1 US cup is 236.59 mL. Multiply cups by 236.588 to get milliliters. So ½ cup is 118.29 mL, ¾ cup is 177.44 mL and 2 cups is 473.18 mL. If your recipe uses a 250 mL metric cup (the cup in Canadian labeling rules) or the 240 mL cup on US nutrition labels, choose that cup in the converter and the answer changes to match.
This converter is for anyone moving a recipe between cup and metric measures: a US recipe in a kitchen with metric jugs, a Canadian recipe with American cups, or a nutrition label that lists a serving as "1 cup (240 mL)". Type fractions the way recipes write them (3/4, 1 1/2 or 1½) and you get milliliters, tablespoons, teaspoons and fluid ounces at once.
How to convert cups to mL
- Choose the direction: cups to milliliters, or milliliters back to cups.
- Type the amount. Fractions and mixed numbers work: 1/3, 2/3, 1 1/4, 1-1/2 or 1½.
- Pick the cup size your recipe was written for. If it's an American recipe, keep the US customary cup.
- Read the mL result. Below it is the same amount in tablespoons, teaspoons and a spoon-by-spoon breakdown, handy when your measuring cup is in the dishwasher.
- For mL to cups, the converter also gives the nearest kitchen fraction (eighths and thirds) so you know which measuring cup to grab.
Cups to mL formula
NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C defines the measuring cup as 8 US fluid ounces, or half a US liquid pint. The US gallon is 3,785.411784 mL and holds 128 fluid ounces, so 1 fl oz = 29.5735295625 mL and 1 cup = 8 × 29.5735295625 = 236.5882365 mL. NIST SP 811 lists the cup at 236.5882 mL.
mL = US cups × 236.5882365mL = label cups × 240(21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii))mL = metric cups × 250(Canada SFCR s. 241(3)(a))cups = mL ÷ mL per cup
For spoons, NIST gives 1 tablespoon = ½ fl oz = 3 teaspoons, so a US cup is 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons. One US tablespoon is 14.787 mL and one teaspoon 4.929 mL. NIST rounds these to 15 mL and 5 mL for everyday use, and so does the FDA on nutrition labels.
Which cup is your recipe using?
| Cup | mL | Where it's used |
|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.5882 | US recipes and measuring cups (8 US fl oz, NIST) |
| US nutrition-label cup | 240 | Serving sizes on US Nutrition Facts labels (FDA) |
| Metric cup | 250 | Canadian labeling rules and Health Canada's cooking guidance; many recipes outside the US |
| Imperial cup (½ UK pint) | 284.13 | Some older British recipes (a convention, not a legal unit) |
| Japanese cup | 200 | Japanese recipes (rice-cooker cups are 180 mL) |
The difference between the US cup and the 250 mL cup is about 5.7%. For soup or a smoothie that doesn't matter. For baking, especially with flour, sugar and leavening, use the cup the recipe author used, or better still the weights: see grams to cups for flour, sugar and butter by ingredient.
1 cup to mL
1 cup = 236.59 mL in US customary measure. With a nutrition-label cup it is 240 mL, with a metric cup 250 mL, with an imperial cup 284.13 mL, and with a Japanese cup 200 mL. If you search for "1cup to ml", the 236.59 mL figure is the one to use for American recipes.
½ cup to mL
½ US cup = 118.29 mL, which is 8 tablespoons or 4 fluid ounces. A half metric cup is 125 mL, the size Health Canada lists beside ½ cup.
⅓ cup and ⅔ cup to mL
⅓ US cup = 78.86 mL and ⅔ US cup = 157.73 mL. A third of a cup doesn't divide into whole tablespoons: it is 5 tbsp + 1 tsp. In metric cups the values are 83.33 mL and 166.67 mL.
¼ cup and ¾ cup to mL
¼ US cup = 59.15 mL (exactly 4 tablespoons) and ¾ US cup = 177.44 mL (12 tablespoons). With 250 mL cups, ¼ cup is 62.5 mL and ¾ cup is 187.5 mL.
1½ cups and 2 cups to mL
1½ US cups = 354.88 mL and 2 US cups = 473.18 mL. Two cups is one US pint (16 fl oz). Four cups, a US quart, is 946.35 mL, a little under a liter.
