This converts a volume measure of a common baking ingredient into grams — because “1 cup” is not one weight, it depends entirely on what’s in the cup.
How it works
Weight per cup, by ingredient
flour: 120 g · granulated sugar: 198 g · brown sugar (packed): 213 g · butter: 226 g · powdered sugar: 113 g · honey: 336 g
Source: King Arthur Baking’s own published Ingredient Weight Chart.
Why the same cup holds such different weights
A cup of flour (120 g) and a cup of granulated sugar (198 g) are not close to the same weight, despite measuring the identical volume — flour is light and full of trapped air, sugar is denser granules that pack together. This is the single most common source of a recipe going wrong when converted casually between volume and weight, or when a US-volume recipe is followed by someone used to weighing ingredients.
How flour is scooped changes its own weight, before ingredients are even compared
Scooping a measuring cup directly into a flour bag packs it down; spooning flour into the cup and levelling it off — the method King Arthur’s own chart assumes — gives a lighter, more consistent result. The two methods for the identical “1 cup” can differ by 20–25 grams, which is why weighing flour, when a recipe allows it, is more reliable than any volume measurement at all.
How to use this calculator
- Choose the ingredient.
- Enter the amount in cups.
- Read the weight in grams and ounces.
Frequently asked questions
Why does baking specifically care about this, more than other cooking?
Because baking relies on precise ratios between ingredients — flour to liquid, sugar to fat — in a way that’s chemically sensitive. A savoury dish can usually absorb a volume-measurement’s worth of imprecision; a cake or bread recipe is much less forgiving of the same error.
Which measuring method does this calculator assume for flour?
The spoon-and-level method — spooning flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping directly from the bag, then levelling the top with a straight edge. Scooping directly packs the flour down and can add 20–25 grams to the same “1 cup”.
Why is honey so much heavier per cup than sugar?
Because honey is a dense liquid with very little trapped air, while granulated sugar is solid granules with gaps between them — even though both are “a cup,” the honey packs far more actual substance into that same volume.
Should I trust this chart for every brand of flour?
It’s a reasonable general figure for all-purpose flour, but brands and flour types (bread flour, whole wheat) can vary somewhat in density — for genuinely precise baking, weighing your own specific flour once against a known cup measure is more reliable than any published average.
Does this work for liquid ingredients like milk or oil?
Not directly — this covers the specific dry and semi-solid baking ingredients listed. Most liquids used in baking are close enough to water’s density that a cup is roughly 236–240 g regardless of which liquid it is, but oils and syrups can differ meaningfully from that assumption.
