Start with exact volume equivalents
Use 1 US cup = 236 ml and 1 US fluid ounce = 29.57 ml. A metric cup is 250 ml, which is not identical. If a recipe was developed in the United States, converting it with 236 ml preserves the original ratio more closely than assuming every cup is 250 ml.
| US measure | Metric volume | Practical kitchen note |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 59 ml | Use 60 ml |
| 1/3 cup | 78.7 ml | Use 79 ml |
| 1/2 cup | 118 ml | Use 120 ml |
| 1 cup | 236 ml | Keep as 236 ml |
| 1 fl oz | 29.57 ml | Use 30 ml for small amounts |
Convert dry ingredients by weight
The better metric form for baking is usually weight, not milliliters. A cup of flour is a volume measure, and its weight changes with aeration and packing. Start with a tested ingredient weight table rather than converting every dry cup to 236 g.
| Ingredient | US cup | Metric weight |
|---|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 1 cup | 120 g |
| Bread flour | 1 cup | 120 g |
| Whole wheat flour | 1 cup | 113 g |
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup | 200 g |
| Brown sugar, packed | 1 cup | 213 g |
| Cocoa powder | 1 cup | 84 g |
Convert ounces and pounds
Multiply weight ounces by 28.35 to get grams, and pounds by 453.59. For example, 8 oz of cheese is about 227 g, while 1 lb of butter is about 454 g. Do not confuse an ounce of weight with a fluid ounce of volume.
Meat and produce weights can be rounded comfortably for shopping. Baking ingredients should follow the precision supported by your scale. A 0.1 g display is useful for yeast and small quantities; a 1 g display is enough for most flour and sugar.
Convert Fahrenheit to Celsius
Subtract 32 from the Fahrenheit temperature, multiply by 5, and divide by 9. A 350°F oven is about 177°C, commonly written as 180°C. For a fan oven, a common but approximate adjustment is 20°C lower than the conventional Celsius setting.
Oven calibration varies. Begin checking near the early end of the time range, especially after changing pan size or batch depth.
A short metric conversion checklist
- Keep the original yield and target yield visible.
- Convert volume units before scaling, or scale first and convert after; do not mix both approaches for one ingredient.
- Use grams for dry baking ingredients and milliliters for liquids.
- Round spoon measures only when the smaller precision will not affect the recipe.
- Treat oven temperature as a separate conversion from ingredient scaling.
Use the ingredient-aware Recipe Converter for scaled quantities and metric weight hints.
Convert a recipe nowRelated recipe tools
- Recipe Scaling Calculator for changing the number of servings.
- Ingredient Converter for volume and weight units.
- Cups to Grams for baking weights.
- Oven Temperature Converter for heat settings.