Cooking Measurements and Conversions
Cooking Measurements and Conversions
Measurements and Conversions Guide
- Measurements and Conversions Guide
- Cooking Equivalents and Measures
- Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
- Guide to Common Cooking Measurements
The Cooking Measurements and Conversions ~ an Overview
Cooking measurements, equivalents, and conversions can be perplexing at times, but they don’t have to be!
I’m explaining all the fundamentals of measuring and converting in the kitchen, such as how to convert metric to standard, common cooking measurements and equivalents, and more.
Recipes use Volume or Weight (Mass) measurements.
When ingredients must be weighed rather than measured in cups, etc., a kitchen scale can be used. This is ideal for more precise recipes or when measuring in grams use;
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Liquid measuring cup
- Kitchen scale
Measurement Guide for Common Cooking
Volume measurements in recipes commonly use teaspoons, tablespoons, and cups. The ounce and the pound are the two most commonly used weight measurement units in cooking.
Do not mix up “weight” and “volume” measurements, such as the ounce of weight and the fluid ounce.
Weight is measured using a scale, whereas volume is measured using the appropriate dry or liquid measuring cup.
(However, measuring spoons can be used for both dry and liquid measurements.)
The followings are some common cooking measurements and their equivalents.
Cooking Measurements & Cooking Conversions
Cooking Measurements Abbreviations
It’s important to comprehend those cooking abbreviations when following a recipe.
When writing out recipes, many (including mine) will use shorthand, and if you don’t know what it means, you might make a few mistakes.
Kitchen Measurement Abbreviations (Standard and Metric)
| Abbreviation | Measurement |
| Tbsp | Tablespoon |
| Tsp | Teaspoon |
| Oz | Ounce |
| Fl. Oz | Fluid ounce |
| C | Cup |
| Qt | Quart |
| Pt | Pint |
| Gal | Gallon |
| Lb | Pound |
| Ml | Milliliter |
| G | Grams |
| Kg | Kilogram |
| L | Liter |
Measuring Liquid Ingredients vs. Dry Ingredients
When measuring, dry and liquid ingredients should be handled differently; measuring cups and spoon sets are typically used for dry ingredients, whereas liquid measuring cups are used for liquid ingredients.
Exact measurements can be obtained by using the proper measuring tools.
- To get the most accurate amount of dry ingredients, fill the cup to the brim and then scrape the excess off the top (scoop and level method). This cannot be done with a liquid measuring cup, which is why it should not be used.
- While a liquid measuring cup will provide a more precise liquid measurement, when a recipe calls for small amounts of liquid, measuring spoons should be used instead.
- These suggestions are especially useful when preparing recipes that require precise measurements (like baking recipes).
Fluid Ounces vs. Ounces
Using ounces vs fluid ounces comes down to liquid vs dry ingredients. Ounces are used to measure weight, whereas fluid ounces measure volume.
The weight of dry ingredients is measured in ounces, while the volume of liquid ingredients is measured in fluid ounces (by volume). So just because a recipe calls for 8 ounces of flour doesn’t mean you need 1 cup.
Most American recipes (using the standard/imperial system) will list dry ingredients in cups/tablespoons/etc. rather than ounces. Remember this when measuring your ingredients!
Conversions and Equivalents in the Kitchen
Understanding basic cooking measurements and cooking conversions is essential kitchen knowledge.
When you’re following a recipe, you need to understand what everything means. And sometimes you can’t find that darn tablespoon to measure out your ingredients, so you wing it. But if you know that 1 tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, you can measure with confidence!
Simply follow these kitchen conversion charts, and you’ll have them memorized in no time, just like those multiplication charts from school.
