Cups to Ounces (oz) Converter
This calculator converts cups to fluid ounces (fl oz) and millilitres, because a "cup" is not a single fixed measurement around the world. Enter the number of cups, or pick a common fraction such as 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 or 2/3 cup from the preset list, then choose your cup type: US customary (236.588 ml), metric cup as used in New Zealand and Australia (250 ml), or UK imperial (284.131 ml). You can choose whether the fluid ounce result is shown in US fluid ounces (29.5735 ml) or UK fluid ounces (28.4131 ml), since these differ too. The calculator returns your total in fluid ounces, millilitres, litres and US tablespoons, with a breakdown showing the ml per cup and ml per fluid ounce used, plus equivalents in teaspoons and cubic centimetres. A reference table below applies the same conversion across common cup fractions from 1/4 cup up to 4 cups, so you can compare several amounts at once. This is useful for adapting recipes between American, British and New Zealand measurements, or for working out how a recipe's cup measure translates into a jug or measuring cup marked in millilitres or fluid ounces. Keep in mind this converter measures fluid volume only. Converting cups of a specific ingredient, such as flour or sugar, into weight ounces depends on that ingredient's density and is not what this tool provides.
1. Your Measurement
2. Output Units
Common Cups to oz Reference Table
| Cups | US fl oz | ml | Litres |
|---|
Conversion Breakdown
Other Equivalents
How to Convert Cups to Ounces
To convert cups to fluid ounces, multiply the number of cups by the number of fluid ounces in one cup for your cup type:
- US customary cup: cups x 8 = US fl oz (1 cup = 8 fl oz = 236.588 ml)
- Metric cup (NZ, AU, CA): cups x 250 = ml, then divide by 29.5735 for US fl oz (approx 8.454 US fl oz per metric cup)
- UK imperial cup: cups x 10 = UK fl oz (1 cup = 10 UK fl oz = 284.131 ml)
The formula for US cups to US fluid ounces is the simplest: multiply by 8. For other combinations, convert to ml first then divide by the ml per fl oz for the desired output unit.
Cup Sizes Around the World
A "cup" is not a universal measurement. The three most commonly encountered cup sizes are:
| Cup Type | Exact Volume (ml) | US fl oz | UK fl oz | Where Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US customary cup | 236.588 ml | 8.000 | 8.327 | USA, most international recipes |
| Metric cup | 250.000 ml | 8.454 | 8.799 | New Zealand, Australia, Canada |
| UK imperial cup | 284.131 ml | 9.608 | 10.000 | Historical UK use |
For everyday cooking in New Zealand, the metric cup (250 ml) is standard. If a recipe says "1 cup" without specifying, it usually refers to the US cup (236.588 ml) if from an American source, or the metric cup (250 ml) if from a New Zealand or Australian source. The difference of about 13 ml per cup is usually small enough to ignore in most recipes, but it can matter in baking where precision is important.
Fluid Ounces vs Weight Ounces
Fluid ounces (fl oz) measure volume, while weight ounces (oz) measure mass. These are different units. When converting cups to ounces for a liquid like water, 1 US cup of water is very close to 8.33 weight ounces (because water is approximately 1 g/ml and 1 weight oz is 28.35 g). However, for other ingredients the weight per cup varies significantly:
- 1 US cup of all-purpose flour: approximately 4.25 weight oz (120 g)
- 1 US cup of sugar (granulated): approximately 7.05 weight oz (200 g)
- 1 US cup of butter: approximately 8.00 weight oz (227 g)
- 1 US cup of rice (uncooked): approximately 6.35 weight oz (180 g)
- 1 US cup of milk: approximately 8.64 weight oz (245 g)
This converter handles fluid ounces (volume). To convert cups of a specific ingredient to weight ounces, you need to know that ingredient's density.
Worked Example
Convert 2 US cups to US fluid ounces:
- 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz
- 2 cups x 8 = 16 US fl oz
- In millilitres: 2 x 236.588 = 473.18 ml
- In tablespoons: 16 fl oz / 0.5 fl oz per tbsp = 32 US tablespoons
This matches the default output of the converter above (2 US cups = 16 fl oz = 473.18 ml).
Related Calculators
- Essential Calculators: all converters and tools in one place.
- Grams to Cups Converter: convert ingredient weights to cup measures.
- Ounces to Millilitres Converter: convert fl oz to ml directly.
- ml to Grams Calculator: convert millilitres to grams by ingredient.
- Grams to Ounces Calculator: weight unit conversion for cooking and baking.
Sources and method: US customary cup = 236.588 ml (NIST Handbook 44, 2023 edition). Metric cup = 250 ml (Standards Australia, Standards New Zealand). UK imperial cup = 284.131 ml (10 UK fl oz). US fl oz = 29.5735 ml. UK fl oz = 28.4131 ml. US tablespoon = 14.7868 ml. US teaspoon = 4.9289 ml.
This converter handles fluid volume only. To convert cups of a specific ingredient to weight ounces, the density of that ingredient is required. Results are rounded to four decimal places for display.