When you need this conversion
Metric recipes when your measuring cups are American, or packaging in mL (cream, stock, milk) when a recipe asks for cups.
Quick reference (US cups)
- 60 mL ≈ ¼ cup (0.2536)
- 125 mL ≈ ½ cup (0.5283)
- 180 mL ≈ ¾ cup (0.7608)
- 250 mL ≈ 1 cup (1.05669)
- 500 mL ≈ 2 cups (2.11338)
- 1,000 mL ≈ 4¼ cups (4.22675)
When it matters
For soups, sauces and stock, rounding 250 mL to one cup is harmless. For baking, the 5.7% difference can change texture, especially with liquid-to-flour ratios in bread and cakes.
Common mistakes
Assuming a cup is 250 mL in US recipes. It’s 236.6 mL.
Converting weights as volumes. 250 g of sugar isn’t 250 mL.
For the reverse, use cups to mL. For weights, use cups to grams.