Cups to Millilitres
Need to convert cups to millilitres? 1 US cup = 236.588 mL. Here is the formula and a complete chart for converting recipe measurements.
Formula
mL = US cups × 236.588 US cups = mL ÷ 236.588 mL = metric cups × 250
Quick reference chart
| From | To |
|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 59.1 mL |
| ⅓ cup | 78.9 mL |
| ½ cup | 118.3 mL |
| ⅔ cup | 157.7 mL |
| ¾ cup | 177.4 mL |
| 1 cup | 236.6 mL |
| 1½ cups | 354.9 mL |
| 2 cups | 473.2 mL |
| 3 cups | 709.8 mL |
| 4 cups | 946.4 mL |
| 1 pint | 473.2 mL |
| 1 litre | 4.23 cups |
Why cups and mL don't match up cleanly
The cup is not a standardised international unit — it varies by country. A US cup is 236.588 mL, an Australian and metric cup is 250 mL, and a UK cup is also 250 mL. This matters most in baking, where a 10–15 mL difference in flour or liquid can change the texture of the result. Always check which country the recipe comes from before assuming which cup size applies.
American recipes dominate online cooking content, so the US cup (236.588 mL) is what you will encounter most often. When an American recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, that is 473 mL. Using a 250 mL metric cup instead gives 500 mL — about 6% more flour, which in a cake recipe may make a noticeable difference. In a stew, it would not matter at all.
For liquid ingredients like water, milk, or stock, the difference is small enough to ignore in most savoury cooking. For dry ingredients in baking — flour, sugar, cocoa — the difference is more significant, especially in precise recipes like macarons or bread. Professional bakers weigh ingredients in grams rather than measuring by volume for this reason.
The other common sub-units: 1 US cup = 16 tablespoons = 48 teaspoons = 8 fluid ounces. Half a cup is 118 mL. A quarter cup is 59 mL. A third of a cup is approximately 79 mL. These appear constantly in American recipe measurements and are worth knowing by memory.
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Open Volume Converter →Frequently asked questions
How many mL is 1 cup?
1 US cup equals 236.588 mL (approximately 237 mL). Note: an Australian/metric cup is 250 mL, and a UK cup is also 250 mL. Always check which cup size a recipe uses.
How many cups is 200 mL?
200 mL equals 0.845 US cups (about ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon). Divide 200 by 236.588 = 0.845 cups.
Is a US cup the same as a metric cup?
No. A US cup is 236.588 mL. A metric/Australian cup is 250 mL. A UK cup is also 250 mL. The difference matters in baking — a US recipe using 1 cup of flour (236 mL) vs a metric cup (250 mL) can affect results.
How many cups is 500 mL?
500 mL equals 2.11 US cups (about 2 cups + 1½ tablespoons). Using metric cups (250 mL each), 500 mL = exactly 2 metric cups.
How many mL is a tablespoon?
1 US tablespoon equals 14.787 mL (approximately 15 mL). 1 metric tablespoon = 15 mL. There are 16 tablespoons in 1 US cup.
How many cups is 1 litre?
1 litre equals 4.227 US cups, or exactly 4 metric/Australian cups (each being 250 mL).