Volume:
Table of Contents
The formula
Multiply US cups by the exact conversion factor:
mL = cups × 236.5882
- mL — milliliters, the SI unit for small liquid volumes.
- cups — US customary cups (this calculator; not metric or imperial cups).
- 236.5882 — exact value; 1 US cup = 8 US fl oz = 8 × 29.5735 mL.
To reverse (mL to cups): cups = mL ÷ 236.5882. Or use the mL to cups calculator.
Worked example
Default input: 1 US cup.
- Identify the value: 1 cup.
- Apply the formula: 1 × 236.5882 = 236.59 mL.
A standard mug of coffee is roughly 250 mL — just fractionally more than 1 US cup.
Cups to mL conversion table
| US Cups | Milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| 1/8 | 29.57 |
| 1/4 | 59.15 |
| 1/3 | 78.86 |
| 1/2 | 118.29 |
| 2/3 | 157.73 |
| 3/4 | 177.44 |
| 1 | 236.59 |
| 1½ | 354.88 |
| 2 | 473.18 |
| 2½ | 591.47 |
| 3 | 709.76 |
| 4 | 946.35 |
| 6 | 1,419.53 |
| 8 | 1,892.71 |
| 10 | 2,365.88 |
History & standards
The milliliter (mL) is one thousandth of a litre. The litre was first defined in France in 1795 as the volume of 1 dm³ of water. Today, the BIPM defines it as exactly 1 dm³ — equivalently, 1 cm³ = 1 mL. The milliliter appears on graduated cylinders, syringes, and medicine spoons worldwide.
The cup is a US customary unit without a metric counterpart. Its modern value — 236.5882 mL — was standardised in the 20th century as exactly half a US pint (473.176 mL). Different countries set their own cup sizes:
- US customary cup: 236.588 mL (this calculator).
- US legal cup (FDA): 240 mL — used on nutrition labels.
- Metric / AU / NZ / modern UK cup: 250 mL exactly.
- Japanese cup (gou): 200 mL.
- Old imperial cup: ≈284 mL — rarely seen in modern recipes.
Common applications
- Baking. Cup measurements dominate US baking recipes. A US recipe calling for 2 cups of milk means 473 mL; an Australian recipe calling for 2 cups means 500 mL.
- Cocktails. Bar recipes often give liqueurs in oz or cups. 1 cup = 8 US fl oz ≈ 236 mL makes scaling batches simple.
- Medicine. Liquid medicines specify mL on dosing syringes. A “cup” of liquid medicine is ambiguous — always use the mL marking on the syringe.
- Coffee. Drip coffee makers typically define one “cup” as 150–180 mL (smaller than the US customary cup) — another gotcha when following a recipe.
Limitations & gotchas
- Dry vs liquid measure. A US dry cup is slightly larger than a liquid cup (236.588 mL vs 236.588 mL liquid — in practice the same vessel, but dry goods settle so the effective volume differs by ingredient).
- Recipe origin matters. An Australian recipe’s “1 cup” (250 mL) is 5.7% more than a US cup. For most liquids the difference is minor; for baking, it can throw off ratios.
- Do not assume 240 mL. The FDA’s legal cup of 240 mL is used only for nutrition-label serving sizes. US recipe cups remain 236.588 mL.
Sources & references
- NIST, “SI Units — Volume.” nist.gov.
- BIPM, “SI Units.” bipm.org.
FAQs
One US cup equals exactly 236.5882 mL (8 US fluid ounces × 29.5735 mL per fl oz). This is the definition used in US recipe books and by the US customary system.
No. A US cup is 236.588 mL, while a metric cup (used in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and modern UK recipes) is exactly 250 mL — about 5.7% larger. If your recipe comes from an Australian or UK source, multiply cups by 250 instead of 236.588.
The US legal cup is 240 mL, defined by the FDA for use on nutrition labels. It is slightly larger than the standard US customary cup (236.588 mL). For cooking purposes the difference is negligible, but nutrition label serving sizes use 240 mL.
500 mL divided by 236.588 equals approximately 2.113 US cups. If you are using metric cups (250 mL each), 500 mL is exactly 2 metric cups.
Only for water. 1 mL of water weighs exactly 1 gram because water has a density of 1 g/cm³. For other ingredients the density differs: 1 mL of flour weighs roughly 0.5 g, honey about 1.4 g, and olive oil about 0.92 g. Always check ingredient-specific density charts when accuracy matters.
The US fluid ounce is 29.5735 mL, while the UK (imperial) fluid ounce is 28.4131 mL — about 4% smaller. The difference traces to the separate definitions of the US and UK gallons (3.785 L vs 4.546 L). Since a US cup is defined as 8 US fl oz, using UK fl oz would give a different cup size.