1 Cup of Milk in Grams
244 g in a US cup — and what that figure assumes
1 cup of whole milk weighs 244 grams, measured in a US cup.
That figure comes from one number: a full US cup of whole milk is 244 g. Everything else on this page is that number scaled.
Pour milk into a liquid measuring jug and read it at eye level. A dry measuring cup filled to the brim is hard to carry without spilling.
Whose cup you mean changes the answer. A 250 ml metric cup — the standard in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — is 5.7% larger than the 236.6 ml US cup, so one cup of whole milk is 258 g there rather than 244 g.
Just over a millilitre per gram
A US cup is 236.6 ml. Whole milk weighs 244 g in that space (USDA FoodData Central) — about 3% more than water, thanks to its dissolved sugars and proteins. King Arthur Baking rounds a cup of milk to 227 g (8 oz by weight), which is close enough for everyday baking.
Skim milk weighs the same as whole (245 g), buttermilk 245 g, and heavy cream 238 g. Evaporated and condensed milk are much denser, and a 250 ml metric cup of milk weighs about 258 g.
Where the 244 g figure comes from
- USDA FoodData Central: 1 cup of “Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D” = 244 g (FDC ID 171265)
- King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart: Milk (fresh), 1 cup = 227 g (chart)
This site uses 244 g per US cup of milk (whole), spooned and levelled. References checked September 2026.
1 cup of milk in each cup standard
| Cup standard | Size | Grams | Ounces |
|---|---|---|---|
| US customary | 236.6 ml | 244 g | 8.61 oz |
| Metric (UK, AU, NZ, CA) | 250 ml | 258 g | 9.09 oz |
| Imperial (older UK) | 284 ml | 293 g | 10.34 oz |
A recipe that just says "cups" is almost always American. If yours came from a British, Australian or New Zealand source, take the metric row — on a 244 g measure the gap is 13.8 g.
Halving and doubling milk
Recipes get scaled more often than they get followed exactly. These are the portions of whole milk a cook actually reaches for, already weighed out.
| Cups | Grams | Ounces | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⅛ cup | 30.5 g | 1.08 oz | 2 |
| ¼ cup | 61 g | 2.15 oz | 4 |
| ⅓ cup | 81.3 g | 2.87 oz | 5.33 |
| ½ cup | 122 g | 4.30 oz | 8 |
| ⅔ cup | 163 g | 5.74 oz | 10.67 |
| ¾ cup | 183 g | 6.46 oz | 12 |
| 1 cup | 244 g | 8.61 oz | 16 |
| 1¼ cups | 305 g | 10.76 oz | 20 |
| 1½ cups | 366 g | 12.91 oz | 24 |
| 1¾ cups | 427 g | 15.06 oz | 28 |
| 2 cups | 488 g | 17.21 oz | 32 |
| 2¼ cups | 549 g | 19.37 oz | 36 |
| 2½ cups | 610 g | 21.52 oz | 40 |
| 3 cups | 732 g | 25.82 oz | 48 |
| 4 cups | 976 g | 34.43 oz | 64 |
| 5 cups | 1220 g | 43.03 oz | 80 |
| 6 cups | 1464 g | 51.64 oz | 96 |
1 cup of milk in other units
| Unit | Amount |
|---|---|
| Grams | 244 g |
| Ounces (weight) | 8.61 oz |
| Pounds | 0.538 lb |
| Tablespoons | 16 |
| Teaspoons | 48 |
| Millilitres (the space it fills) | 237 ml |
Whole milk is 244 g per US cup — slightly heavier than water because of the milk solids. Skim milk is 245 g and most plant milks are about 240 g, so the difference rarely matters in a recipe.
1 cup of something else
The same cup holds a different weight of everything, because ingredients do not weigh the same for their size.
| Ingredient | Grams per US cup | 1 cup weighs |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 125 g | 125 g |
| Sugar | 200 g | 200 g |
| Butter | 227 g | 227 g |
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1 cup of milk?
1 cup of whole milk is 244 grams in a US cup, based on 244 g per full cup. In a 250 ml metric cup it is 258 g.
Is that weighed or measured?
Measured, then weighed on a scale. Pour milk into a liquid measuring jug and read it at eye level. A dry measuring cup filled to the brim is hard to carry without spilling. A scale skips the question, which is why recipes that care about the result give grams.
How many tablespoons is 1 cup of milk?
16 tablespoons, or 48 teaspoons — 15.25 g per tablespoon for whole milk.
How many ounces is 1 cup of milk?
8.61 ounces by weight. That is not the same as fluid ounces — 1 cup is 8 US fluid ounces of space, whatever is filling it.
Why do different sites give different grams for 1 cup of milk?
Because a cup is a volume and the weight depends on how it was filled, and on whose cup. This site uses 244 g per US cup. Whole milk is 244 g per US cup — slightly heavier than water because of the milk solids. Skim milk is 245 g and most plant milks are about 240 g, so the difference rarely matters in a recipe.