Cups to mL chart: 1/8 to 4 cups
| Cups | US cup mL | 240 mL label cup | 250 mL metric cup | Imperial cup mL | US tbsp + tsp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 | 29.57 | 30 | 31.25 | 35.52 | 2 tbsp |
| 1/4 | 59.15 | 60 | 62.5 | 71.03 | 4 tbsp |
| 1/3 | 78.86 | 80 | 83.33 | 94.71 | 5 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 3/8 | 88.72 | 90 | 93.75 | 106.55 | 6 tbsp |
| 1/2 | 118.29 | 120 | 125 | 142.07 | 8 tbsp |
| 5/8 | 147.87 | 150 | 156.25 | 177.58 | 10 tbsp |
| 2/3 | 157.73 | 160 | 166.67 | 189.42 | 10 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 3/4 | 177.44 | 180 | 187.5 | 213.1 | 12 tbsp |
| 7/8 | 207.01 | 210 | 218.75 | 248.61 | 14 tbsp |
| 1 | 236.59 | 240 | 250 | 284.13 | 16 tbsp |
| 1 1/4 | 295.74 | 300 | 312.5 | 355.16 | 20 tbsp |
| 1 1/3 | 315.45 | 320 | 333.33 | 378.84 | 21 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 1 1/2 | 354.88 | 360 | 375 | 426.2 | 24 tbsp |
| 1 2/3 | 394.31 | 400 | 416.67 | 473.55 | 26 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 1 3/4 | 414.03 | 420 | 437.5 | 497.23 | 28 tbsp |
| 2 | 473.18 | 480 | 500 | 568.26 | 32 tbsp |
| 2 1/4 | 532.32 | 540 | 562.5 | 639.29 | 36 tbsp |
| 2 1/2 | 591.47 | 600 | 625 | 710.33 | 40 tbsp |
| 2 3/4 | 650.62 | 660 | 687.5 | 781.36 | 44 tbsp |
| 3 | 709.76 | 720 | 750 | 852.39 | 48 tbsp |
| 3 1/2 | 828.06 | 840 | 875 | 994.46 | 56 tbsp |
| 4 | 946.35 | 960 | 1,000 | 1,136.52 | 64 tbsp |
mL to cups chart
| mL | US cups | Nearest fraction | Metric cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 0.106 | ≈ 1/8 | 0.1 |
| 50 | 0.211 | ≈ 1/4 | 0.2 |
| 60 | 0.254 | ≈ 1/4 | 0.24 |
| 75 | 0.317 | ≈ 1/3 | 0.3 |
| 80 | 0.338 | ≈ 1/3 | 0.32 |
| 100 | 0.423 | ≈ 3/8 | 0.4 |
| 120 | 0.507 | ≈ 1/2 | 0.48 |
| 125 | 0.528 | ≈ 1/2 | 0.5 |
| 150 | 0.634 | ≈ 5/8 | 0.6 |
| 175 | 0.74 | ≈ 3/4 | 0.7 |
| 180 | 0.761 | ≈ 3/4 | 0.72 |
| 200 | 0.845 | ≈ 7/8 | 0.8 |
| 240 | 1.014 | ≈ 1 | 0.96 |
| 250 | 1.057 | ≈ 1 | 1 |
| 300 | 1.268 | ≈ 1 1/4 | 1.2 |
| 350 | 1.479 | ≈ 1 1/2 | 1.4 |
| 375 | 1.585 | ≈ 1 5/8 | 1.5 |
| 400 | 1.691 | ≈ 1 2/3 | 1.6 |
| 450 | 1.902 | ≈ 1 7/8 | 1.8 |
| 500 | 2.113 | ≈ 2 1/8 | 2 |
| 600 | 2.536 | ≈ 2 1/2 | 2.4 |
| 750 | 3.17 | ≈ 3 1/8 | 3 |
| 1,000 | 4.227 | ≈ 4 1/4 | 4 |
Worked examples
An American cookie recipe in a metric kitchen
The recipe says ¾ cup of milk. ¾ × 236.588 = 177.44 mL. On a jug marked every 25 mL, fill to just under 180 mL. If you use a 250 mL metric measuring cup filled to the ¾ line instead, you get 187.5 mL, about 10.1 mL more.
A Canadian recipe with American cups
The recipe lists 500 mL of stock, which a Canadian cook would call 2 cups. In US cups that is 500 ÷ 236.588 = 2.113 cups, roughly 2 cups plus 1.8 tablespoons.
Reading a nutrition label
A cereal box lists a serving as "1 cup (240 mL)". Your US measuring cup holds 236.59 mL, so a level cup is 98.6% of the labeled serving. The FDA lets labels use 240 mL for a cup, so neither number is wrong; they are different definitions.
