Cooking Measurement Conversions Every Home Cook Needs

The recipe is written in grams, but your cups are in, well, cups. Now what? Cooking measurement conversions turn one unit into another so any recipe works in your kitchen. This guide keeps the everyday ones close at hand: teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, milliliters, grams, ounces, butter, and oven temperatures. Learn a few key numbers and you can follow almost any recipe with confidence.

Spoons and Cups

Spoons and cups are the backbone of most recipes. Getting the small units right keeps flavors balanced, especially for salt, baking soda, and spices.

The core rule is simple. One tablespoon holds 3 teaspoons. From there, everything scales up in steady steps.

Here is a worked example both ways. A sauce needs 6 teaspoons of soy sauce, so that is 2 tablespoons. Going the other direction, 1/2 cup of oil is 8 tablespoons if you only have a tablespoon on hand.

Two smaller terms show up in older recipes. A “dash” is roughly 1/8 teaspoon, and a “pinch” is about 1/16 teaspoon. Both are approximate, so taste as you go.

These same steps make scaling easy. To double a recipe, double each spoon and cup amount; to halve it, cut each one in two.

Cups to Milliliters and Ounces

Many recipes list liquids in milliliters or fluid ounces. Cups convert cleanly once you know two anchor numbers.

One US cup is about 240 milliliters. One fluid ounce is about 30 milliliters, and a cup holds 8 fluid ounces. Notice that 8 times 30 equals 240, so the numbers line up.

• 1 cup is about 240 ml (8 fluid ounces)
• 1/2 cup is about 120 ml (4 fluid ounces)
• 1 fluid ounce is about 30 ml (2 tablespoons)

One tablespoon is about 15 milliliters, which is a handy anchor for small liquid amounts. So 2 tablespoons make about 30 milliliters, or 1 fluid ounce.

Note that a metric cup is 250 milliliters, slightly larger than the US cup of 240. The gap is small, but it can matter in careful baking.

Fluid ounces measure volume, not weight, so keep them separate from the dry ounces below. For the full gallon, quart, pint, and cup ladder, see our guide on how many cups are in a gallon.

Dry Weights: Grams and Ounces

Weighing dry ingredients is the most accurate way to bake. When a recipe uses grams or ounces, one factor does most of the work.

One ounce is about 28 grams. The precise value is 28.35 grams, but 28 is close enough for the kitchen. To go from ounces to grams, multiply by about 28. To go the other way, divide by 28.

For example, 4 ounces of chocolate is about 113 grams. And 200 grams of flour is about 7 ounces.

A few more everyday weights help too. Half an ounce is about 14 grams, and 16 ounces equals 1 pound, or about 454 grams.

Weight and volume belong to different systems. To understand why the two never match one to one, see our metric vs imperial conversion guide.

Butter Conversions

Butter is measured in sticks, tablespoons, cups, and grams, which trips up a lot of cooks. One stick ties all four together.

One stick of butter equals 8 tablespoons. That is the same as 1/2 cup, or about 113 grams. Since a full cup is 16 tablespoons, two sticks make 1 cup.

• 1 stick = 8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup = about 113 grams
• 1/2 stick = 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup = about 57 grams
• 2 sticks = 16 tablespoons = 1 cup = about 227 grams

Wrapper markings help here. Most US butter wrappers print tablespoon lines, so you can slice off exactly what you need without extra tools.

These amounts are the same for salted and unsalted butter. Softening butter changes its texture, not its weight or volume, so the numbers still hold.

Here is a quick example. A recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, but your butter is in sticks. Since a stick is 8 tablespoons, use three quarters of one stick. Working from grams instead, 170 grams of butter is close to 1 and 1/2 sticks.

Oven Temperatures

Oven dials differ by country. American recipes use degrees Fahrenheit, while many others use degrees Celsius. Converting keeps your bake from burning or staying raw.

The formula is C = (F minus 32) x 5/9. You rarely need to do the math, though, because a few common settings cover most baking.

Fan or convection ovens run hotter, so recipes often lower the dial. A common rule is to drop the temperature by about 25 degrees F, or roughly 15 to 20 degrees C.

Need a different temperature? Our Celsius to Fahrenheit converter handles any value in a second.

Tips for Accurate Measuring

Good technique matters as much as the right numbers. These habits keep your results steady from one batch to the next.

• Level dry ingredients by scraping a flat edge across the cup. A heaping cup adds hidden extra.
• Spoon flour into the cup, then level it. Scooping packs it and adds weight.
• Read liquid cups at eye level on a flat surface for a true line.
• Use a kitchen scale for baking. Weight in grams beats volume for accuracy.
• Keep dry and liquid measuring tools separate, since they are designed differently.
• Round gently. Small kitchen rounding, like 28 grams per ounce, is fine for cooking.

When a recipe mixes systems, a converter saves time and prevents mistakes. Keep one open while you cook.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cooking Conversions

Sources

This article is for general education only. The conversions here use standard, widely accepted factors; check exact values for scientific, medical, or legal use. Reviewed for accuracy by Prof. Dr. Khalil Mudassar, PhD. Last updated September 12, 2026.