How many ounces in a cup?
There are 8 fluid ounces in 1 US cup; that measures volume, and how many ounces a cup weighs depends on what's in it.
Fluid ounces (fl oz) measure space, ounces (oz) measure weight. They share a name because a fluid ounce of water weighs about one ounce (1.04 oz, to be exact). So for water and drinks, a cup is roughly 8 ounces whichever way you measure.
Dry ingredients drift far apart. A cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4.2 ounces, a cup of sugar about 7, and a cup of honey nearly 12.
Converter
| Cups | Fluid ounces | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 2 fl oz | 59.15 ml |
| ⅓ cup | 2⅔ fl oz | 78.86 ml |
| ½ cup | 4 fl oz | 118.3 ml |
| ⅔ cup | 5⅓ fl oz | 157.7 ml |
| ¾ cup | 6 fl oz | 177.4 ml |
| 1 cup | 8 fl oz | 236.6 ml |
| 1½ cups | 12 fl oz | 354.9 ml |
| 2 cups (1 pint) | 16 fl oz | 473.2 ml |
| 4 cups (1 quart) | 32 fl oz | 946.4 ml |
| Ingredient | Ounces | Grams |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 4.2 oz | 120 g |
| Bread flour | 4.2 oz | 120 g |
| Whole wheat flour | 4 oz | 113 g |
| Granulated sugar | 7 oz | 198 g |
| Superfine (caster) sugar | 6.7 oz | 190 g |
| Brown sugar (packed, light or dark) | 7.5 oz | 213 g |
| Powdered sugar (unsifted) | 4 oz | 113 g |
| Butter | 8 oz | 226 g |
| Rice (long grain, uncooked) | 7 oz | 198 g |
| Rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick) | 3.1 oz | 89 g |
| Honey | 11.9 oz | 336 g |
| Maple syrup | 11 oz | 312 g |
| Milk | 8 oz | 227 g |
| Heavy cream (or light cream, half & half) | 8 oz | 227 g |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened) | 3 oz | 84 g |
| Cornstarch | 4 oz | 112 g |
| Vegetable oil | 7 oz | 198 g |
| Chocolate chips | 6 oz | 170 g |
Weights from the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart, checked October 7, 2026. Grams per cup is worked out from their figure; ounces are converted from grams.
Which ounce does the recipe mean?
Look at the ingredient. A liquid listed in ounces next to cups and spoons means fluid ounces: “8 oz milk” is a cup. A solid that is sold by weight, such as cheese, chocolate, pasta or meat, means weight: “8 oz cheddar” is half a pound, read off the package or weighed on a scale, however many cups it grates into.
The trap is a dry ingredient given in ounces, like “8 oz flour”. That is weight, and it is nowhere near a cup: 8 ounces of all-purpose flour is about 1.9 cups.
UK fluid ounces are a little smaller
An imperial (UK) fluid ounce is 28.41 ml against 29.57 ml for a US one, and a UK pint holds 20 of them (568.3 ml) where a US pint holds 16 (473.2 ml). Older British recipes that give liquids in fluid ounces or pints mean the imperial sizes.
When weight beats volume
For bread, cakes and cookies, weighing is more reliable than cups, because flour and sugar settle differently every time you scoop them. The grams to cups chart covers the common baking ingredients, and ounces to grams converts between the two weight systems.
Saved a recipe from a video that lists everything in ounces? ReelMeal's Metric setting shows weights in grams and liquid measures in milliliters, and Imperial turns metric recipes into ounces and pounds just as easily.
Download on theApp StoreQuestions
Is 8 oz always 1 cup?
Only for water and liquids like it. Eight fluid ounces is always a cup. Eight ounces by weight is a cup only for ingredients about as dense as water; 8 ounces of flour is closer to 2 cups.
How many ounces are in ½ cup?
4 fluid ounces. By weight it varies: ½ cup of butter (one stick) weighs 4 ounces, while ½ cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 2.1.
How many ounces is a cup of dry ingredients?
It depends on the ingredient. Using King Arthur Baking's weights: all-purpose flour about 4.2 oz, granulated sugar 7 oz, packed brown sugar 7.5 oz and rolled oats 3.1 oz.
How many fluid ounces are in a cup in the UK?
UK recipes rarely use cups. A US cup holds 8.3 imperial fluid ounces, and a 250 ml metric cup holds 8.8.