Dry Measurements Conversion Chart
| Teaspoons | Tablespoons | Cups |
| 3 tsp | 1 tbsp | 1/16 c |
| 6 tsp | 2 tbsp | 1/8 c |
| 12 tsp | 4 tbsp | 1/4 c |
| 24 tsp | 8 tbsp | 1/2 c |
| 36 tsp | 12 tbsp | 3/4 c |
| 48 tsp | 16 tbsp | 1 c |
Liquid Measurements Conversion Chart
| Fluid Ounces | Cups | Pints | Quarts | Gallons |
| 8 fl. oz | 1 c | 1/2 pt | 1/4 qt | 1/16 gal |
| 16 fl. oz | 2 c | 1 pt | 1/2 qt | 1/8 gal |
| 32 fl. oz | 4 c | 2 pt | 1 qt | 1/4 gal |
| 64 fl. oz | 8 c | 4 pt | 2 qt | 1/2 gal |
| 128 fl. oz | 16 c | 8 pt | 4 qt | 1 gal |
Butter Measurements Chart
| Sticks | Cups | Tablespoons | Ounces | Grams |
| 1/2 stick | 1/4 c | 4 tbsp | 2 oz | 57.5 g |
| 1 stick | 1/2 c | 8 tbsp | 4 oz | 115 g |
| 2 sticks | 1 c | 16 tbsp | 8 oz | 230 g |
Metric Cooking Measurement vs Standard/Imperial Cooking Measurements
In the United States, we use the Imperial, or “Standard,” measurement system. As a result, our recipes are written in teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, pounds, and so on. But we’re in a bit of a bind because the rest of the world (for the most part) uses the metric system. In general, recipes are measured in grams and milliliters.
So what happens if you want to use a recipe that calls for metric cooking measurements but only knows (or has tools for) imperial cooking measurements? That is where cooking conversion tables come in handy!
These charts will help you get it right whether you’re measuring for volume or weight, or converting oven temperatures from Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).
Metric to US Cooking Conversions
These charts will help you quickly convert metric measurements to standard/imperial measurements (including oven temperatures!).
Oven Temperatures Conversion
| (Degrees) Celsius | (Degrees) Fahrenheit |
| 120 C | 250 F |
| 160 C | 320 F |
| 180 C | 350 F |
| 205 C | 400 F |
| 220 C | 425 F |
Liquid Measurements (Volume)
| Metric | Standard |
| 1 mL | 1/5 tsp |
| 5 mL | 1 tsp |
| 15 mL | 1 tbsp |
| 240 mL | 1 c (8 fl. oz) |
| 1 liter | 34 fl. oz |
Dry Measurements (Weight)
| Metric | Standard |
| 1 g | .035 oz |
| 100 g | 3.5 oz |
| 500 g | 17.7 oz (1.1 lb) |
| 1 kg | 35 oz |
US to Metric Cooking Conversions
| Standard | Metric |
| 1/5 tsp | 1 ml |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml |
| 1 fl. oz | 30 ml |
| 1 c | 237 ml |
| 1 pt | 473 ml |
| 1 qt | .95 l |
| 1 gal | 3.8 l |
| 1 oz | 28 g |
| 1 lb | 454 g |
What Is the Equivalent of 1 Cup? What Does 1 Cup Equal?
I think knowing what 1 cup equals is useful because, even if you’re short on kitchen measuring tools, most people will have a 1 cup measurement.
If you have that, you can go a long way! It’s also useful for cooking conversions like halving or doubling recipes.
Remember that 1 cup equals these various measurements, so everything in this chart is equivalent!
- 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
- 1 cup = 16 tablespoons
- 1 cup = 48 teaspoons
- 1 cup = ½ pint
- 1 cup = ¼ quart
- 1 cup = 1/16 gallon
- 1 cup = 240 ml
Conversions for Baking Pans ~ Baking Pan Conversions
Sometimes you come across a fantastic cake recipe designed for a specific type of baking pan…
However, you do not have that type or size of the cake, or you prefer to make a different style of cake. Not to worry!
You can adapt the recipe to fit another type of baking pan by determining how much cake batter goes into each cake pan. (The cups indicate how much batter will fit into the pan.)
- 9-inch round cake pan = 12 cups
- 10-inch tube pan =16 cups
- 10-inch bundt pan = 12 cups
- 9-inch springform pan = 10 cups
- 9 x 5 inch loaf pan = 8 cups
- 9-inch square pan = 8 cups
Baking Measurements That Everyone Uses (Conversions)
Remember how I explained the distinction between ounces and fluid ounces earlier?
Here are some statistics to back up the significance of that tip. 8 fluid ounces of liquid is frequently equal to 1 cup, but 8 ounces (weight) of a dry ingredient is rarely equal to 1 cup.
