Cups to Ounces Converter
ConversionsChoose cups to ounces or ounces to cups and enter the amount. One US cup is 8 fluid ounces; you also get tablespoons, teaspoons and milliliters, for the US, label or metric cup. Two charts follow below.
Step by step
1 × 236.5882365 / 29.5735295625 = 8
- One cup of this kind holds 236.5882365 mL, so 1 × 236.5882365 = 236.59 mL.
- A US fluid ounce is 29.5735295625 mL, so divide: 236.59 / 29.5735295625 = 8 fl oz.
- A tablespoon is half an ounce and a teaspoon a sixth: 8 × 2 = 16 tablespoons, 8 × 6 = 48 teaspoons.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- fl oz
- volume in US fluid ounces
- mL per cup
- size of the cup you picked in milliliters: 236.5882365, 240 or 250
- 29.5735295625
- milliliters in one US fluid ounce, exact by definition
How it works
In the US customary system one cup is 8 fluid ounces, so the answer to how many ounces are in a cup is 8, whether the cup holds milk, juice, oil or flour. Multiply the cups by 8 to get fluid ounces, and divide the fluid ounces by 8 to get cups. Half a cup is 4 fl oz, a quarter cup is 2 fl oz, a third of a cup is 2.667 fl oz, and 12 fl oz is 1.5 cups. A cup is also 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons, and 2 tablespoons make 1 fluid ounce.
Fluid ounces measure volume. The ounce on a kitchen scale measures weight, and the two only match for water-like liquids: a cup of water weighs about 8.3 ounces, not 8. That is why charts of dry ounces in a cup differ by ingredient. A cup of butter is 2 sticks and weighs 8 ounces (227 g), a cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4.25 to 4.5 ounces (120 to 128 g) and a cup of granulated sugar about 7 ounces (200 g). Every one of them still takes up 8 fl oz. For an exact weight, weigh the ingredient.
Not every cup is the same size. The US customary cup is 236.5882365 mL. US nutrition labels round the cup to 240 mL, and the metric cup used in Canada, Australia and many recipes is 250 mL. Pick the kind of cup above to see how the ounces change: a label cup is 8.12 fl oz and a metric cup is 8.45 fl oz. For larger volumes, see the gallons to liters converter; for ounces of weight, see the ounces to pounds converter.
The formula
The 8 comes from the US gallon, which holds 128 fluid ounces and 16 cups. Because an inch is exactly 2.54 cm, a fluid ounce is exactly 29.5735295625 mL and a US cup exactly 236.5882365 mL. The converter turns your cups into milliliters first and divides by 29.5735295625 afterwards, so nothing is rounded before the result.
Label cups and metric cups are defined in milliliters, so 2.5 metric cups are 625 mL, or 21.13 fl oz. The ounces here are always US fluid ounces; a UK fluid ounce is 28.4130625 mL, about 4% smaller.
Example
How many fluid ounces are in 1 1/2 cups?
- One US cup holds 236.5882365 mL, so 1.5 cups hold 354.88 mL.
- Divide by 29.5735295625 mL per fluid ounce: 12 fl oz, which is 24 tablespoons.
1.5 cups of 236.5882365 mL = 12 US fluid ounces, which is 24 tablespoons or 354.88 mL.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How many ounces are in a cup?
One US cup is 8 fluid ounces, which is also 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons or 236.59 mL. A dry cup has the same volume; only its weight in ounces depends on the ingredient.
Is 1 cup 8 oz or 16 oz?
One cup is 8 fluid ounces. Sixteen fluid ounces are 2 cups, which is a US pint. So a 16 oz bottle of water holds 2 cups, and a 32 oz container holds 4 cups.
How many ounces are in 1 dry cup?
A dry measuring cup also holds 8 fluid ounces of volume. The weight changes with the ingredient: about 4.25 to 4.5 oz of all-purpose flour, 7 oz of granulated sugar and 8 oz of butter. A kitchen scale is the exact way to measure dry ingredients.
Is 4 oz the same as a cup?
No. 4 fluid ounces are half a cup, because a cup has 8. Two cups are 16 oz, and a 12 oz can holds 1.5 cups.
Do 2 tablespoons equal 1 fluid ounce?
Yes. A US fluid ounce is 2 tablespoons or 6 teaspoons, so 16 tablespoons make 8 fluid ounces, one cup. Exactly, 2 tablespoons are 29.57 mL.
How many fluid ounces in half a cup, a quarter cup or a third of a cup?
Half a cup is 4 fluid ounces, a quarter cup is 2 fluid ounces and a third of a cup is 2.667 fluid ounces. Three quarters of a cup is 6 fluid ounces, and 1.5 cups are 12 fluid ounces.
How many fluid ounces in a shot?
A standard US shot is 1.5 fluid ounces, which is about 44 mL. A pour in a bar can be 1 to 2 ounces, and a jigger often measures 1.5 on one side and 0.75 or 1 on the other.
How many ounces in a cup of butter?
A cup of butter weighs 8 ounces (227 g). It is 2 sticks, since a US stick of butter is 1/2 cup or 4 ounces, and it equals 16 tablespoons. Its volume is the usual 8 fluid ounces.
Is peanut butter a wet or dry ingredient?
Neither, strictly: it is a thick, sticky ingredient. Recipes usually measure it in a dry measuring cup, pressed in and leveled off. A cup still takes up 8 fl oz, but it weighs roughly 9 ounces, more than a cup of water.
What does spoon and level mean?
Spoon and level is the way to measure flour and other dry ingredients: spoon the ingredient lightly into the cup without pressing, then sweep a straight edge across the top. Scooping with the cup packs it and makes the cup heavier.
What does a packed cup mean?
A packed cup means pressing the ingredient firmly into the cup and leveling it. Brown sugar is the usual example. Packed, a cup of it weighs about 7.75 ounces (220 g), more than a loosely filled cup.
How many cups is 32 oz, 64 oz or 12 oz?
32 fluid ounces are 4 cups, 64 fluid ounces are 8 cups and 12 fluid ounces are 1.5 cups. 48 oz are 6 cups and 40 oz are 5 cups. Divide the fluid ounces by 8 to convert any amount to cups.
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B: Conversion Factors (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- Approximate Conversions from U.S. Customary Measures to Metric (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food (household measures in milliliters) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School)
- Cup (unit) (Wikipedia)