How much is an ounce compared to a cup?

Both use cups and ounces to measure ingredients — but they don’t always mean the same thing.

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Here’s a common cooking question: How many ounces in a cup?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t as simple as it seems. Though they both have the same name, there's a difference between ounces, which measure weight, and fluid ounces, which measure volume.  

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Measuring in ounces: dry vs. liquid 

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Liquid measuring cups indicate that 1 cup = 8 ounces. But what they really mean is 1 cup of liquid = 8 fluid ounces. For dry measurements, the rules change. Because dry ingredients vary greatly in weight, you can’t rely on the same conversion. For example: 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4.5 ounces, not 8 ounces. On the other hand, 1 cup of chocolate chips weighs a little over 6 ounces.    

Measuring in cups: dry vs. liquid 

There are two main types of measuring cups — dry measuring cups and liquid measuring cups — and it matters which one you use. Dry measuring cups are designed to measure dry ingredients like flour, nuts, and berries, while liquid measuring cups are designed to measure liquids like water, cooking oil, and yogurt.

Liquid measuring cups are usually glass or plastic with a handle. They allow you to pour a liquid into the cup and bring it even with a measurement line without spilling.

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Dry measuring cups, on the other hand, hold the exact amount of an ingredient and should be leveled off with a flat edge.

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Common measuring mistakes to avoid

Using the right type of measuring cup can determine the outcome of the recipe you’re making. In baking, making improper measurements can completely throw off a recipe. For example, when measuring flour, a dry measuring cup lets you portion out the exact amount that you need.

Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, then level it by taking a flat edge and pushing it across the top of the cup to remove the excess. Doing so with a liquid measuring cup could result in tapping or packing the flour down, causing you to add more than the recipe needs.

Likewise, it’s tough to fit the exact amount of a liquid in a dry measuring cup without spilling it over the sides. For example, for chicken stock, a liquid measuring cup lets you pour in a precise amount without splashing it all over your kitchen counter.

Here’s a good rule of thumb to follow—when measuring dry ingredients, use dry measuring cups or weigh them with a scale. For liquids, stick to a liquid measuring cup.  

Every time I read a recipe (in a cookbook or in a magazine), the most common search query I instantly make is how many ounces in a cup? Or, how many tablespoons in a cup? When I am lucky, the webpage calculator in the search engine opens instantly and when I am not, my phone keeps thinking until it slams a message on my face saying, “can’t connect to the server.” Well, I think all food lovers like me who loves to cook, it’s one of the most common cooking questions—how many ounces in a cup and so on.

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t very simple unless you’re a math genius who can calculate things in your mind in mere seconds. Though all the dry, wet and spoon calculations are correlated, there is a different formula for each one. While the dry measurements take the weight, liquid measurements take fluid volume into consideration. In this post, I am going to include ready-to-use formulas for cups to oz converter, so it becomes super handy for you.

Plus, a downloadable chart(shown above) that you can print and use it for everyday kitchen usage.

Click here to downloadthe Kitchen Conversion Chart!

How many ounces in a cup? (Fluid Measurements)

Cups to Ounce Converter

Type a value in the Cups field to convert the value to Ounces:

Cups to Fluid Ounces

Cups Ounces =

How Many Dry OZ in A Cup?

Though many of us assume that an ounce to cup calculator will remain the same irrespective of the ingredient, in reality, it is not. If using dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, chocolate chips, nuts or seeds, you will have to use a dry measuring cup.

The one, pictured above is a dry measuring cup, which is great for measuring all-purpose flour, or something similar. The rule for dry measurement is to weigh your ingredients and based on your ingredient the ounce value may change when it comes to oz to cup converter.

Though both fluid ounces and dry measure ounces have the same name, there's a difference between them. While the dry one measures weight, the liquid one measures volume.

In case of liquid measuring, a cup equals to 8 ounces or a cup of liquid is equal to 8 fluid ounces. The rule, however, changes for the dry ingredients. In case of dry measures, a cup of dry flour (APF) weighs 4.5 ounces, not 8 ounces.

Similarly, a cup of nuts may weigh a little over 8 ounces. In short, you weigh the ingredient with a scale when a recipe calls for a cup of dry ingredient. Similarly, for liquid measurement, you use a liquid measuring cup for correctly taking the required amount of fluid for the recipe. In the end, all you need to remember is dry measuring cups are for flour, nuts, berries, and similar dry ingredients whereas liquid measuring cups are designed for yogurt, water, cooking oil and similar liquid ingredients.

