Cup (unit)
| cup | |
|---|---|
 A simple plastic measuring cup, capable of holding the volume one metric cup with a scale for US fluid ounces | |
| General information | |
| Unit system | US customary units |
| Unit of | Volume |
| Symbol | cup |
| Conversions (US) | |
| 1 US cup in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI units | 236.588 mL |
The cup is a cooking measure of volume, commonly associated with cooking and serving sizes. In the US, it is traditionally equal to one-half US pint (236.6 ml). Because actual drinking cups may differ greatly from the size of this unit, standard measuring cups may be used, with a metric cup commonly being rounded up to 240 millilitres (legal cup), but 250 ml is also used depending on the measuring scale.
United States
[edit]
Customary cup
[edit]
In the United States, the customary cup is half of a US liquid pint.
| 1 US customary cup | = | 1⁄16 | US customary gallon |
| = | 1⁄4 | US customary quart | |
| = | 1⁄2 | US customary pint | |
| = | 8 | US customary fluid ounces | |
| = | 16 | US customary tablespoons | |
| = | 48 | US customary teaspoons | |
| = | 236.5882365 | milliliters exactly | |
| = | 0·946352946 | metric cup | |
| = | 15.7725491 | international metric tablespoons | |
| = | 11.829411825 | Australian metric tablespoons | |
| ≈ | 81⁄3 | imperial fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 0·83 | UK tumbler | |
| ≈ | 1·04 | UK breakfast cups | |
| ≈ | 1·39 | UK cups | |
| ≈ | 1·67 | UK teacups | |
| ≈ | 3·33 | UK coffee cups | |
| ≈ | 4·16 | UK wine glasses |
Legal cup
[edit]The cup currently used in the United States for nutrition labelling is defined in United States law as 240 ml.[1][2][3]
| 1 US "legal" cup | = | 240 | millilitres |
| = | 0·96 | metric cup | |
| = | 16 | international metric tablespoons | |
| = | 12 | Australian metric tablespoons | |
| = | 8 | US nutritional fluid ounces (30 ml each) | |
| ≈ | 8.12 | US customary fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 1·01 | US customary cups | |
| ≈ | 8.45 | imperial fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 0·84 | UK tumbler | |
| ≈ | 1·06 | UK breakfast cups | |
| ≈ | 1·41 | UK cups | |
| ≈ | 1·69 | UK teacups | |
| ≈ | 3·38 | UK coffee cups | |
| ≈ | 4·22 | UK wine glasses |
Conversion table to US legal cup
[edit]The following information is describing that how to measure US legal cup in different ways.[4]
| 1 cubic meter | = | 4,166.6667 | US legal cups |
| 1 litre | = | 4.16667 | US legal cups |
| 1 US legal tablespoon | = | 0.0625 | US legal cup |
| 1 US legal teaspoon | = | 0.020833333 | US legal cup |
| 1 metric cup | = | 1·04 | US legal cups |
| 1 international metric tablespoon | = | 0·062501 | US legal cup |
| 1 Australian metric tablespoon | = | 0·083333 | US legal cup |
| 1 metric teaspoon | = | 0·020833 | US legal cup |
| 1 US gallon | ≈ | 15.772549 | US legal cups |
| 1 US pint | ≈ | 1.9715686 | US legal cups |
| 1 US customary cup | ≈ | 0.98578432 | US legal cup |
| 1 US fluid ounce | ≈ | 0.12322304 | US legal cup |
| 1 US customary tablespoon | ≈ | 0.06161152 | US legal cup |
| 1 US customary teaspoon | ≈ | 0.020537173 | US legal cup |
| 1 cubic foot | ≈ | 117.987 | US legal cups |
| 1 cubic inch | ≈ | 0.0682794 | US legal cup |
| 1 imperial gallon | ≈ | 18.942 | US legal cups |
| 1 imperial pint | ≈ | 2.36776 | US legal cups |
| 1 imperial fluid ounce | ≈ | 0.118388 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK tablespoon | ≈ | 0.059194 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK teaspoon | ≈ | 0.014798 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK tumbler | ≈ | 1·18 | US legal cups |
| 1 UK breakfast cup | ≈ | 0·95 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK cup | ≈ | 0·71 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK teacup | ≈ | 0·59 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK coffee cup | ≈ | 0·30 | US legal cup |
| 1 UK wine glass | ≈ | 0·24 | US legal cup |
Coffee cup
[edit]A "cup" of coffee in the US is usually 4 fluid ounces (118 ml), brewed using 5 fluid ounces (148 ml) of water. Coffee carafes used with drip coffee makers, e.g. Black and Decker models, have markings for both water and brewed coffee as the carafe is also used for measuring water prior to brewing.[5] A 12-cup carafe, for example, has markings for 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 cups of water or coffee, which correspond to 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 US fluid ounces (0.59, 0.89, 1.18, 1.48, and 1.77 litres) of water or 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 US fluid ounces (0.47, 0.71, 0.95, 1.18, and 1.42 litres) of brewed coffee respectively, the difference being the volume absorbed by the coffee grounds and lost to evaporation during brewing.
