How Many Ounces in a Cup?

There's nothing worse than following a recipe only to discover that they have listed cups instead of ounces, and now you're wondering how many ounces in a cup. This requires some calculations and conversions on your part, but how can you do this if you don't know how many ounces are in a cup? 

You may be tempted to wing it, but when it comes to baking, this can end up being a flop, especially if you're converting dry and liquid conversions. To help navigate the sometimes confusing world of measurements, we have put together a handy guide on how many ounces in a cup. 

 Jump to Section

• What Is a Cup?
• What Is an Ounce?
• How Many Ounces in a Cup?
• Dry Ounce Conversions
• Fluid Ounce Conversions
• Equipment Needed for Measuring

What Is a Cup?

When dealing with measurements in the kitchen, it can quickly become confusing, especially over something so seemingly simple as cups and ounces. But here's where it starts getting tricky: an ounce is a unit of measurement, and a cup is a tool you use to measure with. You'll typically find that baking recipes use cups as a unit of measurement, and general cooking will stick with ounces.

When learning how many ounces are in a cup, you should remember that measuring cups are different from your normal cups. They're made to a specific measurement. However, not all measuring cups are made equal. For example, cups have different sizes according to what measurement system you're using, which is either the imperial or metric. 

Imperial vs. Metric Cup

Working out how many ounces in a cup gets a little tricky because the imperial and metric measurements per cup are different. If you have been following U.S. recipes, you'll have been using the imperial system, whereas the British will use the metric system. What difference does it make? Isn't a cup a cup wherever you go? 

In the baking world, there is no such thing as a one-cup size fits all, because in the U.S., one cup equals ½ of a U.S. pint. Learn how many ounces are in a pint with our helpful guide. 

But if you were using the metric system, one cup would equal 250 ml. This is why it is so important to check where in the world the recipe you're following is from to make sure you are using the correct measurements. 

What Is an Ounce?

When you're working out how many ounces in a cup, you need to first understand what an ounce is. When a recipe talks about using ounces, this is a type of unit of measurement that is used to weigh out volume, weight and mass. 

An ounce at its most basic weight is equal to 1/16 of a pound for dry substances and 1/16 of a pint for liquid substances. We'll go into more detail shortly about liquid and dry ingredients. 

Ounces are used by the imperial system, so they will typically be found in countries like the USA, Liberia and Myanmar. You may also find that some recipes use "oz" instead of “ounce,” but this is the same thing. They're just using the abbreviation of the Italian and Spanish word for ounce: onza. 

Dry Ounces vs. Fluid Ounces

Just when you thought things couldn't get more tricky when learning how many ounces in a cup, dry and fluid ounces come with their own differences. Just because they have the word ounce in them doesn't mean that they are equal. 

Dry ounces are used for dry ingredients because ounces are used to measure the volume, weight and mass of an item, which can't be done for liquids. That is why you get fluid ounces, so one liquid measuring cup equals eight ounces. 

However, one dry measuring cup won't equal eight ounces. You'll need to weigh the dry ingredients on a scale to get the ounces, but an average amount is 1/16 of a pound or 30 grams. 

An easy way to remember this is:

• Dry ounces get converted into grams and pounds because there is mass/volume or weight that can be measured.

• Liquid ounces get converted to cups, milliliters and liters because they're liquid. 

How Many Ounces in a Cup?

You’re probably still wondering, “How many ounces in a cup?” There are eight liquid ounces in a cup, and to check how many ounces are in a cup using dry ounces, you'll need to weigh the dry ingredients to get the weight.

How Many Ounces in Half a Cup?

You may be wondering how many ounces in half a cup, and the answer is simple: four ounces. To find out how many ounces are in half a cup with dry ingredients, you'll need to weigh them first. 

Dry Ounce Conversions

 ½ ounce =

• 14.17 grams 

• 0.03 pounds 

1 ounce =

• 28.35 grams 

• 0.06 pounds 

2 ounces =

• 56.7 grams 

• 0.13 pounds 

4 ounces = 

• 113.4 grams 

• 0.25 pounds

8 ounces =

• 226.8 grams 

• 0.5 pounds 

16 ounces =

• 453.6 grams 

• 1 pound 

Fluid Ounce Conversions

2 ounces = 

• ¼ cup

• 59 ml 

• 4 tablespoons 

4 ounces =

• ½ cup 

• 118.3 ml 

• 8 tablespoons 

8 ounces =

• 1 cup 

• 236.6 ml 

• 16 tablespoons 

16 ounces =

• 2 cups 

• 473.18 ml 

• 32 tablespoons 

24 ounces =

• 3 cups 

• 709.76 ml 

• 48 tablespoons 

64 ounces = 

• 8 cups 

• 1.89 L

• 128 tablespoons 

Equipment Needed for Measuring

Using the right measuring tools for finding how many ounces in a cup is key to accurate measurements and a successful recipe. These include using measuring spoons and cups instead of just eyeballing quantities. 

Our favorite measuring tools include: 

• Zwilling Kitchen Scale

• Mrs. Anderson's Measuring Cups - Set of 4

• Mrs. Anderson's Measuring Spoons - Set of 6

Once you know how many ounces in a cup, making those calculations in your head will come easy, giving you that confidence you need in the kitchen. Keep our helpful guide nearby in case you need a refresher. 

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