US cup (cup)

Definition

A US customary cup, one sixteenth of a gallon (236.5882365 milliliters).

History

The US customary cup was standardised as a cooking measure at one sixteenth of a gallon, about 237 milliliters. It became popular through American recipe books in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Where it is used

The cup is the dominant volume measure in US home cooking and baking; metric recipes usually give milliliters or grams instead.

Typical uses include recipes, baking.

Conversion pages

These pages convert US cup to or from another unit in volume.

• Milliliter to US cup

Other Volume units

• Liter (L)
• Milliliter (mL)
• US gallon (gal)
• US quart (qt)
• US pint (pt)
• US fluid ounce (fl oz)
• Tablespoon (tbsp)
• Teaspoon (tsp)
• Cubic meter (m³)
• Cubic foot (ft³)

Sources

• NIST HB 44 NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C §2 (U.S. Customary Units) and §5 (Tables of Equivalents) · Dataset reviewed Nov 11, 2026