Commonwealth of Nations
[edit]Metric cup
[edit]Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other members of the Commonwealth of Nations, being former British colonies that have since metricated, employ a "metric cup" of 250 millilitres.[6] Although derived from the metric system, it is not an SI unit.[7]
| 1 cup | = | 250 | millilitres |
| = | 162⁄3 | international metric tablespoons (15mL each) | |
| = | 121⁄2 | Australian metric tablespoons (20mL each) | |
| = | 25 | metric dessert spoons (10mL each) | |
| = | 50 | metric teaspoons (5mL each) | |
| ≈ | 8.80 | imperial fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 0·88 | UK tumbler | |
| ≈ | 1·10 | UK breakfast cups | |
| ≈ | 1·47 | UK cups | |
| ≈ | 1·76 | UK teacups | |
| ≈ | 3·52 | UK coffee cups | |
| ≈ | 4·40 | UK wine glasses | |
| ≈ | 8.45 | US customary fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 1·06 | US customary cups |
A "coffee cup" is 1.5 dL (i.e. 150 millilitres or 5.07 US customary fluid ounces), and is occasionally used in recipes; in older recipes, cup may mean "coffee cup". It is also used in the US to specify coffeemaker sizes (what can be referred to as a Tasse à café). A "12-cup" US coffeemaker makes 57.6 US customary fluid ounces of coffee, which is equal to 6.8 metric cups of coffee.
Canadian cup
[edit]Canada now usually employs the metric cup of 250 ml, but its conventional cup was somewhat smaller than both American and imperial units.[8]
1 Canadian cup = 8 imperial fluid ounces = 1/20 imperial gallon = 227.3045 ml
= 4⁄5 UK tumbler = 1 UK breakfast cup = 11⁄3 UK cups = 13⁄5 UK teacups = 31⁄5 UK coffee cups = 4 UK wine glasses
≈ 0·96 US customary cup
≈ 0·91 metric cup
1 Canadian tablespoon = 1⁄2 imperial fluid ounce (14.2065 ml)
= 1 UK tablespoon
≈ 0·96 US customary tablespoon
≈ 0·95 international metric tablespoon ≈ 0·71 Australian metric tablespoon
1 Canadian teaspoon = 1⁄6 imperial fluid ounce (4.7355 ml)
= 11⁄3 UK teaspoons
≈ 0·96 US customary teaspoon
≈ 0·95 metric teaspoon
British cup
[edit]In the United Kingdom, 1 cup is 6 imperial fluid ounces.[9] The unit is named after a typical drinking cup.
