How many milliliters are in 1 cup?

1 US cup equals 236.588 milliliters. This is the standard US measurement used in American recipes.

Is a cup 250ml or 240ml?

A US cup is approximately 237ml (236.588ml exactly), not 250ml or 240ml. However, metric cup measurements used in Australia and other countries are 250ml.

How do I convert cups to ml for baking?

Multiply the number of cups by 236.588 to get milliliters. For example, 2 cups = 2 × 236.588 = 473.176ml.

How many ml in 1/2 cup?

Half a cup equals 118.294 milliliters (236.588 ÷ 2).

How many ml in 1/4 cup?

A quarter cup equals 59.147 milliliters (236.588 ÷ 4).

Can I use this for both wet and dry ingredients?

Yes! This converter works for both liquid and dry measurements, as it converts volume (cups) to volume (ml).

How do I convert cups to milliliters?

1 US cup = 236.588 mL. So mL = cups × 236.588, and cups = mL / 236.588. Common equivalents: ¼ cup = 59 mL, ⅓ cup = 79 mL, ½ cup = 118 mL, ¾ cup = 177 mL, 1 cup = 237 mL, 2 cups = 473 mL. Beware: UK/Australian/NZ 'metric cup' is 250 mL, Japanese cup is 200 mL — always confirm which cup your recipe uses before converting.

Cups ↔ Milliliters Converter

Convert cups to milliliters or milliliters to cups for cooking and baking. Free bidirectional converter for US cups and metric measurements.

Reviewed by the Calcura editorial team · Last reviewed April 20, 2026

Question: How do I convert cups to milliliters?
Answer: 1 US cup = 236.588 mL. So mL = cups × 236.588, and cups = mL / 236.588. Common equivalents: ¼ cup = 59 mL, ⅓ cup = 79 mL, ½ cup = 118 mL, ¾ cup = 177 mL, 1 cup = 237 mL, 2 cups = 473 mL. Beware: UK/Australian/NZ 'metric cup' is 250 mL, Japanese cup is 200 mL — always confirm which cup your recipe uses before converting.

▸Show formula & caveats

Formula: mL = US cups × 236.588
Caveats: US cup = 236.588 mL; metric cup = 250 mL (UK/AU/NZ); Japanese cup = 200 mL.
Dry and liquid cups in the US are the same volume — the measuring cup style just differs.
Pre-2020 US legal cup was 240 mL, but most recipes use the 236.588 mL customary cup.

Cups

Cups to Milliliters Conversion Table

Using the US customary cup (236.588 mL). Metric (UK/AU/NZ) cup is 250 mL.

Cups	US (mL)	Metric (mL)	Fluid Ounces
1 tbsp	15 mL	15 mL	0.5 fl oz
¼ cup	59 mL	63 mL	2 fl oz
⅓ cup	79 mL	83 mL	2.7 fl oz
½ cup	118 mL	125 mL	4 fl oz
⅔ cup	158 mL	167 mL	5.3 fl oz
¾ cup	177 mL	188 mL	6 fl oz
1 cup	237 mL	250 mL	8 fl oz
1½ cups	355 mL	375 mL	12 fl oz
2 cups (1 pt)	473 mL	500 mL	16 fl oz
3 cups	710 mL	750 mL	24 fl oz
4 cups (1 qt)	946 mL	1000 mL	32 fl oz

What This Calculator Does

This converter translates US customary cups to milliliters (and back), using the standard 1 US cup = 236.588 mL. It handles both dry and liquid measurements — both are volume, so the same factor applies. Note: if your recipe is from Australia, New Zealand, or the UK, the 'cup' there is 250 mL (metric cup). Japan uses 200 mL. Always confirm which cup your recipe source uses before converting.

When To Use This Calculator

Metric recipe with a US measuring cup

An Italian tiramisu recipe asks for '500 mL heavy cream.' Convert: 500 / 236.588 = 2.11 US cups. Round to 2 cups + 2 tbsp (1 tbsp ≈ 15 mL) for a close match.

US recipe with a metric jug

A US recipe calls for '1½ cups milk.' Convert: 1.5 × 236.588 = 355 mL. Measure 355 mL on a metric jug — slightly less than the 375 mL mark.

Precision baking at small scales

¼ cup of water (59.1 mL) is more accurately measured in mL on a graduated cylinder than in a cup marked '¼'. Useful for sourdough starters or fermentation where hydration matters.

Following professional baking ratios

A baker's 70% hydration dough at 500 g flour = 350 g water = 350 mL. Cup equivalent: 350 / 236.588 = 1.48 cups — awkward; measuring in mL is cleaner.

