Cups to mL converter

A US cup is 236.6 mL: type cups, pick the cup your recipe uses, get milliliters.

1 cup

236.6 mL

US cup of 236.6 mL

How this is measured

Exact by definition: 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz = 236.5882365 mL; 1 tbsp = 1/16 cup, 1 tsp = 1/48 cup. Source: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C.

How many mL are in a cup

A US cup is 236.6 mL. NIST Handbook 44 defines the measuring cup as exactly 8 US fluid ounces, and a US fluid ounce is 29.57 mL; the handbook rounds the cup to 237 mL. Put the other way, 236.6 milliliters is equal to 1 US cup. To convert cups to milliliters, multiply the cups by the mL in one cup: ½ cup is 118.3 mL, 2 cups are 473.2 mL and 4 cups are 946.4 mL, or 0.946 L.

Cups and milliliters both measure volume, so this is the same for water, milk, oil or flour. To know what a cup weighs in grams, the ingredient matters: use cups to grams.

Cups to milliliters conversion table

Each cup amount in milliliters for the four cups the converter knows:

The same number of cups in four cup sizes; pick the one your recipe was written with.

Cups to milliliters in each cup standard
Cups	US cup (236.6 mL)	Label cup (240 mL)	Metric cup (250 mL)	Imperial cup (284 mL)
⅛ cup	29.57 mL	30 mL	31.25 mL	35.52 mL
¼ cup	59.15 mL	60 mL	62.5 mL	71.03 mL
⅓ cup	78.86 mL	80 mL	83.33 mL	94.71 mL
½ cup	118.3 mL	120 mL	125 mL	142.1 mL
⅔ cup	157.7 mL	160 mL	166.7 mL	189.4 mL
¾ cup	177.4 mL	180 mL	187.5 mL	213.1 mL
1 cup	236.6 mL	240 mL	250 mL	284.1 mL
1¼ cups	295.7 mL	300 mL	312.5 mL	355.2 mL
1½ cups	354.9 mL	360 mL	375 mL	426.2 mL
2 cups	473.2 mL	480 mL	500 mL	568.3 mL
3 cups	709.8 mL	720 mL	750 mL	852.4 mL
4 cups	946.4 mL	960 mL	1,000 mL	1,137 mL

Is a cup 250 mL or 240 mL?

Both, depending on whose cup. The same 1 cup measurement is a different volume in different kitchens:

US customary cup, 236.6 mL: the measuring cup of NIST Handbook 44 and of US recipes. The default here.
US label cup, 240 mL: nutrition labels round the cup to 240 mL for serving sizes (21 CFR 101.9). A carton that says "1 cup (240 mL)" uses it.
Metric cup, 250 mL: the cup NIST's household measures guide proposes for kitchens on the metric system.
Imperial cup, 284.1 mL: the converter counts it as half an imperial pint, and the imperial pint is 568.3 mL (Weights and Measures Act 1985).

The gap adds up in baking: 3 metric cups, 750 mL, fill ≈ 3 cups + 3 tbsp of US cups. If a recipe lists milliliters next to its cups, divide them to see which cup it uses.

Tablespoons and teaspoons in mL

A US tablespoon is 14.79 mL (1/16 cup) and a teaspoon 4.93 mL (1/48 cup). NIST Handbook 44 rounds them to 15 mL and 5 mL, which are also the label and metric spoons. Switch the "from" unit to tbsp or tsp in the converter for small amounts.

Cups, fluid ounces and mL

A US cup is 8 fl oz. For cups to ounces, and why a cup of flour doesn't weigh 8 ounces, see cups to ounces.

Questions

How many mL is 1 cup?

A US cup is 236.6 mL. A metric cup is 250 mL and a US nutrition label cup 240 mL.

Is one cup equal to 250 mL?

Only a metric cup. A US cup is 236.6 mL, so 250 mL is ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp of US cups.

Is 250 mL a full cup?

It is a full metric cup and a little more than a US cup. In US cups and spoons, 250 mL is ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp.

How many mL is ½ cup?

118.3 mL in a US cup, 125 mL in a metric one.

How many mL is ⅓ cup?

78.86 mL in a US cup.

How do I convert mL back to cups?

Divide by the mL in a cup, or use the mL to cups converter, which gives the cups and spoons to fill.

Sources

21 CFR 101.9 (US nutrition labeling)
NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C
NIST Special Publication 430, Household Weights and Measures
Weights and Measures Act 1985 (UK), Schedule 1