Choose the recipe's system first.
A US customary cup is about 236.6 ml, while a metric cup is 250 ml. An Australian tablespoon is 20 ml; the common US and metric tablespoon is about 15 ml. Do not mix columns within one recipe.
Cups to millilitres
| Measure | US customary | Metric / AU |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 59.15 ml | 62.5 ml |
| ⅓ cup | 78.86 ml | 83.33 ml |
| ½ cup | 118.29 ml | 125 ml |
| ⅔ cup | 157.73 ml | 166.67 ml |
| ¾ cup | 177.44 ml | 187.5 ml |
| 1 cup | 236.59 ml | 250 ml |
| 2 cups | 473.18 ml | 500 ml |
| 4 cups | 946.35 ml | 1 litre |
Spoons to millilitres
| Measure | Common US / metric | Australian |
|---|---|---|
| ¼ teaspoon | 1.23–1.25 ml | 1.25 ml |
| ½ teaspoon | 2.46–2.5 ml | 2.5 ml |
| 1 teaspoon | 4.93–5 ml | 5 ml |
| 1 tablespoon | 14.79–15 ml | 20 ml |
| 2 tablespoons | 29.57–30 ml | 40 ml |
| 4 tablespoons | 59.15–60 ml | 80 ml |
Fluid ounces, pints and gallons
| Unit | US | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| 1 fluid ounce | 29.5735 ml | 28.4131 ml |
| 1 pint | 473.176 ml | 568.261 ml |
| 1 quart | 946.353 ml | 1.13652 L |
| 1 gallon | 3.78541 L | 4.54609 L |
How to use this chart safely
- Identify where the recipe was published. US recipes usually use US customary cups; Australian recipes use 250 ml cups and 20 ml tablespoons.
- Use weight for flour, sugar and other dry ingredients when the recipe supplies grams. Cup-to-gram conversions depend on density and packing.
- Keep full precision during calculation, then round to a measuring mark you can actually use.
Sources and precision
Metric values follow SI usage. US customary relationships are checked against the NIST SI Units—Volume guidance. Displayed decimals are rounded for kitchen use; use the volume converter when you need more precision.
Common questions
Is one cup always 250 ml?
No. A metric cup is 250 ml, but a US customary cup is about 236.6 ml.
Is an Australian tablespoon different?
Yes. It is 20 ml, compared with about 15 ml for the common US or metric tablespoon.
Can cups of flour be converted directly to millilitres?
Millilitres describe volume, not mass. For repeatable baking results, use the ingredient's gram weight when available.