounce the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce (fl oz) measures volume. An ounce (oz) without “fluid” measures weight. A cup holds 8 fluid ounces of volume, but a cup of flour weighs about 4.25 ounces by weight. For baking, always check whether a recipe means fluid ounces or weight ounces.
What is Gas Mark 4 in Celsius?
Gas Mark 4 is 180°C (350°F), the default “moderate” oven temperature for most baking. UK recipes often use Gas Mark instead of degrees. For a full conversion chart from Gas Mark ¼ (110°C) to 9 (240°C), including fan oven equivalents, see our Gas Mark conversion tool.
Ingredient-Aware Cooking Tools
The converters above handle pure volume (cups, tablespoons, ounces). For recipes that mix weight and volume — e.g., “250 g of flour to cups” or “½ cup of butter to grams” — you need an ingredient-aware tool that knows each ingredient’s density.
Weight → Volume
Convert grams, ounces or pounds of an ingredient to cups, tablespoons or milliliters. Supports 80+ common ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, cocoa powder, oats, and more).
Volume → Weight
Reverse: convert cups or tablespoons of an ingredient to grams, ounces or pounds. Essential when scaling recipes or translating between American (volume) and European (weight) formats.
Butter ↔ Oil Substitution
Substitute butter for oil (or vice versa) in baking recipes using correct density ratios. Handles cup and gram input so you can swap fats without rewriting the whole recipe.
Oven Temperature Conversions
Recipes from the UK, Ireland, and other Commonwealth countries often give oven temperatures as Gas Mark values (¼ to 9) rather than degrees. Use our dedicated converter to translate between Gas Mark, Celsius, Fahrenheit, and fan-assisted ovens.
- Gas Mark Conversion Chart — full scale from ¼ (very slow, 110°C) to 9 (very hot, 240°C) with fan oven and electric oven equivalents. Free printable PDF (A4 & US Letter) available.
- Common reference: Gas Mark 4 = 180°C = 350°F (the default “moderate” baking temperature)
- Fan oven rule: lower by 20°C from the gas oven value; electric (non-fan): lower by 10°C
Related Tools
- Milligrams to Milliliters (Density-Based) — precise conversions for liquid ingredients using density
- Temperature Converter — convert oven temperatures: °F ↔ °C ↔ gas mark
- Calories Burned Calculator — plan activity calories alongside your meal prep
All unit conversions on CoolConversion use conversion factors defined or documented by internationally recognised standards bodies (such as NIST and ISO), including both SI and non-SI units. US customary volume ratios on this page follow NIST Handbook 44.