Grams to Cups Conversion Calculator

How to Convert Grams to Cups

By

Joe Sexton

Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.

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Reviewed by

Ethan Dederick, PhD

Ethan has a PhD in astrophysics and is currently a satellite imaging scientist. He specializes in math, science, and astrophysics.

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Since grams are a unit of mass and cups are a unit of volume, which are different physical quantities, we need to know one more physical quantity of the ingredient or substance to convert between them. In this case, we need to account for the density of the substance whenever we do a conversion.

Therefore, to convert between grams and cups of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.

Grams to Cups Formula

To convert a measurement in grams to cups, divide the weight by the density of the ingredient or material. Note that in order for this to work, the density must be in grams per cup (g/c).

If the density is given in grams per milliliter (g/mL), then first multiply the density by 236.5882 to convert to g/c.

For a density given in g/mL, you can use this simple formula to convert:

cups = grams / 236.5882 × density

Thus, the volume in cups is equal to the weight in grams divided by 236.5882 times the density (in g/mL) of the ingredient, substance, or material.

When to Convert Grams to Cups

Grams and cups are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.

For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.^[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction and clumping.

The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the weight to volume conversion.

For cooking and baking ingredients, you can get more specific results using our butter, flour, and sugar conversion calculators.

Another useful application of weight and volume conversions is chemistry. When performing chemical reactions by combining separate chemicals to produce a new chemical, one must know the exact amount of each chemical to add in order to maximize the yield of the reaction.

It is common to mix powdered chemicals with liquid, or aqueous, chemicals, and this is where it becomes very useful to convert between weights and volumes.^[2]

Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.