Reference for one unit; displayed values may be rounded.
Cups
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Milliliters
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Method and sourcecup to ml Conversion Formula
To convert US cups to milliliters, multiply the cup value by 236.588. One US customary cup equals 8 fluid ounces or 236.588 ml. Note: an Australian metric cup is 250 ml, about 5.7% larger.
Cups and Milliliters Explained
Cups (cup)
The US customary cup is a volume of exactly 236.588 milliliters — one-half of a US liquid pint and one-sixteenth of a gallon, equal to 8 fluid ounces. It is the default liquid measure of American home cooking: milk, water, oil, and broth in US recipes are nearly always counted in cups, halves, and thirds rather than weighed. Cup measures are standardized, so one level cup of liquid is the same in every American kitchen.
Where it is used: Dominant kitchen measure in the United States; also appears in older recipes across Canada, Latin America, and Japan (as 200-250 ml variants).
Origin: Formalized in the United States in the late 19th century from the traditional half-pint; Fannie Farmer's 1896 cookbook cemented level, standardized cups over heaped spoon measures.
Milliliters (ml)
The milliliter (ml) is one-thousandth of a liter and the natural unit for kitchen-scale liquids in the metric world. Measuring jugs, soda bottles, cream cartons, and syrup doses across Europe, Asia, and Oceania are all marked in milliliters. One US cup converts to 236.588 ml, which is why the 240 ml line on a metric jug is the stand-in for "one cup" in millions of mixed-unit kitchens.
Where it is used: Universal liquid measure for cooking, beverages, and pharmacy outside the US; the standard graduation on metric kitchen jugs and dosing devices.
Origin: A decimal fraction of the French Revolutionary liter; adopted worldwide with the metric system and identical to the cubic centimeter.
US Cups to Milliliters Conversion Table
Select a value to use it in the calculator.
| Cups (cup) | Milliliters (ml) |
|---|---|
| 59.147 ml | |
| 118.294 ml | |
| 177.441 ml | |
| 236.588 ml | |
| 354.882 ml | |
| 473.176 ml | |
| 591.47 ml | |
| 709.764 ml | |
| 946.352 ml | |
| 1182.94 ml | |
| 1419.528 ml | |
| 1892.704 ml | |
| 2365.88 ml | |
| 2839.056 ml |
Milliliters to Cups Conversion Table
| Milliliters (ml) | Cups (cup) |
|---|---|
| 30 ml | 0.1268027119 cup |
| 50 ml | 0.2113378531 cup |
| 100 ml | 0.4226757063 cup |
| 125 ml | 0.5283446329 cup |
| 200 ml | 0.8453514126 cup |
| 250 ml | 1.0566892657 cup |
| 300 ml | 1.2680271189 cup |
| 500 ml | 2.1133785315 cup |
| 750 ml | 3.1700677972 cup |
| 1000 ml | 4.2267570629 cup |
Cups to Milliliters in Everyday Objects
Common real-world examples that make Cups and Milliliters easy to picture at a glance.
| Cups (cup) | Milliliters (ml) | |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid measuring cup | 1 cup | 236.588 ml |
| Large coffee mug | 1.5 cup | 354.882 ml |
| Pint canning jar | 2 cup | 473.176 ml |
| Quart of milk | 4 cup | 946.352 ml |
| Single water bottle | 2.1133785315 cup | 500 ml |
| Milk carton | 4.2267570629 cup | 1000 ml |
When You Need Cups to Milliliters Conversions
Baking from American recipe blogs
US cake and cookie recipes pour milk and oil in cups, but your jug is metric. Converting as you go — 1.5 cups of milk is 354.88 ml, 0.75 cup of oil is 177.44 ml — keeps a chiffon cake's hydration exact instead of "close enough", which is the margin between rise and flop.
