If you're looking for the number of milliliters mL in a cup, the answer is not as straightforward as you may think! If your recipe calls for cups but you only have metric measuring tools, what do you do? Just take a look at this page and learn how to convert from ml to cups and vice versa no matter where in the world you are cooking!
How Many Milliliters Are In A Cup?
If you have a taste for flavors beyond your home country, then you may need to know how many milliliters are in a cup. Especially if your home country is the United States.
In the United States, the main form of measurement for liquids is ounces. However, in many other countries, the main form of measurement for liquids is milliliters.
Jump to:
- How Many Milliliters Are In A Cup?
- What is a Milliliter (mL)?
- Metric System vs Imperial System
- Does the United States Only Use the Imperial System?
- What is the Difference Between a Cup In The U.S. And One In The UK?
- How Many Milliliters Are in a U.S. Cup vs a UK Cup?
- How Many Milliliters in an 8 Ounce Cup?
- Milliliters are for Measuring Liquid
- More Measurement Conversions
Therefore, knowing how to convert milliliters is essential for using recipes from other countries.
What is a Milliliter (mL)?
To better understand how to convert a milliliter into cups, let’s first look closer at what a milliliter is. A milliliter is a measurement for volume. Specifically, a measurement in the metric system.
Moreover, milliliters are mostly used to measure liquid. Just like liters are also used to measure liquids. A milliliter is the smaller of these two measurements: there are 1,000 milliliters in 1 liter.
In most countries around the world, milliliters and liters are used to measure liquid in all forms. If you live in the United States though, you are used to liquid measurements in pints, quarts, and gallons.
Metric System vs Imperial System
When thinking about conversions in the kitchen, I think it helps to have a comparison to something I am familiar with. So, here is a quick comparison of the metric system to the imperial system.
The metric system is considered by most to be the universal form of measurement. It is used in most countries around the world.
The imperial system originated with the British government. Until the early 1800s, it was the primary form of measurement in the UK. However, while it is still used for some measurements in England, most of the UK has moved to the metric system.
Today, the only countries that use the imperial system for measurement are a handful of countries that were once British colonies and the United States. The imperial system was one thing that the English settlers kept when they came to the new world. Today it is still the primary form of measurement in the United States.
Does the United States Only Use the Imperial System?
The imperial system is the primary form of measurement in the United States. From water to food, to the gas used for cars – liquids are measured in cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.
However, while these are the primary measurements there are a few exceptions. Think about your favorite bottle of soda, wine, or alcohol. These beverages are all measured in liters and milliliters.
While the United States uses some metric measurements, the United Kingdom still uses some imperial systems. This shows up mostly in their measuring utensils.
What is the Difference Between a Cup In The U.S. And One In The UK?
The UK measuring cups still follow the imperial system. To make it a bit trickier, while the US maintained the imperial system – they also changed it. Therefore, the ounce measurements between measuring cups in the UK and the U.S. are not the same.
The difference in a cup is mostly seen between measuring cups in the U.S. and the UK. While a U.S. measuring cup holds 8 ounces, a UK cup holds 9.61 ounces. That is almost 2 more ounces!
Therefore, using the correct measurement that was used when the recipe was created is essential for the correct outcome. This goes for milliliters as well.
How Many Milliliters Are in a U.S. Cup vs a UK Cup?
Since the volume of a cup measurement in the United States is different than the United Kingdom, it will impact milliliters as well. Moreover, these are not the only two countries with different volumes for the same unit of measurement.
*A cup in Latin America, Canada, and New Zealand is also slightly different.
- U.S. Measuring Cup = 236.5 ml
- U.K. Measuring Cup (or former British Colonies) = 284.1 ml
- Measuring Cup in Latin America, Canada, and New Zealand = 250 ml
While the difference in volume is not extreme between these countries, it is significant. It is enough to slightly alter a recipe. Therefore, depending on where you live and what you are cooking you may need to consider these slight differences.
If you are cooking in the United States you will usually use the measurement of 236.5 milliliters.
However, if you live in the United States and find a recipe from a different country you may need to adjust your measurement. Adding a little bit more for a UK-based recipe or using a little bit less for a Latin American or Canadian recipe.
The same goes for if you are using an outside recipe and you live in the UK, Canada, Latin America, or New Zealand.
How Many Milliliters in an 8 Ounce Cup?
A standard U.S. liquid measuring cup holds 8 fluid ounces. Therefore, there are 236.5 milliliters in an 8-ounce cup.
If you find yourself needing to adjust for the different volumes of international measuring cups, you can use this conversion chart to help.
| Cups | Ounces | mL |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 2 oz | 60 mL |
| ⅓ cup | 2.6 oz | 70 mL |
| ½ cup | 4 oz | 125 mL |
| ⅔ cup | 5.3 oz | 150 mL |
| ¾ cup | 6 oz | 175 mL |
| 1 cup | 8 oz | 250 mL |
| 1 ½ cups | 12 oz | 375 mL |
| 2 cups | 16 oz | 500 mL |
| 4 cups | 32 oz | 1 Liter |
Take a look at the number of ounces in a cup and the number of tablespoons in a cup for more useful conversions!
Milliliters are for Measuring Liquid
Keep in mind that these measurements are only for liquids. A U.S. liquid measuring cup will always weigh 8 ounces when filled with liquid. Milk, water, coffee, tea, alcohol. All liquids have the same weight. Therefore, the liquid measurement will always be 236.5 milliliters.
When switching to dry goods, you want to look at how many grams are in a cup. This is similar to switching from measuring fluid ounces to dry goods. The volume may stay the same, but the weight can shift.
Come back to this page then next time you need to do some ml to cup conversions! We'd love to hear if you found this information useful, so drop us a quick comment below!
More Measurement Conversions
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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