One cup, three systems
The same word, three exact amounts — the reason the system switch exists.
Input
1 cup → ml, checked in each systemOutput
US: 236.59 ml · UK: 284.13 ml · Metric: 250 mlVolume & Cooking Converter
Convert millilitres, litres, cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, pints, quarts, and gallons — with explicit US, UK, and metric cup systems.
- Free public tool
- No sign-up for this tool
- Processing clearly labeled
- Instant results
Content last reviewed
1 cups (us) equals
236.588237ml
1 cup = 236.588237 ml
Decimals
Every measure at once
Cups (US) → Milliliters reference
| Cups (US) (cup) | Milliliters (ml) |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 59.147059 |
| 0.5 | 118.294118 |
| 1 | 236.588237 |
| 2 | 473.176473 |
| 3 | 709.76471 |
| 4 | 946.352946 |
| 8 | 1,892.705892 |
The formula
All volumes convert through the milliliter. The catch is that a "cup" is not universal: a US cup is 236.6 ml, a UK cup is 284.1 ml, and a metric cup is a tidy 250 ml. Teaspoons and tablespoons differ too. Pick the system your recipe was written for, then read off milliliters or grams-friendly measures. (Note: cups↔grams depends on the ingredient — flour and sugar have different densities.)
Quick Start
Pick the measurement system
US, UK (imperial), or metric — cups and spoons differ between them.
Enter the amount
Type the value and choose its unit, from teaspoons to gallons.
Read the grid
Every unit in the system converts at once, with the headline pair copyable.
Examples
The gallon gap
US and imperial gallons differ by 20%.
Input
1 gallon → litres, US vs UK systemOutput
US: 3.785 L · UK: 4.546 LAbout the Volume & Cooking Converter
"One cup" is three different amounts: 236.6 ml in a US recipe, 284.1 ml in an old UK one, and a clean 250 ml in metric kitchens. Cooking measures are where volume conversion genuinely bites, which is why this converter makes the measurement system an explicit choice — US, UK (imperial), or metric — instead of silently assuming one.
Each system carries its own correct definitions: millilitres, litres, and cubic metres are shared, while teaspoons, tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons switch to the selected system's exact values. The US/UK gap is not trivia — an imperial gallon (4.546 L) is 20% larger than a US gallon (3.785 L), and an imperial pint (568 ml) beats the US pint (473 ml) by the same margin, which is precisely how a UK-sourced recipe goes wrong in a US kitchen and vice versa.
The interface is the converter family's: headline From→To with swap and copy, decimal precision with scientific notation, a live click-to-copy grid of every unit in the system, and a reference table of common values — quarter, half, one, two cups and up. One honest kitchen note: volume measures liquids well, but flour by the cup varies with how you scoop; serious baking weighs ingredients, and the Weight Converter handles those grams and ounces.
How to Use Volume & Cooking Converter
Choose the measurement system: US, UK (imperial), or metric — this sets the exact definitions of cups, spoons, and gallons.
Type the amount and pick its From unit — ml, litres, and m³ are always available, plus the system's teaspoons, tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.
Read the headline result in your To unit, or take any conversion from the live grid.
Use swap, the decimals control (Auto
/0/2/4/6, plus scientific notation), and copy on the result or any card.Converting a foreign recipe? Set the system to the recipe's origin, convert to millilitres, then read your own system's units from the grid.
Key Features
Three explicit measurement systems
US, UK imperial, and metric cup conventions — selected, not assumed, with each system's exact definitions.
Kitchen-to-barrel range
Teaspoons through gallons alongside ml, litres, and cubic metres.
Live all-units grid
Every unit in the chosen system converts simultaneously, each card copyable.
Exact definitions
A US cup is exactly 236.5882365 ml, an imperial pint exactly 568.26125 ml, a metric cup exactly 250 ml.
Precision control and reference table
Auto or 0–6 decimals, scientific notation, and common values (¼ cup to 8 cups) per pair.
When to Use Volume & Cooking Converter
Foreign recipes
Convert a US recipe's cups into millilitres — or an imperial pint into modern metric.
Scaling dishes
Turn tablespoon-and-cup quantities into precise millilitres before doubling a batch.
Drinks and containers
Compare bottle, jug, and tank sizes quoted across litres and gallons.
Grocery math
Put fluid-ounce labels and litre bottles on the same footing for price comparison.
How It Works
All units convert through the millilitre: amount × From-factor gives ml, divided by the To-factor gives the result. The system switch swaps the factor set — the US definitions (cup 236.5882365 ml, gallon 3,785.411784 ml), the imperial ones (cup 284.130625 ml, gallon 4,546.09 ml), or the metric kitchen conventions (teaspoon 5, tablespoon 15, cup 250 ml). The shared metric units (ml, L, m³) are identical in every system, which is what makes millilitres the reliable bridge when moving a recipe between systems.
Supported Formats and Options
Options
Measurement system
US, UK (imperial), or metric — sets the exact cup, spoon, and gallon definitions.
From / To with swap
Any pair within the system, from teaspoons to cubic metres.
Decimals and notation
Auto or fixed 0–6 places; scientific notation available.
