How Many Milliliters in a Cup?
There are 236.5882365 milliliters in one US customary cup, normally rounded to 237 mL.
How to Convert Cups to Milliliters
To convert cups to milliliters, multiply by 236.588.
For example: 5 cups × 236.588 = 1,182.94 milliliters.
Why This Number Matters
American recipes are written in cups and nothing outside the United States is sold or measured that way. This is the number that lets an American recipe be cooked with a metric measuring jug.
A recipe calling for 1 1/2 cups of water needs 354.882 milliliters, which a metric jug reads as about 355 mL.
What People Get Wrong
Three different cups are in circulation: the US customary cup at 236.5882365 mL, the US legal cup used on nutrition labels at exactly 240 mL, and the metric cup used in Australia and New Zealand at 250 mL. Recipes mean the first.
Cups to Milliliters Conversion Table
| Cups (cup) | Milliliters (mL) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 236.588 |
| 2 | 473.176473 |
| 3 | 709.765 |
| 4 | 946.352946 |
| 5 | 1,182.94 |
| 6 | 1,419.53 |
| 7 | 1,656.12 |
| 8 | 1,892.71 |
| 9 | 2,129.29 |
| 10 | 2,365.88 |
| 11 | 2,602.47 |
| 12 | 2,839.06 |
| 13 | 3,075.65 |
| 14 | 3,312.24 |
| 15 | 3,548.82 |
| 16 | 3,785.41 |
| 17 | 4,022 |
| 18 | 4,258.59 |
| 19 | 4,495.18 |
| 20 | 4,731.76473 |
| 25 | 5,914.71 |
| 30 | 7,097.65 |
| 40 | 9,463.52946 |
| 50 | 11,829.4 |
| 75 | 17,744.1 |
| 100 | 23,658.8 |
| 250 | 59,147.1 |
| 500 | 118,294 |
| 1,000 | 236,588 |
About These Units
The cup
A US customary cup is 8 fluid ounces, or exactly 236.5882365 milliliters. Nutrition labels use a separate "legal cup" of exactly 240 milliliters, and a metric cup is 250 milliliters.
The milliliter
A milliliter is one thousandth of a liter and is exactly the same volume as one cubic centimeter. It is the standard unit in metric recipes and on medicine labels.
Definitions follow NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C. See how we calculate for the exact values and rounding rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a cup 250 mL?
Only the metric cup used in Australia and New Zealand. The US customary cup in recipes is 236.59 mL, which is 5.7 percent smaller.
Why do nutrition labels say 240 mL?
US labeling regulations define a separate "legal cup" of exactly 240 milliliters for serving sizes, because round numbers are easier to read on a label.
How many mL in half a cup?
Half a US cup is 118.294 milliliters, usually rounded to 120 mL.
How many cups in a liter?
One liter is 4.22675 US cups.