Dry Measurement Conversion Calculator
Convert cups, tablespoons, ounces, and grams for flour, sugar, oats, and more with ingredient-specific dry measure data.
Use ingredient density plus measure style to convert a dry ingredient from one kitchen unit to another.
| Unit | Tbsp | Cups | Grams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | 0.33 | 0.02 c | 5 g |
| 1 tbsp | 1 | 0.06 c | 8 g |
| 1/4 cup | 4 | 0.25 c | 30 g |
| 1 cup | 16 | 1 | 120 g |
| 1 lb | - | - | 454 g |
| 1 oz | - | - | 28 g |
| Ingredient | g/Cup | g/Tbsp | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour | 120 | 7.5 | Spool level |
| Sugar | 200 | 12.5 | Heavier cup |
| Brown sugar | 220 | 13.8 | Packed cup |
| Cocoa | 85 | 5.3 | Very light |
| Oats | 90 | 5.6 | Flaky |
| Rice | 185 | 11.6 | Dry grain |
| Ingredient | 1 Cup | 1 Tbsp | 1 Oz |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 120 g | 7.5 g | 28.3 g |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 12.5 g | 28.3 g |
| Powdered sugar | 120 g | 7.5 g | 28.3 g |
| Cornstarch | 128 g | 8.0 g | 28.3 g |
| Rolled oats | 90 g | 5.6 g | 28.3 g |
| Almond flour | 96 g | 6.0 g | 28.3 g |
| Use | Target | When | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flour mix | 120 g | Cookies | Level scoop |
| Sugar dust | 200 g | Cakes | Pack it |
| Cocoa mix | 85 g | Brownies | Sift first |
| Oat batch | 90 g | Granola | Loose fill |
| Rice batch | 185 g | Meal prep | Dry grain |
| Cornstarch | 128 g | Thicken | Level spoon |
Dry ingredient tend to be inconsistent in there measurements due to the differences in density of the ingredients. Different density of dry ingredients mean that a cup of one ingredient will weigh differently from an cup of another ingredient. For instance, the density of ingredients like flour, sugar, and oats all differ, meaning that they will not all weigh the same amount when measure with a measuring cup.
Flour is less dense than sugar because the particles of flour are coarse in texture and allow for more air to exist within the measuring cup. As a result, one cup of flour weigh less than one cup of sugar. One cup of all purpose flour weighs 120 grams, while one cup of granulated sugar weigh 200 grams.
Why Dry Ingredients Weigh Differently and How to Measure Them
The method in which you fill a measuring cup will also change the weight of the ingredient in the cup, which can lead to measurement error. If you scoop flour direct into the measuring cup from the flour bag, you will pack the flour into the cup. Packed flour will weigh more than flour that has been spooned into the cup.
If you spoon flour into the cup and level it with a knife, the flour will remain light in weight. Powders that have been sifted, like cocoa powder and powdered sugar, are light in weight due to the air that become mixed into the powder during the sifting process. Brown sugar that has been packed into the measuring cup will weigh more than granulated sugar; the moisture and crystals in brown sugar allow for the sugar to be packed into the measuring cup.
Packed brown sugar weighs up to 220 grams per cup. Precision in measuring ingredients is important in the kitchen and in the baking industry. If you add too much flour to a recipe, for instance, the texture of the baked good will potentialy be incorrect; too much flour will make baked goods dense.
Adding too little sugar will also make baked goods feature incorrect texture and sweetness. Using a kitchen scale to measure ingredients in grams is more accurate than measuring ingredients with measuring cups; grams will always remain the same regardless of the amount of air within the ingredient. Use grams as a measurement unit when you want to ensure that the weight of an ingredient is exact; use cups for measuring ingredients quick.
Not all ingredients has the same weight when measured by the same unit of measurement. For instance, you should spoon and level flour into a measuring cup to avoid adding too much flour to a recipe; brown sugar, in contrast, should be firmly pack into a measuring cup. Oats are a light and flaky ingredient; one cup of oats weigh about 90 grams.
However, if you do not measure the oats carefuly when scooping them into a measuring cup, you may end up with too many oats in your recipe. Rice is much denser than oats; one cup of rice weigh 185 grams. Cocoa powder is a light ingredient; it weighs 85 grams per cup, thus requiring care when heap the ingredient into a measuring cup.
Other factors affect the weight of dry ingredients. For instance, altitude can affect how much the powders expand; expansion will impact the density of the powder. The freshness of the flour can impact the weight of that flour.
Additionally, the size of your measuring tool may impact your measurement of dry ingredients; the standard tablespoon contain 16 tablespoons per cup, and there are teaspoons in a tablespoon; a teaspoon is one-third of a tablespoon. However, to avoid these potential errors in your recipe, convert all ingredients to gram. Use grams as your primary unit of measurement to avoid the vagueness of volume measurement like cups.
