Convert ml to cups, tablespoons, and fluid ounces for cooking and baking.
Last reviewed: April 2026
Convert milliliters to cups, tablespoons, and fluid ounces. Quick reference chart for international recipe conversions. This calculator runs entirely in your browser — your data stays private, and no account is required.
One US cup equals 236.59 milliliters. For practical cooking purposes, 240 mL is close enough and is the standard used on most nutrition labels. The conversion is straightforward: divide mL by 237 for cups, or multiply cups by 237 for mL.[1] Note that cup sizes differ between countries: a US cup is 237 mL, an Imperial (UK) cup is 284 mL, a metric cup (used in Australia) is 250 mL, and a Japanese cup is 200 mL — always check which cup standard a recipe uses.[2] For precision in baking, measuring by weight (grams) with a kitchen scale is more accurate than volume (cups or mL) for dry ingredients, though mL is perfectly accurate for liquids since water-based liquids have a density very close to 1 g/mL.[3] Use the Cooking Converter for comprehensive kitchen measurement conversions.
| ML | US Cups | Tbsp | Fl Oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | — | 1 Tbsp | 0.5 |
| 30 | ⅛ cup | 2 Tbsp | 1 |
| 60 | ¼ cup | 4 Tbsp | 2 |
| 80 | ⅓ cup | 5⅓ Tbsp | 2.7 |
| 120 | ½ cup | 8 Tbsp | 4 |
| 180 | ¾ cup | 12 Tbsp | 6 |
| 237 | 1 cup | 16 Tbsp | 8 |
| 355 | 1½ cups | 24 Tbsp | 12 |
| 473 | 2 cups (1 pint) | 32 Tbsp | 16 |
| 1000 | 4.23 cups | 67.6 Tbsp | 33.8 |
Technically, 1 US cup = 236.588 ml. But nutrition labels in the US define a cup as 240 ml for standardization purposes, and many metric recipes round to 250 ml (which is actually the metric/Australian cup). The difference between 237 ml and 250 ml is about one tablespoon — negligible for soups and sauces, but potentially meaningful for baking. When following an Australian recipe, use 250 ml per cup. For US recipes converted to metric, use 237 ml. The cups to grams converter handles ingredient-specific conversions for dry goods.
Use a transparent liquid measuring cup (like Pyrex) set on a flat surface. Bend down to read the meniscus at eye level — the bottom of the curved surface where the liquid meets the cup. Reading from above causes parallax error and typically makes you pour about 5% too much. For small quantities under 60 ml, a graduated measuring spoon or tablespoon conversion is more accurate than trying to hit a mark on a large cup.
| mL | US Cups | Tablespoons | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1/16 (1 tbsp) | 1 | Vanilla extract |
| 60 | ¼ | 4 | Small ingredient |
| 120 | ½ | 8 | Liquid ingredient |
| 237 | 1 | 16 | Standard cup |
| 500 | 2.11 | — | Common metric recipe |
| 1,000 | 4.23 | — | 1 liter |
The milliliter-to-cup conversion is essential for anyone using international recipes, scientific procedures, or nutritional data in an American kitchen. The key conversion: 1 US cup = 236.588 mL (commonly rounded to 240 mL for nutrition labeling). This seemingly simple relationship hides several complications that trip up even experienced cooks and bakers.
Not all cups are created equal. The US customary cup = 236.588 mL (8 US fluid ounces). The US legal cup (used on nutrition labels per FDA regulation) = exactly 240 mL. The metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, and some other countries) = exactly 250 mL. The Imperial cup (historical UK measurement, rarely used now) = 284.131 mL. The Japanese cup = 200 mL. When a recipe from an Australian cookbook calls for "1 cup of flour," that is 250 mL — about 6% more than an American cup. Over multiple cups in a recipe, this discrepancy compounds. Always check the recipe's country of origin and use the appropriate cup size for conversion.
