US Legal Cup (cup (legal))

US customaryCurrent unit

Exactly 240 mL, the 'cup' defined by US food-labeling law.

1 US legal cup = 0.24 liters (exactly).

1 US legal cup = 0.24 liters

About the US legal cup

Nutrition labels in the United States do not use the traditional cup. Federal law, tied to FDA labelling rules, defines the legal cup as exactly 240 mL, which is a round metric figure sitting close to the customary cup of 8 US fluid ounces (about 236.6 mL, as NIST lists it). The difference is about 1.4 percent, small enough to matter little for a serving size.

The metric cup of 250 mL, used in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some other countries, is a separate, slightly larger measure, and the legal cup is about 0.96 of it. Older cups varied far more. The Japanese go was about 180 mL and was legally defined in 1891, the Russian stakan about 246 mL and the Dutch kopje about 150 mL. An 1894 British book described a cup as about 6 imperial fluid ounces. Without a stated standard, a recipe cup can therefore differ noticeably from country to country.

Sources: Wikipedia: Cup (unit); NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: conversion factors

US Legal Cup conversion chart

1 US legal cup expressed in every other volume unit:

Unit1 US legal cup
Liters0.24
Milliliters240
US Gallons0.06340129257
US Cups1.014420681
US Fluid Ounces8.115365448
Cubic Meters0.00024
Cubic Centimeters240
US Quarts0.2536051703
US Pints0.5072103405
US Tablespoons16.2307309
US Teaspoons48.69219269
Metric Cups0.96
Metric Tablespoons16
Metric Teaspoons48
Imperial Gallons0.05279261959
Imperial Pints0.4223409567
Imperial Fluid Ounces8.446819135
Cubic Inches14.64569858
Cubic Feet0.008475520013
Cubic Yards0.0003139081486
Oil Barrels0.001509554585
Cubic Millimeters240,000
Microliters240,000
Centiliters24
Deciliters2.4
Hectoliters0.0024
Cubic Kilometers2.4×10⁻¹³
Australian Tablespoons12
Imperial Quarts0.2111704784
Cubic Miles5.757906206×10⁻¹⁴
Wine Bottles0.32
Magnums0.16
Jeroboams0.08
Methuselahs0.04
Nebuchadnezzars0.016
US Gills2.028841362
US Fluid Drams64.92292359
US Minims3,895.375415
Jiggers5.410243632
Pinches779.0750831
Dashes389.5375415
Imperial Gills1.689363827
US Bushels0.006810622382
US Pecks0.02724248953
US Dry Quarts0.2179399162
US Dry Pints0.4358798324
US Dry Barrels0.002075637554
US Liquid Barrels0.002012739447
UK Beer Barrels0.001466461655
Firkins0.005865846621
Kilderkins0.002932923311
Hogsheads (ale)0.0009776411036
Tierces0.001509554585
Hogsheads (wine)0.001006369723
Puncheons0.0007547772925
Butts (pipe)0.0005031848616
Tuns0.0002515924308
Acre-feet1.945711665×10⁻⁷
Cords0.0000662150001
Board Feet0.1017062402
Cyathi5.276335878
Sextarii0.4396946565
Congii0.07328244275
Modii0.02748091603
Amphorae0.009160305344
Omers0.1090909091
Hin0.06545454545
Baths (biblical)0.01090909091
Homers0.001090909091
Gō1.330445648
Shō0.1330445648
Tō0.01330445648
Koku0.001330445648
Charkas1.951313112
Shtofs0.1951313112
Vedros0.01951313112

More US customary units

All US customary units

Browse all volume units.