Baking in Ounces
| Measurement/Ingredient | Ounces |
| 1 c. all-purpose flour | 4.5 oz |
| 1 c. granulated sugar | 7.1 oz |
| 1 c. unsifted powdered sugar | 4.4 oz |
| 1 c. packed brown sugar | 7.75 oz |
| 1 c. rolled oats | 3 oz |
| 1 c. vegetable oil | 7.7 oz |
| 1 c. milk | 8 oz. |
| 1 c. heavy cream | 8.4 oz |
| 1 c. butter | 8 oz. |
| 1 large egg (white + yolk) | 1.7 oz |
Baking in Grams
| Measurement/Ingredient | Grams |
| 1 c. all-purpose flour | 127 g |
| 1 c. granulated sugar | 200 g |
| 1 c. unsifted powdered sugar | 125 g |
| 1 c. packed brown sugar | 220 g |
| 1 c. rolled oats | 85 g |
| 1 c. vegetable oil | 218 g |
| 1 c. milk | 227 g |
| 1 c. heavy cream | 238 g |
| 1 c. butter | 227 g |
| 1 large egg (white + yolk) | 48 g |
Volume
Water, milk, flour, sugar, oil, and many more can be measured using:
- Teaspoons
- Tablespoons
- Cups
- Fluid ounces
- Pints
- Liters
Some are metric, others US Standard, but it doesn’t matter when we have some measuring spoons and cups.
These are Measuring Spoons:
- 1 tablespoon
- ½ tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon
Rough Equivalent Volumes
ml: milliliters, tsp: teaspoon, Tbs: tablespoon, fl oz: fluid ounces
These are not all precise, but they are close enough for cooking:
| ml | tsp | Tbs | cups | fl oz | pints | quarts |
| 5 ml | 1 tsp | |||||
| 15 ml | 3 tsp | 1 Tbs | ||||
| 30 ml | 6 tsp | 2 Tbs | 1/8 cup | 1 fl oz | ||
| 60 ml | 4 Tbs | 1/4 cup | 2 fl oz | |||
| 120 ml | 8 Tbs | 1/2 cup | 4 fl oz | |||
| 250 ml | 16 Tbs | 1 cup | 8 fl oz | |||
| 500 ml | 2 cups | 16 fl oz | 1 pint | |||
| 1 liter | 4 cups | 32 fl oz | 2 pints | 1 quart | ||
| 2 liters | 4 pints | 2 quarts |
The table above rounds up some values to make it simpler.
- 1 cup in the US is 240 ml, in the UK is 284 ml, and in Australia is 250 ml
- 1 fl oz (fluid ounce) in the US is 29.57 ml, in the UK is 28.41 ml
- 1 pint. A US dry pint is about 550 ml, and a liquid pint is about 473 ml. In the UK about 568 ml
- 1 quart in the US is 946 ml, in the UK is 1136 ml
Weight (Mass)
Recipes can also use these weight (mass) measures
- ounces
- pounds
- grams
- kilograms
Rough Equivalent Weights
These are not all precise, but they are close enough for cooking:
| grams | ounces | pounds |
| 30 g | 1 oz | |
| 60 g | 2 oz | |
| 120 g | 4 oz | ¼ lb |
| 230 g | 8 oz | ½ lb |
| 450 g | 16 oz | 1 lb |
| 900 g | 32 oz | 2 lb |
“A Liter is equal to a Kilogram” “A Liter is a Kilogram”
This is based on the assumption that a liter of water weighs approximately one kilogram. It also works with similar fluids such as milk and juice.
However, liters and kilograms are not the same things.
But be cautious! This will not work if the fluid’s density is not similar to water’s. A liter of honey, for example, weighs about 1.4 kg.
“A Pound is a Pint”
This is based on the assumption that 16 fluid ounces of water (1 pint) weigh approximately 16 ounces (1 pound). It is also effective with similar fluids such as milk and juice.
However, ounces and fluid ounces are not the same things.
But be cautious! This will not work if the fluid’s density is not similar to water’s. A pint of honey, for example, weighs approximately 24 ounces (112 pounds).
I hope these basic cooking measurements and conversions help to clarify things a little!
Know that cooking and baking measurements have previously confused me, and I want cooking and following recipes to be EASY for you.
I want it to make sense so you can enjoy cooking and feel comfortable in the kitchen.