For quick reference: 50 mL ≈ 3.4 tablespoons (just over 3 tablespoons). 100 mL ≈ 0.42 cups (roughly 6.5 tablespoons). 125 mL = 1/2 metric cup (about 0.53 US cups). 150 mL ≈ 2/3 cup. 175 mL ≈ 3/4 cup. 200 mL ≈ 0.85 cups. 250 mL = 1 metric cup ≈ 1.06 US cups. 500 mL ≈ 2.11 cups (roughly a US pint, though a US pint is technically 473 mL). 1,000 mL (1 liter) ≈ 4.23 cups. The most practical shortcut: 250 mL ≈ 1 cup works well for everyday cooking where small percentage differences are tolerable.
For most savory cooking, the 250 mL ≈ 1 cup approximation is perfectly adequate. Soups, sauces, marinades, and stir-fries tolerate 5–10% volume variations without noticeable impact. For baking, however, the distinction between 236 mL and 250 mL per cup matters more — especially in high-ratio cakes, custards, and bread doughs where hydration percentage directly determines texture. A recipe calling for 3 cups of liquid using metric cups delivers 750 mL, while 3 US cups delivers 710 mL — a 40 mL difference (about 2.7 tablespoons) that can make dough noticeably wetter or drier. For maximum precision in baking, convert everything to grams using a kitchen scale, bypassing cup-to-mL conversion entirely.
Medical contexts use milliliters exclusively, but patients sometimes attempt to measure medications using kitchen cups or spoons. This is dangerous because household spoons vary by 25–50% from their labeled volume. A "tablespoon" from your silverware drawer might hold 10 mL or 20 mL rather than the standard 15 mL. Always use the dosing device provided with the medication — typically a graduated oral syringe, dosing cup with mL markings, or calibrated dropper. For liquid children's medications, oral syringes provide the most accurate measurement at small volumes (2.5–10 mL) because graduated cups become imprecise at the bottom of their range.
Nutrition labels in the U.S. define serving sizes in both metric (mL) and customary (cups/fluid ounces) units. A standard beverage serving varies by type: coffee serving = 8 fl oz (237 mL), though typical mugs hold 12–16 oz. Wine serving = 5 fl oz (148 mL). Beer serving = 12 fl oz (355 mL). Spirits serving = 1.5 fl oz (44 mL). Water intake recommendations of "8 cups per day" (a rough guideline, not a scientific mandate) equals approximately 1,893 mL or about 1.9 liters. Individual hydration needs vary based on body size, activity level, climate, and diet composition — many fruits and vegetables are 80–95% water by weight, contributing significantly to daily fluid intake.
When converting between milliliters and cups for any purpose — cooking, medication, or nutrition tracking — always identify which "cup" standard the source is using before converting. The difference between a US customary cup (237 mL), a metric cup (250 mL), and an FDA legal cup (240 mL) may seem small individually, but it compounds across multiple measurements and can produce meaningfully different results.
See also: Recipe Scaler · Weight Converter · Volume Converter
→ 1 US cup = 236.588 mL — not 250 mL. Many international recipes use 250 mL as a "metric cup" (Australian/UK standard). If a British or Australian recipe calls for 1 cup, measure 250 mL, not 237 mL. The difference matters in baking where precision affects results. Check which standard the recipe uses.
→ For liquid measurements, milliliters are more precise than cups. A graduated cylinder or measuring jug marked in mL lets you measure to ±5 mL accuracy. Cup measures are harder to read precisely — the meniscus (curved liquid surface) and eye-level reading angle introduce error. For cooking, cups are fine; for baking, mL or grams are better.
→ Teaspoons and tablespoons bridge small metric-imperial gaps. 1 tsp = 5 mL. 1 tbsp = 15 mL. 2 tbsp = 30 mL = 1 fl oz. These conversions let you handle small amounts without a cup measure. Our Tablespoons to Cups converter handles these relationships.
→ Milliliters and cubic centimeters are identical for practical purposes. 1 mL = 1 cm³ exactly (by definition). Medical syringes labeled in "cc" are measuring milliliters. This also means 1 liter = 1,000 cm³, which is handy for understanding volume relationships. See our Volume Converter for all unit combinations.
See also: Tablespoons to Cups · Grams to Cups · Volume Converter · Cooking Measurement Converter