Cups to Pints Converter

How to Convert Cups to Pints

Converting cups to pints depends on which cup and pint definitions you are using, because "a cup" is not a fixed international unit. New Zealand and Australia use a metric cup of exactly 250 mL. The United States uses a customary cup of 236.588 mL. The old imperial cup, based on 10 imperial fluid ounces, is 284.131 mL. Pints also differ: a US pint is 473.176 mL, while a UK (imperial) pint is 568.261 mL, which is why a British pint of beer looks noticeably bigger than an American one.

To convert, this calculator multiplies your cup amount by your chosen cup size in millilitres, then divides by your chosen pint size in millilitres. For US cups and US pints, the maths is simple because a US pint is defined as exactly 2 US cups, so you can just divide the number of cups by 2.

Worked Example

Converting 4 US cups to US pints: 4 cups × 236.588 mL = 946.35 mL. Dividing by 473.176 mL (1 US pint) gives 2.00 US pints. This matches the simple rule that 2 US cups always equals 1 US pint.

Cup and Pint Reference Table

Why New Zealand Recipes Can Be Tricky

New Zealand recipes typically measure in millilitres, grams or metric cups (250 mL), while many overseas recipes (especially from the US) use cups and pints without specifying which type. If a US recipe calls for "2 cups of stock", using a NZ 250 mL cup instead of a US 236.588 mL cup gives you about 27 mL more liquid, which rarely matters for stock but can matter for baking ratios. When following an overseas recipe closely, it pays to check whether it means US or metric cups, and to use the matching definition in this converter.

Frequently Used Amounts

• 1 US cup = 0.5 US pints = 236.588 mL
• 2 US cups = 1 US pint = 473.176 mL
• 4 US cups = 2 US pints (1 US quart) = 946.352 mL
• 1 metric cup (250 mL) = 0.528 US pints
• 1 imperial pint (568.261 mL) = 2 imperial cups (about 2.4 US cups)

Related Calculators

• Essential Calculators: browse all conversion and everyday tools.
• Cups to Gallons Converter: convert cups to US gallons.
• Cups to Oz Converter: convert cups to fluid ounces.
• Grams to Cups Converter: convert ingredient weight to cups.
• Ounces to Millilitres Converter: convert fluid ounces to mL.

Sources: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (General Tables of Units of Measurement, US customary volume definitions). UK Weights and Measures Act 1985 (imperial pint and cup definitions). Australian and New Zealand metric cup and spoon standard (250 mL cup, as used in NZ recipe publishing).

This calculator provides a standard volume conversion. Cup and pint sizes are fixed by definition and do not vary by ingredient, but the density of an ingredient affects how much it weighs per cup. For weight-to-volume conversions, use a dedicated ingredient converter.