Copy and reset
Copy the headline or any grid card; reset restores the 1 cup → ml default.
Common Errors and Troubleshooting
Common errors
Converting a recipe in the wrong system
A UK recipe's pint read as a US pint loses 95 ml — enough to change a batter. Set the system to the recipe's origin before converting.
Fluid ounces versus weight ounces
Fluid ounces measure volume; ounces on a scale measure weight. They only coincide (roughly) for water — for flour, sugar, and syrup they diverge badly. Weight ounces live in the Weight Converter.
Trusting cups for dry ingredients
A cup of flour varies ±20% with scooping technique — a conversion cannot fix a measurement that loose. For baking precision, weigh instead.
Troubleshooting guide
Getting recipes to travel intact
- Unknown recipe origin: US sources dominate online; UK cues include imperial pints, "dessertspoon", and gas marks. When truly unsure, the ~250 ml band across all three cup systems keeps rough cooking safe — but pick a system for baking.
- Doubling and halving: convert to millilitres first, scale, then convert back — scaling in cups-and-spoons multiplies the rounding.
- Old family recipes: pre-metric UK and Commonwealth recipes mean imperial; set the UK system and convert once, annotating the card in ml for good.
- Butter, flour, sugar by weight: volume-to-weight depends on the ingredient's density, which a volume converter cannot know — use the recipe's own gram equivalents or a density chart, then the Weight Converter.
Limitations and Important Notes
The converter handles volume only — converting cups of flour to grams needs the ingredient's density, which is outside its scope. Cup and spoon systems cover the US, UK imperial, and metric conventions; other historical variants (Australian tablespoon at 20 ml, Japanese cup at 200 ml) are not included. Volume measures of dry ingredients are inherently loose regardless of conversion accuracy; display precision caps at six decimals.
Privacy and Data Processing
All conversion runs in your browser; nothing you enter is transmitted or saved.
Tips and Best Practices
Practical tips
Set the system to the recipe's origin before converting anything.
Convert to millilitres, scale the batch, then convert back — not the other way round.
Weigh dry ingredients for baking; volume conversion cannot fix scooping variance.
Keep fluid ounces (volume) and weight ounces separate — they are different quantities.
Annotate converted recipes in ml once, so they never need converting again.
Best practices
A kitchen that speaks millilitres
Make millilitres the house standard: every converted recipe gets its quantities written in ml alongside the original, once. Millilitres are identical in all three systems, scale cleanly, and match measuring jugs everywhere — the conversion becomes a one-time act instead of a per-cooking ritual.
Respect the volume/weight boundary: liquids convert perfectly by volume, dry goods only approximately. The habit that separates reliable bakes from lucky ones is weighing flour and sugar — convert those via the recipe's gram figures and keep this tool for the liquids it serves exactly.
Technical Details
Millilitre-based conversion with per-system factor tables: US (tsp 4.92892159375, cup 236.5882365, gal 3785.411784), UK imperial (tsp 5.91939047, cup 284.130625, gal 4546.09), and metric (tsp 5, tbsp 15, cup 250), with ml/L/m³ shared. Formatting follows the converter family — auto precision with scientific fallback, fixed 0–6 decimals, exponential toggle, plain-number copy. Fully client-side.
Comparison
The cup across systems
| Unit | US | UK (imperial) | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teaspoon | 4.93 ml | 5.92 ml | 5 ml |
| Tablespoon | 14.79 ml | 17.76 ml | 15 ml |
| Cup | 236.59 ml | 284.13 ml | 250 ml |
| Pint | 473.18 ml | 568.26 ml | — |
| Gallon | 3.785 L | 4.546 L | — |
The divergence grows with the unit — spoons differ by drops, gallons by three-quarters of a litre.
Who Is This For?
Home cooks converting recipes across borders, bakers scaling batches, expats reconciling the measuring cups in their drawer with the recipes on their screen, and shoppers comparing container sizes across labels. The explicit system switch is for exactly the people who have been burned by an ambiguous "cup".
Frequently Asked Questions
How many millilitres in a cup?
Depends on the cup: 236.59 ml (US), 284.13 ml (UK imperial), or 250 ml (metric). The system switch selects which — set it to the recipe's origin and the grid shows the exact figure.
Are US and UK gallons the same?
No — the imperial gallon is 4.546 litres against the US 3.785, about 20% larger, and pints and fluid ounces differ in proportion. It is the single biggest source of cross-Atlantic recipe and fuel-figure confusion.
How do I convert cups of flour to grams?
Not with a volume converter — that conversion needs flour's density, and a scooped cup varies ±20% anyway. Use the recipe's own gram equivalents or a density chart, and weigh; this tool handles the liquid measures exactly.
What is the difference between a fluid ounce and an ounce?
A fluid ounce is volume (29.57 ml US, 28.41 ml imperial); an ounce is weight (28.35 g). They roughly coincide for water only. Weight ounces are the Weight Converter's territory.
Which system should I assume for an online recipe?
US, unless there are contrary cues — imperial pints, "dessertspoon", gas marks, or a UK/Australian source. When it matters (baking), identify the origin first; when it does not (soups, stews), the differences rarely break a dish.