To convert US cups to milliliters, multiply by 236.588. 1 cup is 236.6 mL, ½ cup is 118.3 mL, and ¾ cup is 177.4 mL. Most metric recipes round a cup to 240 or 250 mL.
American recipes measure liquids, and often flour and sugar, in cups. Use this page with a metric measuring jug, or to follow a US recipe abroad.
How to use the cups to ml converter
- Type the value in cups into the box. Decimals are fine; type ⅓ as 0.3333 and ¾ as 0.75.
- The result in milliliters updates as you type, along with the working.
- Need the other way? Switch the direction menu, or open the ml to cups converter.
Formula
A US customary cup is half a US pint, or 8 US fluid ounces: exactly 236.5882365 mL. Other "cups" exist: US nutrition labels use 240 mL, and Australia, New Zealand and Canada use a 250 mL metric cup.
Worked example
A recipe needs ¾ cup of milk. How many mL is that?
- ¾ = 0.75 cup.
- 0.75 × 236.5882365 = 177.44.
- Result: 177.4 mL. On a jug marked every 25 mL, pour to just above 175 mL.
Cups to milliliters chart
Common values, rounded to 1 decimal places.
| Cups (cup) | Milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| ⅛ cup | 29.6 mL |
| 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 |
| 1.25 cup | 295.7 mL |
| 1.5 cup | 354.9 mL |
| 2 cup | 473.2 mL |
| 2.5 cup | 591.5 mL |
| 3 cup | 709.8 mL |
| 4 cup | 946.4 mL |
| 6 cup | 1,419.5 mL |
| 8 cup | 1,892.7 mL |
Which cup is your recipe using?
- US customary cup: 236.59 mL. Used in American cookbooks and measuring cups.
- US "legal" cup: 240 mL. Used for serving sizes on US nutrition labels.
- Metric cup: 250 mL. Used in Australia, New Zealand and many Canadian recipes.
- Imperial cup: about 284 mL. Found in older British recipes.
The 5–6% difference rarely matters for soups, but it can for baking. For dry ingredients, weighing in grams is more reliable; see grams to ounces converter.
Quick mental math
Multiply by 240 and you'll be about 1.4% high, close enough for most cooking. Or remember 1 cup ≈ a quarter liter.
Related conversions
Going the other way: ml to cups converter. Related pages: ounces to ml converter (fl oz to ml), ml to ounces converter (ml to fl oz), tablespoons to teaspoons converter. For other units in the same family, use the full cooking measurement converter or the volume converter.
Caveats and assumptions
- Uses the US customary cup (236.59 mL). For a 250 mL metric cup, divide mL by 250 instead.
- Results show up to 10 significant digits; the chart is rounded for reading. Keep full precision for engineering, medical or legal work.
Frequently asked questions
How many mL are in a cup?
236.59 mL in a US customary cup. Metric cups are 250 mL.
How many mL is ½ cup?
118.3 mL.
How many mL is ⅓ cup?
78.9 mL.
Is a coffee mug a cup?
No. Mugs commonly hold 300–350 mL or more. Use a measuring cup.
Sources
- NIST Metric Kitchen — Cooking Measurement Equivalencies — household cup, spoon and fluid-ounce equivalents
- eCFR 21 CFR 101.9 — Nutrition labeling of food — label conventions: 1 cup = 240 mL, 1 fl oz = 30 mL, 1 tbsp = 15 mL, 1 tsp = 5 mL
- NIST SP 811 Appendix B.9 — Conversion factors — cup (US) to liter
This calculator gives estimates for planning and education. Check measurements, local codes, supplier specs and your school's official policy before relying on a result. See our disclaimer and how we build and check calculators.