Translate a recipe measurement into the units on your scale or measuring utensil. This converter distinguishes weight from volume, identifies regional cup and spoon sizes, and applies ingredient assumptions only where they are needed.
How to convert a recipe measurement
Enter an amount, then choose the original and destination units. Select an ingredient when converting between volume and weight. For weight-to-weight or volume-to-volume calculations, that selection has no effect. Under the options, set a recipe multiplier, change decimal places, or enter a custom density.
You can type 1/2 or 1 1/2 without calculating the decimal first. Use a period for decimals and omit thousands separators. The equivalent-measures table uses your multiplier; the quick reference always shows the unscaled relationship.
Choose the right cup, spoon, and ounce
| Measure | Volume used here |
|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.5882365 mL |
| Metric cup | 250 mL |
| US labeling cup | 240 mL |
| Imperial cup | 284.130625 mL |
| Metric tablespoon | 15 mL |
| Australian tablespoon | 20 mL |
| Metric teaspoon | 5 mL |
The 240 mL cup is offered separately because recipes and labels may round differently. US tablespoons and teaspoons are one sixteenth and one forty-eighth of a US customary cup. A US fluid ounce is one eighth of that cup. An ounce by weight is 28.349523125 grams and is not a fluid ounce.
Examples
Scale flour for a larger batch
For the all-purpose flour preset, 1 1/2 US cups × 2 = approximately 360 g. The preset assumes 120 g in a US cup. Doubling the ingredients does not necessarily double baking time.
A volume conversion needs no ingredient
1 metric cup = 250 mL = 50 metric teaspoons. Changing the ingredient cannot change that relationship, because both sides measure volume.
Formula
Scaled amount = original amount × recipe multiplier
Weight in grams = volume in mL × density in g/mL
Volume in mL = weight in grams ÷ density in g/mL
Conversions within one dimension use unit factors alone. Output rounding happens after calculation; a very small nonzero result uses scientific notation instead of misleadingly displaying zero.
Ingredient assumptions
The presets cover common baking ingredients and distinguish packed brown sugar, unsifted powdered sugar, and different salt types. They are kitchen estimates, not laboratory densities. Reference weights are normalized to the explicitly labeled US customary measures; a larger metric cup therefore holds proportionally more under the same packing assumption. Water uses approximately 1 g/mL; butter uses US package equivalents.
Use a scale when the recipe supplies grams, especially for baking. Moisture, particle size, packing, and the way a cup is filled can outweigh the displayed decimal precision.
Measurement references
Ingredient reference weights come from King Arthur Baking’s ingredient weight chart. Volume conventions are explained in NIST’s household measurement guidance; Taste’s measurement chart documents the 20 mL Australian tablespoon. The presets are deliberately curated; use Custom density for other ingredients rather than substituting an unrelated food.