In addition, there are three other British culinary measurement units bearing names with the word, ‘cup’: the breakfast cup (8 imperial fluid ounces),[10][11] the teacup (5 imperial fluid ounces),[12] and the coffee cup (21⁄2 imperial fluid ounces).[13]
Further, there are two related British culinary measurement units of volume without the word, ‘cup’, in their names: the tumbler (10 imperial fluid ounces)[14][15] and the wine glass (2 imperial fluid ounces).[16][17]
| 1 cup | = | 6 | imperial fluid ounces |
| = | 3⁄5 | tumbler | |
| = | 3⁄4 | breakfast cup | |
| = | 11⁄5 | teacups | |
| = | 22⁄5 | coffee cups | |
| = | 3 | wine glasses | |
| = | 3⁄10 | imperial pint | |
| ≈ | 5·76 | US customary fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 0·72 | US customary cup | |
| ≈ | 170·48 | millilitres | |
| ≈ | 0·68 | metric cup |
All six units are the traditional British equivalence of the US customary cup and the metric cup, used in situations where a US cook would use the US customary cup and a cook using metric units the metric cup. The breakfast cup is the most similar in size to the US customary cup and the metric cup. Which of these six units is used depends on the quantity or volume of the ingredient: there is division of labour between these six units, like the tablespoon and the teaspoon. British cookery books and recipes, especially those from the days before the UK’s partial metrication, commonly use two or more of the aforesaid units simultaneously: for example, the same recipe may call for a ‘tumblerful’ of one ingredient and a ‘wineglassful’ of another one; or a ‘breakfastcupful’ or ‘cupful’ of one ingredient, a ‘teacupful’ of a second one, and a ‘coffeecupful’ of a third one. Unlike the US customary cup and the metric cup, a tumbler, a breakfast cup, a cup, a teacup, a coffee cup, and a wine glass are not measuring cups: they are simply everyday drinking vessels commonly found in British households and typically having the respective aforementioned capacities; due to long-term and wide-spread use, they have been transformed into measurement units for cooking.
International
[edit]Similar units in other languages and cultures are sometimes translated "cup", usually with various values around 1⁄5 to 1⁄4 of a litre.
Latin American cup
[edit]In Latin America, the amount of a "cup" (Spanish: taza) varies from country to country, using a cup of 200 ml (about 7·04 British imperial fluid ounces or 6·76 US customary fluid ounces), 250 ml (about 8·80 British imperial fluid ounces or 8·45 US customary fluid ounces), and the US legal or customary amount.
Japanese cup
[edit]The traditional Japanese unit equated with a "cup" size is the gō, legally equated with 2401/13310 litres (≈180.4 ml) in 1891, and is still used for reckoning amounts of rice and sake. The Japanese later defined a "cup" as 200 ml.
| 1 Japanese cup | = | 200 | millilitres |
| ≈ | 7.04 | British imperial fluid ounces | |
| ≈ | 6.76 | US customary fluid ounces |
Russian cup
[edit]The traditional Russian measurement system included two cup sizes: the "charka" (cup proper) and the "stakan" ("glass"). The charka was usually used for alcoholic drinks and is 123mL (about 4·33 British imperial fluid ounces or 4·16 US customary fluid ounces), while the stakan, used for other liquids, was twice as big and is 246mL (about 8·66 British imperial fluid ounces or 8·32 US customary fluid ounces).
Since metrication, the charka was informally redefined as 100 ml (about 3·52 British imperial fluid ounces or 3·38 US customary fluid ounces), acquiring a new name of "stopka" (related to the traditional Russian measurement unit "stopa"[citation needed]), while there are currently two widely used glass sizes of 250mL (about 8·80 British imperial fluid ounces or 8·45 US customary fluid ounces) and 200 ml (about 7·04 British imperial fluid ounces or 6·76 US customary fluid ounces).
Dutch cup
[edit]In The Netherlands, traditionally a "cup" (Dutch: kopje) amounts to 150 ml (about 5·28 British imperial fluid ounces or 5·07 US customary fluid ounces). However, in modern recipes, the US legal cup of 240 ml (about 8·45 British imperial fluid ounces or 8·12 US customary fluid ounces) is more commonly used.