NOTE: A liquid measuring cup is usually a glass or a plastic mug (pictured above) with a handle. A dry measuring cup, on the other hand, resembles a small cup with a long handle and holds the exact amount of a dry ingredient and should always be leveled off with a flat edge while using for a particular recipe.

CAUTION: It is highly recommended to use designated measuring cups for dry or wet ingredients. After all, by using the right type of measuring cup will let you use the exact amount of ingredients for the recipe you’re making. In baking, in particular, never use a liquid measuring cup to measure flour. As the volume or weight measurement is different in both the cases, you will end up adding more or less if you use an incorrect measurement cup in your recipe that may eventually completely throw off a recipe.

How to measure dry ingredients in a cup?

While measuring dry ingredients, use a dry-measuring cup. First, lightly spoon the flour or any similar ingredient into a dry measuring cup and then level it by taking the spoon’s relatively flat edge. You may have to push it across the top of the cup to remove the excess flour. If needed, use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.

How to measure liquid ingredients in a cup?

Likewise, you need to take a liquid measuring cup to weigh the liquids to use in a recipe. As it’s tough to weight the right/exact amount of a liquid in a dry measuring cup, you will need a liquid measuring cup for this process. The liquid measuring cups also have a pouring edge, which helps in easily transferring the liquid without spilling it over the sides.

Learn how many ounces in a gallon.

What is the cup measurement in the UK?

The cup size in the USA is not the same as in the UK. While a US Cup is 240ml (or 8.45 fluid ounces), a cup equals to 250ml in the UK, Canada and in Australia.

Here is a list of Internationally recognized standard of measurement.

• A Cup =
• US recipes - cups to ounces
• 1 US cup (236.59mL) = 8 US fluid ounces
• 1 US cup (236.59mL) = 8.327 UK fluid ounces
• Old UK recipes - cups to ounces
• 1 UK cup (284.13mL) = 10 UK fluid ounces
• 1 UK cup (284.13mL) = 9.607 US fluid ounces
• Rest of world recipes
• 1 international metric cup (250mL) = 8.454 US fluid ounces
• 1 international metric cup (250mL) = 8.799 UK fluid ounces

NOTE: The major reason for this liquid measurement discrepancy is because of the metric system followed by different countries. While in the USA, a cup equals to about 8 fluid ounces, a cup in Japan is actually 200 milliliters (6.7 ounces) and 227 milliliters (7.6 ounces) in Canada.

How much is 8 oz of water in a cup?

As per the USA metric system, a cup equals to 8 fluid ounces and an ounce is equal to ⅛ of the cup.

Here is My Dainty Soul Curry’s Kitchen conversion chart. Feel free to save it to your computer or device and take a print.

Click here to downloadthe Kitchen Conversion Chart!

Nuts:

Walnuts (chopped)

Peanuts, Chopped

Peanuts (whole, Shelled)

Nut Butter

Pecans (Chopped and Halved)

Almonds (Meal and Flour)

Almonds (Flaked)

Almonds (Raw, whole)

Baking:

Flour

Caster Sugar – Superfine Sugar

Brown Sugar (Light)

Chocolate Chips

Cocoa Powder

Coconut – Shredded & Desiccated

Confectioners Sugar – Powdered Sugar – Icing Sugar

Granulated Sugar

Corn Starch – Cornflour

Cornmeal

Dark Brown Sugar – Muscovado Sugar

Dairy:

Parmesan Cheese (Grated )

Cream Cheese/Soft Cheese

Buttermilk

Butter & margarine

Fruits & Berries

Blueberries

Strawberries

Raisins – Golden Raisins – Sultanas

Raspberries

Dates (whole, Pitted)

Liquid Measurements

Golden Syrup

Maple Syrup

Corn Syrup

Honey

Jam – Jelly – Preserves

Molasses

Dry Measures - Grains, Lentils & Pasta

Oats (old fashion oats & porridge oats)

Pasta (Dry)

Pearl Barley

Rice

Don't forget to download the conversion chart. Click here to downloadthe Kitchen Conversion Chart!

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