Grams to Cups Converter
Why a flat "1 cup = 240g" conversion is wrong
Most quick converters treat cups and grams as if there's one universal conversion factor, but that's only true for water. Every other ingredient has its own density — flour, sugar, and butter all pack differently into a cup — so a single multiplier gives you the wrong weight for almost everything except water and other liquids of similar density.
Reference densities used here
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | |---|---| | All-purpose flour (spooned & leveled) | 120g | | Granulated sugar | 200g | | Brown sugar (packed) | 220g | | Butter | 227g | | Rolled oats | 90g | | Honey | 340g |
Tip for more accurate baking
If a recipe gives weight in grams, use a kitchen scale directly rather than converting to cups and measuring by volume — it removes an entire source of error. Cup measurements are most useful when a scale isn't available.
Frequently asked questions
- Why isn't 1 cup always the same number of grams?
- A cup is a unit of volume, but grams measure weight (mass). How much a cup of an ingredient weighs depends on how dense that ingredient is — a cup of flour is much lighter than a cup of butter or honey, because flour has air pockets between the particles.
- How many grams are in a cup of flour?
- About 120g for a cup of all-purpose flour, using the standard "spoon and level" measuring method. If you scoop the cup directly into the flour bag instead, you can compact it enough to get closer to 150g — which is why recipes that specify grams are more reliable than ones that only specify cups.
- Why does brown sugar have a different weight than granulated sugar?
- Brown sugar is typically measured "packed" into the cup, which compresses it and increases its weight per cup (around 220g) compared to granulated sugar poured loosely (around 200g).
- Is this accurate enough for baking?
- The values here are standard reference densities used by most baking resources and are accurate enough for home baking. For professional or highly precise baking, weighing your specific ingredient with a kitchen scale is always more accurate than any cup-to-gram conversion.