How many ounces are in a cup? One US cup holds exactly 8 fluid ounces, 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, or 236.588 milliliters. This cooking converter switches between all the US kitchen volume measures — teaspoons, tablespoons, fluid ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons — plus milliliters and liters for metric recipes.
Enter an amount, choose your units, and you get the converted measure along with a full equivalents table, so scaling a recipe up or down takes seconds. Keep in mind these are volume conversions: “ounces” of flour or butter on a package label are weight ounces, a different unit entirely (see the fluid vs dry note below).
How US Kitchen Measures Fit Together
US volume measures form a neat doubling ladder, all defined exactly from the US gallon (3.785411784 L):
- 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fl oz
- 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups = 32 fl oz = 946.353 mL
- 1 pint = 2 cups = 16 fl oz = 473.176 mL
- 1 cup = 8 fl oz = 16 tbsp = 48 tsp = 236.588 mL
- 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 0.5 fl oz = 14.787 mL
- 1 teaspoon = 4.929 mL
To convert, the calculator expresses your amount in milliliters and divides by the target unit — so 6 tablespoons ÷ 16 tbsp per cup = 0.375 cup, or 3/8 cup.
Fluid Ounces vs Dry Ounces — Don’t Mix Them Up
A fluid ounce measures volume; an ounce measures weight. They only coincide (roughly) for water: 8 fl oz of water weighs about 8.35 oz. For everything else they diverge, which is why bakers weigh ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: 1 cup ≈ 120 g (4.25 oz) — not 8 oz
- Granulated sugar: 1 cup ≈ 200 g (7.05 oz)
- Brown sugar, packed: 1 cup ≈ 220 g
- Butter: 1 cup = 2 sticks = 227 g (8 oz — butter is the coincidence)
- Honey: 1 cup ≈ 340 g
- Cocoa powder: 1 cup ≈ 85 g
If a recipe says “8 oz of cream cheese,” that is weight — check the package label, not a measuring cup.
Worked Examples: 6 Tbsp to Cups, 500 mL to Cups
A recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter and you want cups. There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so 6 ÷ 16 = 0.375 cup — that is 3/8 cup, or 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons.
A European recipe calls for 500 mL of stock. One cup is 236.588 mL, so 500 ÷ 236.588 = 2.1134 cups — in practice, 2 cups plus about 2 tablespoons, or just over a pint.
Halving a recipe that uses 1/3 cup of oil? A third of a cup is 5 tbsp + 1 tsp (16 tsp), so half is 2 tbsp + 2 tsp.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many ounces are in a cup?
One US cup contains exactly 8 fluid ounces. That also equals 16 tablespoons, 48 teaspoons, or 236.588 milliliters. Note this applies to fluid ounces (volume) — a cup of flour weighs only about 4.25 ounces, so weight ounces on a package are not interchangeable with cups.
How many tablespoons are in a cup?
There are 16 tablespoons in one US cup. Useful fractions: 1/4 cup = 4 tbsp, 1/3 cup = 5 tbsp + 1 tsp, 1/2 cup = 8 tbsp, and 3/4 cup = 12 tbsp. Each tablespoon equals 3 teaspoons, so a cup also holds 48 teaspoons.
What is the difference between fluid ounces and dry ounces?
Fluid ounces measure volume (1 fl oz = 29.574 mL); dry or weight ounces measure mass (1 oz = 28.35 g). They match only approximately for water. A cup is always 8 fl oz by volume, but the same cup holds about 4.25 oz of flour or 7 oz of sugar by weight.
How many cups are in a quart and a gallon?
There are 4 cups in a quart and 16 cups in a gallon. The full ladder: 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 16 cups = 128 fluid ounces. So a half-gallon of milk holds 8 cups, and a quart of broth is 4 cups or 32 fl oz.
How many mL are in a cup — and is a metric cup different?
A US cup is 236.588 mL, but a metric cup (used in Australia and New Zealand recipes) is 250 mL, and the old UK imperial cup was 284 mL. The 6% gap between US and metric cups rarely ruins a dish, but for precise baking check which cup the recipe means.