Cups to tablespoons and fluid ounces
Because a US cup is exactly 8 fl oz and 16 tbsp, the spoon and ounce breakdowns are clean: ½ cup = 4 fl oz = 8 tbsp, ¼ cup = 2 fl oz = 4 tbsp, ⅛ cup = 1 fl oz = 2 tbsp. In mL, 1 fl oz is 29.574 mL. For other ounce conversions use mL to oz; for dry ingredients by weight, see grams to teaspoons.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every cup is 250 mL. A US cup is 236.59 mL. On 4 cups the gap is 54 mL.
- Using the label cup for cooking. 240 mL is a labeling convention. It's within 1.5% of the US cup, which is fine for drinks, but it is not what a US measuring cup holds.
- Measuring flour by volume when the recipe gave grams. A cup of flour can weigh very different amounts depending on how it is scooped. If the recipe gives grams, weigh it; grams to cups shows the per-ingredient numbers.
- Mixing imperial and US measures. An imperial pint is 20 fl oz and a US pint 16 fl oz, so a "half pint" cup from an old British book is 284.13 mL, not 236.59 mL.
- Rounding ⅓ cup to 80 mL and then doubling. ⅔ cup is 157.73 mL, not 160 mL. Convert the final amount once.
Related converters
Convert larger volumes with liters to gallons, ounces of weight with oz to grams, and fluid ounces with mL to oz. For ingredients, grams to cups converts flour, sugar and butter by weight.
Frequently asked questions
How many mL is 1 cup?
1 US customary cup is 236.59 mL (exactly 236.5882365 mL). US nutrition labels round it to 240 mL, and the metric cup in Canada's food labeling rules is 250 mL.
How do you convert cups to milliliters?
Multiply cups by the mL in your cup: 236.588 for a US cup, 240 for a nutrition-label cup, 250 for a metric cup. For 1 1/2 US cups: 1.5 × 236.588 = 354.88 mL.
How many mL is half a cup?
½ US cup = 118.29 mL. A half metric cup is 125 mL.
How many mL is 1/3 cup?
⅓ US cup = 78.86 mL, which is 5 tbsp + 1 tsp.
How many mL is 3/4 cup?
¾ US cup = 177.44 mL (187.5 mL with a 250 mL metric cup).
How many cups is 250 mL?
250 mL is 1.057 US cups, just over 1 cup, and exactly 1 metric cup.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
A US cup holds 16 tablespoons or 48 teaspoons. NIST defines 1 cup as 8 fl oz and 1 tablespoon as ½ fl oz.
How many mL is 1 1/2 cups?
1½ US cups = 354.88 mL. With metric cups it is 375 mL.
Is a cup 240 mL or 250 mL?
Both, depending on the system. The FDA uses 240 mL for US nutrition labels; Canada's food labeling rules use 250 mL. The exact US customary cup is 236.59 mL.
How many mL is 2 cups?
2 US cups = 473.18 mL (a US pint). 2 metric cups = 500 mL.
How big is a UK cup?
There is no legal UK cup. Older British recipes that use a cup are usually taken to mean half an imperial pint (10 imperial fl oz), 284.13 mL. That is a convention, so check the recipe if it gives mL or grams.
How big is a Japanese cup?
Japanese cooking uses a 200 mL cup; a rice-cooker cup (1 gō) is 180 mL. Both figures appear in a City of Hiroshima cooking handout.
Sources & method
- NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C: 1 cup, measuring = 8 fluid ounces = ½ liquid pint; 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = ½ fluid ounce; 1 gallon = 3.785 411 784 L = 128 fl oz
- NIST SP 811, Appendix B.8: cup (U.S.) = 236.5882 mL; tablespoon = 14.786 76 mL; teaspoon = 4.928 922 mL
- 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii): for nutrition labeling, 1 cup = 240 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 tsp = 5 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SOR/2018-108), s. 241(3)(a): one cup is equivalent to 250 mL and one tablespoon to 15 mL
- Health Canada: Measure ingredients like a pro (250 mL = 1 cup)
- UK Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1: pint = 0.568 261 25 dm³; fluid ounce = 1/20 pint
- City of Hiroshima cooking handout (Japanese): 計量カップ 1カップ = 200 cc; rice cup = 180 cc
Results are estimates for general information. Found an error? It helps everyone — see our methodology.