Kitchen Unit Converter

Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, fluid ounces, milliliters, grams, ounces, pounds, and more. Enter a value and select your units.

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Volume

  • 1 cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 236.6 mL
  • 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons = 14.8 mL = 0.5 fl oz
  • 1 fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons = 29.6 mL
  • 1 pint = 2 cups = 473.2 mL
  • 1 quart = 4 cups = 2 pints = 946.4 mL
  • 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 16 cups = 3,785.4 mL
  • 1 liter = 4.227 cups = 33.814 fl oz

Weight

  • 1 ounce = 28.35 grams
  • 1 pound = 16 ounces = 453.6 grams
  • 1 kilogram = 2.205 pounds = 35.27 ounces

Common Kitchen Conversion Mistakes

Measuring errors are one of the most common reasons recipes fail. Even experienced cooks run into trouble when switching between metric and imperial systems or confusing volume and weight. Here are the pitfalls to watch for.

  • Fluid ounces are not the same as ounces. Fluid ounces measure volume (how much space something takes up) while ounces measure weight. One fluid ounce of water weighs roughly one ounce, but one fluid ounce of honey weighs about 1.5 ounces because honey is denser.
  • Cups are not standardized worldwide. A US cup is 236.6 mL, but a metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) is 250 mL. A Japanese cup is 200 mL. Always check which cup standard a recipe uses.
  • Dry ingredients packed vs. scooped. A packed cup of brown sugar weighs about 220 g, while a loosely scooped cup weighs closer to 145 g. Flour can vary from 120 g to 160 g per cup depending on whether you sift, spoon, or scoop. Professional bakers weigh dry ingredients for this reason.
  • Tablespoon sizes vary by country. A US tablespoon is 14.8 mL, but an Australian tablespoon is 20 mL. This matters most in baking, where a single extra tablespoon of liquid can change a dough's texture.
  • "A pinch" and "a dash" are real measurements. A pinch is roughly 1/16 teaspoon (about 0.3 mL), and a dash is 1/8 teaspoon (about 0.6 mL). For seasoning and herbs vs. spices, these small amounts can noticeably affect flavor.

When to Measure by Weight vs. Volume

Volume measurements (cups, tablespoons) are convenient for liquids but inconsistent for dry ingredients. A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 120 to 160 grams depending on humidity, grain size, and how you scoop it. For baking, where precision matters, weighing ingredients in grams produces far more consistent results.

Most professional recipes and nearly all European, Asian, and South American cookbooks use weight (grams or kilograms) rather than volume for dry ingredients. If a recipe lists both, use the weight measurement. A $15 kitchen scale pays for itself after the first batch of bread that actually rises correctly.

Volume measurements work well for liquids since 1 cup of water always equals 236.6 mL regardless of how you pour it. They're also practical for small amounts of seasonings, oils, and extracts where the difference between 14 and 15 mL of vanilla has no noticeable effect on the final dish.

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