US Cup (cup)

US customaryCurrent unit

One sixteenth of a US gallon, 236.588 mL (8 US fluid ounces). The standard US recipe cup.

1 US cup = 0.2365882365 liters (exactly).

1 US cup = 0.2365882365 liters

About the US cup

Cups began as household drinking vessels, not scientific units, which is why they remain the messiest measures in the kitchen. The US customary cup was defined by slicing up the gallon: half a pint, or eight US fluid ounces, about 236.6 milliliters. Unlike the larger units, nobody ever fixed it to a physical vessel, so it exists only as a fraction of the gallon.

The customary cup is not the only American cup. For nutrition labels, US regulation defines a cup as exactly 240 milliliters, a rounder figure that sits slightly above the customary size. Packaged foods therefore list a serving in the legal cup while a measuring cup from the hardware store follows the customary definition. The gap is 3.4 milliliters, which hardly matters for soup but can matter in baking. Cup measures also hide the weight of dry ingredients, since a cup of sifted flour and a cup of packed flour differ substantially, which is why much of the world prefers grams.

Sources: Wikipedia: Cup (unit); NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8: conversion factors for volume; 21 CFR 101.9: nutrition labeling household measures

US Cup conversion chart

1 US cup expressed in every other volume unit:

Unit1 US cup
Liters0.2365882365
Milliliters236.5882365
US Gallons0.0625
US Fluid Ounces8
Cubic Meters0.0002365882365
Cubic Centimeters236.5882365
US Quarts0.25
US Pints0.5
US Tablespoons16
US Teaspoons48
Metric Cups0.946352946
Metric Tablespoons15.7725491
Metric Teaspoons47.3176473
Imperial Gallons0.05204213654
Imperial Pints0.4163370923
Imperial Fluid Ounces8.326741846
Cubic Inches14.4375
Cubic Feet0.008355034722
Cubic Yards0.0003094457305
Oil Barrels0.001488095238
Cubic Millimeters236,588.2365
Microliters236,588.2365
Centiliters23.65882365
Deciliters2.365882365
Hectoliters0.002365882365
Cubic Kilometers2.365882365×10⁻¹³
Australian Tablespoons11.82941183
US Legal Cups0.9857843188
Imperial Quarts0.2081685462
Cubic Miles5.676053647×10⁻¹⁴
Wine Bottles0.315450982
Magnums0.157725491
Jeroboams0.0788627455
Methuselahs0.03943137275
Nebuchadnezzars0.0157725491
US Gills2
US Fluid Drams64
US Minims3,840
Jiggers5.333333333
Pinches768
Dashes384
Imperial Gills1.665348369
US Bushels0.006713804745
US Pecks0.02685521898
US Dry Quarts0.2148417518
US Dry Pints0.4296835037
US Dry Barrels0.002046130952
US Liquid Barrels0.001984126984
UK Beer Barrels0.001445614904
Firkins0.005782459615
Kilderkins0.002891229808
Hogsheads (ale)0.0009637432692
Tierces0.001488095238
Hogsheads (wine)0.0009920634921
Puncheons0.000744047619
Butts (pipe)0.000496031746
Tuns0.000248015873
Acre-feet1.918052048×10⁻⁷
Cords0.00006527370877
Board Feet0.1002604167
Cyathi5.201329169
Sextarii0.4334440974
Congii0.0722406829
Modii0.02709025609
Amphorae0.009030085363
Omers0.1075401075
Hin0.0645240645
Baths (biblical)0.01075401075
Homers0.001075401075
Gō1.311532456
Shō0.1311532456
Tō0.01311532456
Koku0.001311532456
Charkas1.923573867
Shtofs0.1923573867
Vedros0.01923573867

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