1 cup brown sugar in grams, packed and loose
A packed cup of brown sugar weighs 213 grams: type grams or cups and pick packed or loose.
213 g brown sugar
1 cup
- 1 cup×1
US cup of 236.6 mL, packed
How this is measured
1 US cup of brown sugar, packed, weighs 213 g. Based on King Arthur's ingredient weight chart: packed.
Other values: Unpacked, 145 g a cup (USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy): 1.47 cups; America's Test Kitchen, packed, 198 g a cup: 1.08 cups (America's Test Kitchen lists 198 g (7 oz) for a cup of packed light or dark brown sugar); USDA, packed, 220 g a cup: 0.968 cups (USDA SR Legacy lists 220 g for a cup packed. None of the three says how firmly the sugar was pressed).
How many grams in 1 cup of brown sugar?
One US cup of packed brown sugar weighs 213 grams, or 7.51 ounces. That is King Arthur Baking's weight for light or dark brown sugar pressed firmly into the cup, and it is the number the converter uses. So 426 grams of packed brown sugar is 2 cups, and a tablespoon of it is 13.31 grams.
Loose, spooned into the cup without pressing, the same cup holds only 145 grams (USDA). That gap is why recipes say "packed".
Packed vs loose brown sugar
For brown sugar the fill makes a big difference. The converter's "How the cup is filled" switch picks one of the two:
- Packed: 213 grams per cup (King Arthur Baking). This is what US recipes mean by "1 cup brown sugar, packed" or "firmly packed".
- Loose (unpacked): 145 grams per cup (USDA). Use it only when a recipe says the sugar is not packed.
Weighed out, 290 grams of loose brown sugar fills 2 cups, while the same 290 grams packed fills ≈ 1⅓ cups + 1 tsp.
Packed brown sugar: what other charts say
Sources that all say "packed" still list different weights for a cup of brown sugar, and none of them says how firmly the sugar was pressed, so the cause of the spread is not stated. Our value is King Arthur's; the others are shown for comparison:
Our value is the one the converter uses; the others are what other sources list for a US cup.
| Listed by | Grams in 1 US cup | Ounces | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Arthur, packedOur value | 213 g | 7.51 oz | A |
| USDA, unpackedOur value | 145 g | 5.11 oz | C |
| America's Test Kitchen, packed | 198 g | 6.98 oz | B |
| USDA, packed | 220 g | 7.76 oz | C |
Sources: A — King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart; B — America's Test Kitchen baking conversion chart; C — USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy.
Light and dark brown sugar share one weight in King Arthur's chart and in America's Test Kitchen's, so the converter has one brown sugar, not two.
Brown sugar grams to cups chart
Common gram amounts of brown sugar in US cups, packed and loose:
US cups, as the cups and spoons to fill; ≈ marks the nearest measure.
| Grams | Packed | Unpacked |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | ≈ 1 tbsp + 2 tsp + ½ tsp + ⅛ tsp | ≈ 2 tbsp + 2 tsp + ¼ tsp |
| 50 g | ≈ 3 tbsp + 2 tsp + ¼ tsp | ≈ ⅓ cup + ½ tsp |
| 100 g | ≈ ⅓ cup + 2 tbsp + ½ tsp | ≈ ⅔ cup + 1 tsp |
| 110 g | ≈ ½ cup + 1 tsp | ≈ ¾ cup |
| 150 g | ≈ ⅔ cup + 2 tsp | ≈ 1 cup + 2 tsp |
| 200 g | ≈ ¾ cup + 3 tbsp | ≈ 1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp |
| 213 g | 1 cup | ≈ 1⅓ cups + 2 tbsp |
| 250 g | ≈ 1 cup + 3 tbsp | ≈ 1¾ cups |
| 300 g | ≈ 1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp | ≈ 2 cups + 1 tbsp |
| 400 g | ≈ 1¾ cups + 2 tbsp | ≈ 2¾ cups |
| 500 g | ≈ 2⅓ cups | ≈ 3½ cups |
Cups of brown sugar to grams
¼ cup, ⅓ cup, ½ cup and more, in grams, for packed and loose brown sugar:
| Cups | Packed | Unpacked |
|---|---|---|
| ⅛ cup | 26.63 g | 18.13 g |
| ¼ cup | 53.25 g | 36.25 g |
| ⅓ cup | 71 g | 48.33 g |
| ½ cup | 106.5 g | 72.5 g |
| ⅔ cup | 142 g | 96.67 g |
| ¾ cup | 159.8 g | 108.8 g |
| 1 cup | 213 g | 145 g |
| 1½ cups | 319.5 g | 217.5 g |
| 2 cups | 426 g | 290 g |
| 3 cups | 639 g | 435 g |
| 4 cups | 852 g | 580 g |
By the pound: a pound of brown sugar is ≈ 2 cups + 2 tbsp packed. A 2 lb bag holds ≈ 4¼ cups packed.
How to measure brown sugar
- Spoon brown sugar into a dry measuring cup.
- Press it firmly into the cup with the back of a spoon, adding more as it settles, until it is level with the rim.
For tablespoons and teaspoons, pack the spoon the same way. A scale skips all of it: weigh 213 grams for each cup a recipe asks for.
Questions
How heavy is 1 cup of brown sugar?
213 grams packed, or 7.51 ounces. Loose, a cup weighs 145 grams.
How many grams is ½ cup of packed brown sugar?
106.5 grams. ¼ cup is 53.25 grams, ⅓ cup 71 grams and ¾ cup 159.8 grams.
How many cups are 220 grams of brown sugar?
≈ 1 cup + 2 tsp packed, or ≈ 1½ cups loose.
How many grams is 2 cups of brown sugar?
426 grams packed.
Does dark brown sugar weigh the same as light brown sugar?
Our sources give one weight for both: 213 grams for a packed cup in King Arthur's chart.
Is brown sugar heavier than white sugar?
Packed, yes: a cup of packed brown sugar is 213 grams, a cup of granulated sugar 198 grams. Loose brown sugar is lighter than either. The sugar converter has white, brown and powdered sugar side by side.
Sources
- 21 CFR 101.9 (US nutrition labeling)
- America's Test Kitchen baking conversion chart
- America's Test Kitchen, Baking Basics: Measuring Ingredients
- King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart
- Manufacturer's label serving size, as listed in USDA FoodData Central (Branded Foods)
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C
- NIST Special Publication 430, Household Weights and Measures
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy
- Weights and Measures Act 1985 (UK), Schedule 1
- How many grams in a cup of sugarA cup of granulated sugar weighs 198 grams: pick the sugar, and for brown or powdered, how the cup is filled.
- 1 cup powdered sugar in grams, sifted and unsiftedAn unsifted cup of powdered sugar weighs 113 grams: type grams or cups and pick sifted or unsifted.
- Grams to cups converterPick the ingredient, type the grams and get US cups and spoons, with the fill method the weight assumes.
- Cups to grams converter and conversion tableOne US cup weighs 198 grams of granulated sugar but 227 grams of butter: pick the ingredient and type the cups.
- Ingredient weight chartOne US cup of every ingredient we have a sourced weight for, in grams; change the amount or unit and every row follows.
- Cooking conversion chartCups, spoons, ounces, grams, milliliters and oven temperatures on one printable page, with the abbreviations recipes use.