FAQs about common cooking measurements and their equivalents
Teaspoon–Tablespoon–Cup Measurement Equivalents
- 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
- 12 teaspoons = 4 tablespoons = ¼ cup
- 24 teaspoons = 8 tablespoons = ½ cup
- 48 teaspoons = 16 tablespoons = 1 cup
Cup–Pint–Quart Measurement Equivalents
- 1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
- 2 cups = 1 pint
- 4 cups = 2 pints = 1 quart
- 16 cups = 8 pints = 4 quarts = 1 gallon
How do you quantify food?
Weighing is the most precise method of measuring or calculating portion size. A kitchen scale can be purchased at most big box stores or online.
We recommend investing in a digital scale rather than a traditional spring-loaded scale. Digital scales are more accurate and easier to use.
What are the cooking measurements?
More Conversions for Kitchen Measurements
- 1 quart (gal.)
- 4 qt. 8 pt. 16 cups 128 oz.
- 1 Pint (pt) (pt.)
- 2 cups 480 mL = 16 fl oz.
- 1 cup (8 fl. oz.) 240 ml. 16 Tbsp.
- ¾ Cup 6 fl. oz. 180 ml 12 Tbsp.
- ½ Cup 4 fl. oz. 120 ml 8 Tbsp.
What are the three different types of measurement?
As you can see, there are four distinct measurement scales (nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio).
What are the ten different units of measurement?
- Length – meter (m)
- Time – second (s)
- Amount of substance – mole (mole)
- Electric current – ampere (A)
- Temperature – kelvin (K)
- Luminous intensity – candela (cd)
- Mass – kilogram (kg)
5 units of measurement used in the kitchen
Most recipes in the world use the metric system of units, which includes liters (L) and milliliters (mL), grams (g) and kilograms (kg), and degrees Celsius (°C).
Most English-speaking countries use the official spelling liter; the notable exception is the United States, where the spelling liter is preferred.
How do you convert food measurements using a food measurement calculator?
For the equivalents, use this quick cheat sheet:
- 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 15 milliliters.
- 4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup = 60 milliliters.
- 1 ounce = 2 tablespoons = 30 milliliters.
- 1 cup = 8 oz
- 1 pint = 2 cups = 500 milliliters.
- 1 quart = 4 cups = 950 milliliters.
- 1 quart = 2 pints = 950 milliliters.
How do you convert food to grams?
To begin, convert cups to ounces. Because 1 cup contains 8 ounces, divide the number of cups in one serving size by the number 8 to get the number of ounces in the serving size.
Then multiply that number by 28 to get the gram weight.
How much is 1 cup in grams?
Liquid (Wet) Ingredient conversions
| Cup (Liquid) | Grams |
| 1 cup | 236.58 grams |
| 2 cups | 473.17 grams |
| 3 cups | 709.70 grams |
| 4 cups | 946.35 grams |
What are the units of measurement for food?
The most frequently used units of mass or weight used in the Canadian food industry are grams and kilograms.
Units of Mass (Weight)
| Unit | Abbreviation | Mass (Weight) |
| kilogram | kg | 1000 grams |
| hectogram | hg | 100 grams |
| decagram | dag | 10 grams |
| gram | g | 1 gran |
Cooking measurements abbreviations
Abbreviations
- Teaspoon. Tbsp. Tablespoon. Pt. Pint. Qt. Quart.
- Ounce(s) lb. Pound(s) sq. Square. Min. Minute(s)
- Hour(s) doz. dozen. ml milliliter. l liter.
Cooking measurement converter app ~ what is the formula for converting a recipe?
Calculate the recipe’s required yield by multiplying the new number of portions by the new size of each portion.
Divide the required yield (Step 2) by the recipe yield to find the conversion factor (Step 1). In other words, the conversion factor = (required yield)/ (recipe yield).
Baking measurements in grams
Common Measurement Conversions for Baking
| 1 cup flour | 120 grams | 4.2 oz |
| 1 cup sugar | 200 grams | 7.1 oz |
| 1 cup brown sugar | 220 grams | 7.8 oz |
| 1 cup powdered sugar | 115 grams | 4.1 oz |
| 1 cup oatmeal | 100 grams | 3.6 oz |
