mL to cups converter
A US cup is 236.6 mL: type milliliters, get cups and spoons for the cup your recipe uses.
236.6 mL
1 cup
- 1 cup×1
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 to convert milliliters to cups
Divide the milliliters by the size of the cup. A US cup is 8 US fluid ounces, which works out to exactly 236.5882365 mL from the definitions in NIST Handbook 44, so 1 cup is 236.6 mL and 2 cups are 473.2 mL. Round numbers of milliliters rarely land on a cup mark: 250 mL is ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp and 100 mL is ≈ ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp. The answer card gives that remainder as tablespoons and teaspoons you can measure. Going the other way, 1 milliliter is 0.00423 cups of a US cup.
The ingredient doesn't matter here. Milliliters and cups both measure volume, so 250 mL of milk, oil or water fills the same cup. Converting milliliters to grams is another matter, because it depends on the ingredient: see the grams to cups converter.
How many cups are in a liter
One liter is ≈ 4¼ cups in US cups, and half a liter is ≈ 2 cups + 2 tbsp. A US quart is a little less than a liter: 4 cups, or 946.4 mL.
mL to cups conversion table
Common amounts from recipes, cartons and measuring jugs, in US cups and spoons:
US cups as the cups and spoons to fill (≈ when rounded); label, metric and imperial cups as decimals.
| Milliliters | US cups | Label cups (240 mL) | Metric cups (250 mL) | Imperial cups (284 mL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mL | ≈ 1 tsp | 0.0208 cups | 0.02 cups | 0.0176 cups |
| 15 mL | ≈ 1 tbsp | 0.0625 cups | 0.06 cups | 0.0528 cups |
| 30 mL | ≈ 2 tbsp | 0.125 cups | 0.12 cups | 0.106 cups |
| 50 mL | ≈ 3 tbsp + 1 tsp | 0.208 cups | 0.2 cups | 0.176 cups |
| 60 mL | ≈ ¼ cup | 0.25 cups | 0.24 cups | 0.211 cups |
| 75 mL | ≈ ¼ cup + 1 tbsp | 0.313 cups | 0.3 cups | 0.264 cups |
| 80 mL | ≈ ⅓ cup | 0.333 cups | 0.32 cups | 0.282 cups |
| 100 mL | ≈ ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp | 0.417 cups | 0.4 cups | 0.352 cups |
| 120 mL | ≈ ½ cup | 0.5 cups | 0.48 cups | 0.422 cups |
| 125 mL | ≈ ½ cup + 1 tsp | 0.521 cups | 0.5 cups | 0.44 cups |
| 150 mL | ≈ ½ cup + 2 tbsp | 0.625 cups | 0.6 cups | 0.528 cups |
| 180 mL | ≈ ¾ cup | 0.75 cups | 0.72 cups | 0.634 cups |
| 200 mL | ≈ ⅔ cup + 3 tbsp | 0.833 cups | 0.8 cups | 0.704 cups |
| 237 mL | ≈ 1 cup | 0.988 cups | 0.948 cups | 0.834 cups |
| 240 mL | ≈ 1 cup | 1 cup | 0.96 cups | 0.845 cups |
| 250 mL | ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp | 1.04 cups | 1 cup | 0.88 cups |
| 300 mL | ≈ 1¼ cups | 1.25 cups | 1.2 cups | 1.06 cups |
| 330 mL | ≈ 1⅓ cups + 1 tbsp | 1.38 cups | 1.32 cups | 1.16 cups |
| 350 mL | ≈ 1½ cups | 1.46 cups | 1.4 cups | 1.23 cups |
| 400 mL | ≈ 1⅔ cups | 1.67 cups | 1.6 cups | 1.41 cups |
| 473 mL | ≈ 2 cups | 1.97 cups | 1.89 cups | 1.66 cups |
| 500 mL | ≈ 2 cups + 2 tbsp | 2.08 cups | 2 cups | 1.76 cups |
| 600 mL | ≈ 2½ cups | 2.5 cups | 2.4 cups | 2.11 cups |
| 750 mL | ≈ 3 cups + 3 tbsp | 3.13 cups | 3 cups | 2.64 cups |
| 1000 mL | ≈ 4¼ cups | 4.17 cups | 4 cups | 3.52 cups |
US customary or metric system: which cup is your recipe using?
A "cup" is not one size everywhere: milliliters belong to the metric system, the cup to the US customary system, and metric and imperial recipes use cups of their own sizes, so the same milliliters can be a different number of cups. The converter lets you pick the cup:
| Standard | Cup | Tablespoon | Teaspoon | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.6 mL | 14.79 mL | 4.93 mL | NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C |
| US label (nutrition facts) | 240 mL | 15 mL | 5 mL | 21 CFR 101.9 (US nutrition labeling) |
| Metric | 250 mL | 15 mL | 5 mL | NIST Special Publication 430, Household Weights and Measures |
| Imperial | 284.1 mL | 17.76 mL | 5.92 mL | Weights and Measures Act 1985 (UK), Schedule 1 |
- US customary cup: the measuring cup of NIST Handbook 44, 8 US fluid ounces. This is the default.
- US label cup: 240 mL. Nutrition labels round the cup to this size for serving sizes (21 CFR 101.9), so "1 cup (240 mL)" on a carton is the rounded label cup.
- Metric and imperial cups: pick these when a recipe was written with them. The cup and the spoons change together.
If a recipe lists both cups and milliliters, its milliliters per cup show which cup it uses; compare them with the table above.
Small amounts: mL to tablespoons and teaspoons
Small amounts are easier to measure with spoons than with a cup. A US tablespoon is 14.79 mL and a US teaspoon 4.93 mL, so 15 mL is ≈ 1 tbsp and 5 mL is ≈ 1 tsp. Labels round them to 15 and 5 mL.
Questions
Is 1 cup the same as 250 ml?
Not a US cup. A US cup is 236.6 mL, so 250 mL is ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp. A cup of exactly 250 mL is the metric cup; switch the converter to it if your recipe uses that cup.
How many ml is a USA cup?
236.6 mL for the US customary cup (8 fluid ounces, NIST Handbook 44). Nutrition labels use a rounded 240 mL cup.
How many ml is ¼ cup?
59.15 mL in US measures, which is 4 tbsp.
How many ml is ½ cup?
118.3 mL in US measures. ⅓ cup is 78.86 mL and ¾ cup is 177.4 mL.
Is 250 ml a full cup?
It is a little more than a full US cup: ≈ 1 cup + 1 tbsp. In a metric cup it is exactly one cup.
What is the average ml in a cup?
There is no average to take: each cup standard has a fixed size. Use the one your recipe was written with; for US recipes that is 236.6 mL.
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
- Grams to cups converterPick the ingredient, type the grams and get US cups and spoons, with the fill method the weight assumes.
- Cups to mL converterA US cup is 236.6 mL: type cups, pick the cup your recipe uses, get milliliters.
- mL to grams converter236.6 mL of heavy cream weighs 238 grams: pick the ingredient, type milliliters, get grams.
- Grams to mL converter200 grams of granulated sugar is 239 milliliters: pick the ingredient, type the grams, get milliliters.
- How many mL in a tablespoonA US tablespoon is 14.79 milliliters: type tablespoons, pick the spoon standard, get milliliters.
- How many ounces in a cupA US cup is 8 fl oz: type cups, get fluid ounces.
- How many cups in a quartA US quart is 4 cups: type quarts, pints or gallons and get cups.
- Tablespoons to cups converterA US cup is 16 tbsp: type tablespoons, get the cups and spoons to fill.
- 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.