Cups to Grams: Flour and Sugar
Published July 16, 2026By Samson PG
Quick answer
1 cup all-purpose flour is about 120 g; 1 cup granulated sugar is about 200 g. Volume is not weight — use density, or a scale.
1 cup of all-purpose flour is about 120 g (spooned and leveled). 1 cup of granulated sugar is about 200 g. Cups measure volume; grams measure mass. Flour packs differently than sugar, so “1 cup” is not 240 g for everything. Bakers who switch to weight get more repeatable doughs.
Typical cup → gram anchors (approx.)
| Ingredient | ≈ grams per cup | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | ~120–125 g | Spoon-and-level vs scoop changes this |
| Granulated sugar | ~200 g | More consistent than flour |
| Brown sugar (packed) | ~210–220 g | Packing matters |
| Butter | ~227 g | Often listed as 2 sticks / cup in U.S. |
| Milk / water | ~240 g | Close to 240 ml by design |
These are kitchen approximations, not lab standards. Brand grind and humidity move flour a few grams either way.
Why scooping flour skews recipes
Scooping compresses flour into the cup → more grams → drier baked goods. Spooning into the cup and leveling usually lands nearer published gram charts.
Formula mindset
grams ≈ cups × (grams per cup for that ingredient)For reverse: cups ≈ grams ÷ grams-per-cup.
Multiples people actually search for
Recipes rarely stop at one cup. Using the anchors above:
| Amount | All-purpose flour | Granulated sugar |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | ~30 g | ~50 g |
| 1/3 cup | ~40 g | ~67 g |
| 1/2 cup | ~60 g | ~100 g |
| 1 cup | ~120 g | ~200 g |
| 2 cups | ~240 g | ~400 g |
| 3 cups | ~360 g | ~600 g |
Note how far apart the two columns drift. At three cups, the difference between flour and sugar is about 240 g — roughly two extra cups of flour by weight. That is why swapping one for the other by volume, without adjusting, wrecks a dough.
Spoons, when the recipe is small
A US cup is 16 tablespoons, or 48 teaspoons, so spoon weights come straight off the same density:
| Measure | Flour | Sugar |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon | ~2.5 g | ~4 g |
| 1 tablespoon | ~7.5 g | ~12.5 g |
This matters most for baking powder, salt, and yeast, where a few grams either way is the difference between a rise and a brick — those are worth weighing even if you measure everything else by volume.
Which cup is the recipe using?
“One cup” is not one quantity. Three are in common use:
| Cup standard | Volume | 1 cup flour ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| US customary | ~240 ml | ~120 g |
| Metric (AU/NZ, some EU) | 250 ml | ~125 g |
| Imperial (older UK) | ~284 ml | ~142 g |
An American recipe followed with an Australian cup adds roughly 4% to every dry ingredient. Once, that is invisible. Compounded across flour, sugar, and butter in the same bake, it shifts the ratio enough to notice in the texture.
Why weighing wins for baking
Cooking tolerates approximation; baking is chemistry with ratios. Bread and pastry depend on the proportion of flour to water to fat, and volume measurement introduces error at exactly the step where error compounds. A scale removes the packing question entirely, uses one bowl instead of a nest of cups, and makes a recipe reproducible — the same 500 g is the same 500 g whoever measures it, in whatever country.
If a recipe gives only cups, convert once with the table above, write the grams in the margin, and use those from then on.
Privacy
Recipe numbers stay local — no upload needed.
Use TryCalculatingNow Cups to Grams
Need one ingredient fast? 1 cup flour in grams and 1 cup sugar in grams give the exact number plus a cups→grams table. For everything else, TryCalculatingNow Cups to Grams maps common pantry ingredients so you can scale a recipe without guessing. Sibling unit tools: grams to ounces when labels use imperial weight.
FAQ
How many grams is 1 cup of flour?
About 120 g for all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled. Scooping packs the cup and can add 15–20 g.
How many grams is 1 cup of sugar?
About 200 g for granulated sugar. Packed brown sugar is heavier (around 220 g).
Is 1 cup always 240 ml?
In U.S. cooking cups, volume is standardized near 240 ml; gram weight still depends on density.
Metric cup vs U.S. cup?
A metric cup is 250 ml. Prefer grams when precision matters.
Can I use the same factor for bread flour and AP flour?
Close, but protein and milling differ — weigh when you can.
Why do two charts disagree on flour?
Different packing assumptions. Pick one method and stay consistent.