How It Works

1 US legal cup = 240 mL (used on nutrition labels by FDA rule). 1 US customary cup = 236.5882365 mL (8 US fluid ounces exactly). Most recipe developers mean the customary cup. The customary value derives from 1 US gallon = 3.785411784 L exactly, divided by 16. This converter uses 236.588 mL — the practical precision for cooking — but the underlying definition is exact. For metric-cup countries (AU/NZ/CA/UK), use 250 mL or a metric-cup-specific converter.

Formula

mL = cups × 236.5882365  (US customary)
cups = mL / 236.5882365
1 US cup = 8 fl oz = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp (customary)

Real-World Example

Scenario

A home cook adapting a French béchamel recipe that calls for '1 L milk, 80 g butter, 80 g flour' into US cup measures for a US kitchen without a scale.

Calculation

Milk: 1,000 mL / 236.588 = 4.227 cups → measure 4¼ cups (4.25 cups = 1,005 mL, 0.5% error) Butter: 80 g / 113 g per ½ cup stick = 0.71 stick → 5.67 tbsp, round to 5½ tbsp (scale recommended) Flour: 80 g / 125 g per cup = 0.64 cup → ⅔ cup (just shy)

Result

For the milk, 4¼ cups is within recipe tolerance. For butter and flour, converting grams to cups introduces 5–10% error from density assumptions — if the béchamel seems too thin or thick, that's why. Weighing is more accurate; if no scale, err slightly heavy on the flour (a stiffer béchamel is easier to thin than to thicken).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake: Mixing US cups with metric cups

Solution: A US cup is 236.6 mL; an Aussie/UK metric cup is 250 mL. A recipe asking for 2 cups of milk differs by 27 mL (nearly 2 tbsp) depending on which cup the author meant. Check the recipe's country of origin.

Mistake: Using a liquid measuring cup for dry ingredients

Solution: Even though 1 cup is 236.6 mL for anything, the measuring cup style matters: liquid cups have headspace to pour without spilling; dry cups are meant to be leveled with a straight edge. Using the wrong tool adds 10–20% error in practice.

Mistake: Assuming cup = 240 mL always

Solution: 240 mL is the FDA's 'legal' cup for nutrition-label calculations only. Cooking recipes use the customary 236.588 mL cup. The 3.4 mL difference is small but compounds in larger recipes.

Mistake: Converting weight-based recipes by volume

Solution: A recipe saying '200 g flour' shouldn't be converted to a cup measure unless you know flour's density in the author's convention. Better: weigh if possible, or use '200 g / 125 g per cup = 1.6 cup' (US standard).

Cups to mL vs. Related Calculators

mL to Tablespoons

For smaller-scale conversions (dressings, spices, infusions) where tablespoons are the target.

Tablespoons to Cups

For scaling up spoon measures when a recipe is halved or quartered.

Ounces to Grams

For weight (not volume) conversions — more accurate for baking staples like flour and sugar.

When This Isn't the Right Tool

Weight-based baking recipes

Use instead: If a recipe specifies ingredients in grams, convert via the Ounces/Grams tool — don't assume a density to turn weight into volume.

Nutrition-label calculations

Use instead: FDA uses 240 mL per cup. For calorie/macro tracking, use that factor, not the 236.588 mL customary cup.

UK 'imperial cup' or pre-1971 UK recipes

Use instead: Historical UK recipes sometimes use a 284 mL imperial cup (1/2 pint). Use a country-specific converter for these.

Rice cups (for rice cookers)

Use instead: A rice cooker 'cup' is 180 mL (Japanese rice measure), not 236.588 mL. Use the cup that came with your rice cooker, not a US customary cup.

How to Verify This Calculation

NIST Handbook 44 defines 1 US gallon as 3.785411784 L exactly, and 1 cup = 1/16 gallon = 236.5882365 mL. Google or a scientific calculator should agree to the mL. Measuring cups are typically accurate to ±5%, so cooking results are robust to small conversion errors.

Sources

NIST — Handbook 44 (Specifications for Weighing and Measuring Devices) — Defines US customary and legal units, including the 236.588 mL cup and 240 mL legal cup for nutrition labeling.
FDA — Food Labeling Guide — Specifies the 240 mL cup used on Nutrition Facts labels in the US.
BIPM — SI Brochure (The International System of Units) — Defines the liter (1 L = 1 dm³ = 1,000 mL) as the basis for all metric volume measures.