Dry measure
[edit]In Europe, recipes normally weigh non-liquid ingredients in grams rather than measuring volume. For example, where an American recipe might specify "1 cup of sugar and 2 cups of milk", a European recipe might specify "200 g sugar and 500 ml of milk". A precise conversion between the two measures takes into account the density of the ingredients, and some recipes specify both weight and volume to facilitate this conversion. Many European measuring cups have markings that indicate the weight of common ingredients for a given volume.
| Ingredient | Density g/ml[a] |
Metric cup | UK breakfast cup[b] | UK teacup[c] | US customary cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| g | oz | g | oz | g | oz | g | oz | ||
| water[18] | 1[d] | 249–250 | 8.8 | 227·3 | 8·02 | 142·07 | 5·01 | 236.5882 | 8.3[e] |
| granulated sugar | 0.8[21] | 200 | 7.0 | 181·84 | 6·41 | 113·66 | 4·01 | 190 | 6.7 |
| wheat flour | 0.5–0.6[21] | 120–150 | 4.4–5.3 | 113·65–136·38 | 4·01–4·81 | 71·03–85·24 | 2·50–3·01 | 120–140 | 4.2–5.0 |
| table salt | 1.2[21] | 300 | 10.6 | 272·76 | 9·62 | 170·48 | 6·01 | 280 | 10.0 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ One gram per millilitre is very close to one avoirdupois ounce per fluid ounce: 1 g/ml ≈ 1.002 av oz/imp fl oz.
This is not a numerical coincidence, but comes from the original definition of the kilogram as the mass of one litre of water, and the fluid ounce being the volume of an ounce of water. The slight difference is due to water at 4 °C (39 °F) being used for the kilogram, and at 62 °F (17 °C) for the ounce. The US fluid ounce is slightly larger.
- 1 g/ml ≈ 1.043 av oz/US fl oz.
- ^ Among all six British units that are the equivalence of the US customary cup and the metric cup, the breakfast cup and the teacup are chosen to be included in this table because they are the most commonly used to give measurements of the ingredients in this table.
- ^ Among all six British units that are the equivalence of the US customary cup and the metric cup, the breakfast cup and the teacup are chosen to be included in this table because they are the most commonly used to give measurements of the ingredients in this table.
- ^ The density of water ranges from about 0.96 to 1.00 g/ml dependent on temperature and pressure. The table above assumes a temperature range 0–30 °C (32–86 °F). The variation is too small to make any difference in cooking.[19][20]
- ^ Since an imperial cup of water weighs approximately 10 avoirdupois ounces and five imperial cups are approximately equal to six US cups, one US cup of water weighs approximately 81⁄3 avoirdupois ounces.
References
[edit]- ^ (21 CFR 101.9 (b) (5) (viii)
- ^ US Government Printing Office—Electronic Code of Federal Regulations Archived 2009-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ U.S. Food and Drug Administration—Guidelines for Determining Metric Equivalents of Household Measures
- ^ "US Legal Cup Measures". 16 November 2020. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Black and Decker Replacement Carafe". Archived from the original on 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
- ^ "Standard Australian Cooking Measurements". Retrieved 2014-09-24.
- ^ "coherent units". BIPM. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
- ^ "How Many Tablespoons in a Cup - Easy Conversions". First Health Mag. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
- ^ Page 665, Enquire Within upon Everything (1894)
- ^ ‘Consuming Interest’, Elizabeth David, The Spectator, 15th March, 1963
- ^ ‘Tea Making, My Experiments [1859]’, chapter XVII, page 456, volume IIIB, The Life, Letters and Labours of Francis Galton (1930)
- ^ ‘Consuming Interest’, Elizabeth David, The Spectator, 15th March, 1963
- ^ ‘Consuming Interest’, Elizabeth David, The Spectator, 15th March, 1963
- ^ Page 665, Enquire Within upon Everything (1894)
- ^ Page 14, Good Things in England (1932)
- ^ Page 665, Enquire Within upon Everything (1894)
- ^ Page 11, The Feill Cookery Book (1907)
- ^ 1 g/ml is a good rough guide for water-based liquids such as milk (the density of milk is about 1.03–1.04 g/ml).
- ^ Water density calculator
- ^ Ma, Allen (2007). Elert, Glenn (ed.). "Density of water". The Physics Factbook. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
- ^ a b c L. Fulton, E. Matthews, C. Davis: Average weight of a measured cup of various foods. Home Economics Research Report No. 41, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC, 1977.