Cooking rice and grains
Rice packets from Asia specify water in ml, while the ratio logic in American guides speaks cups. Knowing 2 cups of water is 473.18 ml lets you run a 1:1.5 jasmine ratio (2 cups rice to 710 ml water) on the same pot without a second measuring tool.
Brewing pour-over coffee
Specialty coffee recipes pair grams of beans with water by cup or ml depending on the roaster's country. A 3-cup morning brew is 709.76 ml of water; converting cups to ml lets you dial in a 1:16 ratio on a metric scale without mixing conventions mid-brew.
Mixing pancake and muffin batters
Weekend batters mix wet and dry in cups, buttermilk cartons state ml. When the recipe wants 2.5 cups (591.47 ml) and the carton holds 500 ml, the conversion tells you exactly how short you are — one small yogurt (177.44 ml, three-quarters of a cup) tops it up precisely.
Related Volume Conversions
How to Use
-
1
Enter Your Volume in Cups
Type the cup value from the recipe — for example, enter 1.5 for milk in a cake, 0.75 for buttermilk, or 4 for a soup base
-
2
See the Milliliter Result
The equivalent appears instantly: 1.5 cups = 354.88 ml, ready to measure in a metric jug to the line
-
3
Copy or Reverse
Copy the result or click Swap to convert milliliters back to US cups
-
4
Check the Table
Keep the table handy for common amounts like 0.5 cup = 118.29 ml or 2 cups = 473.18 ml when halving recipes
Why Use Be Converter?
Instant Conversion
Get precise cup to ml results in real-time as you type — perfect with flour on your hands and the oven already hot
Exact US Cup Definition
Uses the exact US customary cup of 236.588 ml (8 fl oz) — and flags the 250 ml metric cup used in Australia so nothing bakes 6% off
Handy Reference Table
Baking values at a glance — 0.5 cup = 118.29 ml, 1.5 cups = 354.88 ml, and 3 cups = 709.76 ml
Swap with One Click
Flip the pair to go metric-first — a 500 ml carton of buttermilk reads 2.11 cups on an American recipe card
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many ml are in 1 US cup?
How do I convert cups to ml?
Is 250 ml equal to 1 cup?
Is a US cup the same as a UK or Australian cup?
Is a cup of liquid the same as a cup of dry ingredients?
How many ml is half a cup?
How many ml are in 3 cups?
How many cups is 500 ml?
About Cups to Milliliters Converter
Our free online cups to milliliters converter provides instant, accurate liquid conversions for anyone cooking between American and metric recipes. The cup dominates US kitchen measurement — milk, water, oil, and buttermilk in almost every American recipe are counted in cups — while metric jugs and cartons everywhere else are graduated in milliliters. This converter applies the exact US customary cup of 236.588 ml and distinguishes it from the 250 ml metric cup of Australia and Canada, so your bakes come out identical to the recipe author's. From wedding-cake scaling to morning pour-over, precise cup to ml conversion is the difference between following a recipe and fighting it.
Expert Tips for cup to ml Conversion
Anchor numbers for bakers: 1/4 cup = 59.15 ml, 1/3 cup ≈ 78.86 ml, 1/2 cup = 118.29 ml, 1 cup = 236.59 ml, and 2 cups = 473.18 ml.
Use a metric jug with cups in mind: American measuring cups are engineered for 236.588 ml, so "one cup" poured to the 240 ml line adds 1.5% more liquid — usually harmless, occasionally decisive in custards.
Scaling recipes up or down? Convert cups to ml first, then multiply — 236.588 × 1.5 = 354.88 ml is easier to measure than "1 1/2 cups" when your jug has no cup scale.
Coffee brewing lives on ratios: one 236.59 ml cup of water to about 15 g of grounds is a 1:16 brew. A 3-cup pour (709.76 ml) wants roughly 44 g of coffee.
Australian and Canadian recipes assume a 250 ml cup. Multiplying their cups by 236.588 starves the recipe by 5.7% — instead, treat each metric cup as 250 ml exactly.
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