ml to cups converter
ml to cups means dividing by 236.59, the size of a US customary cup in milliliters. Enter an amount and the cups appear as you type, rounded to the nearest measuring cup as well, with tablespoons and fluid ounces below; cups to ml works in the same box.
Example: Amount 250 · Direction: Milliliters to cups → Answer: 250 ml = 1.0567 cups. Source: NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8: cup (U.S.) = 2.365 882 E+02 mL, tablespoon = 1.478 676 E+01 mL, ounce (U.S. fluid) = 2.957 353 E+01 mL (read 15.10.2026). Updated: .
How it is calculated
How to convert ml to cups
Cups = milliliters ÷ 236.59 and milliliters = cups × 236.59. A US cup is 8 US fluid ounces, and one fluid ounce is 29.5735 ml, so a cup holds 236.5882 ml. Half a cup is 118.29 ml, a third of a cup 78.86 ml and a quarter cup 59.15 ml. One liter is 4.2268 cups.
Milliliters to cups chart
| Milliliters | US cups |
|---|---|
| 50 | 0.2113 |
| 100 | 0.4227 |
| 125 | 0.5283 |
| 250 | 1.0567 |
| 500 | 2.1134 |
Which cup does a recipe mean?
American recipes use the customary cup of 236.59 ml. Nutrition Facts labels round it to 240 ml, and recipes from Australia or Canada often use a metric cup of 250 ml, which is 1.0567 US cups. For a cake the 6 % gap rarely matters; for baking powder or salt measured by the spoon it can. The answer also shows tablespoons (16 per cup) and fluid ounces (8 per cup). Weights such as flour in grams per cup are a different question: use cups to grams, because a cup of flour and a cup of sugar weigh very different amounts.
Common mistakes
Treating 250 ml as exactly one US cup adds about 13 ml per cup, so 4 cups of milk become 1 liter instead of 946 ml. The second slip mixes fluid ounces by volume with ounces by weight on a kitchen scale; for that see oz to cups. Small amounts are easier in spoons: tablespoons to cups lists the full table.
Frequently asked questions
How many ml are in a cup?
A US customary cup holds 236.5882 ml. Nutrition labels use 240 ml, and a metric cup is 250 ml.
How do I convert ml to cups?
Divide by 236.59: 500 ml ÷ 236.59 = 2.1134 cups, a little over 2 cups.
How many cups is 250 ml?
250 ml = 1.0567 US cups, so one metric cup is about 1 US cup plus 1 tablespoon.
How many cups are in a liter?
1 liter = 4.2268 US cups.
How many ml is half a cup?
Half a US cup is 118.29 ml; a quarter cup is 59.15 ml.
Sources and legal basis
- NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8: cup (U.S.) = 2.365 882 E+02 mL, tablespoon = 1.478 676 E+01 mL, ounce (U.S. fluid) = 2.957 353 E+01 mL (read 15.10.2026)
- eCFR, 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii): for nutrition labeling a cup means 240 mL, a tablespoon 15 mL, a teaspoon 5 mL (read 15.10.2026)
As of: · Editorial policy
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