Cups of Granulated Sugar to Grams
1 cup of granulated sugar weighs 198 g, per King Arthur Baking ("Sugar (granulated white): 1 cup = 198 g"). That is 7 oz, or 12.4 g per tablespoon. Sugar is far denser than flour, so a cup of it weighs 1.65 times as much as a cup of all-purpose flour.
Source: Sugar (granulated white): 1 cup = 198 g (King Arthur Baking, Ingredient Weight Chart). USDA lists 200 g (fdcId 169655).
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 25 | 0.873 | 26 |
| 1/4 cup | 50 | 1.75 | 52 |
| 1/3 cup | 66 | 2.33 | 70 |
| 1/2 cup | 99 | 3.49 | 105 |
| 2/3 cup | 132 | 4.66 | 139 |
| 3/4 cup | 148 | 5.24 | 157 |
| 1 cup | 198 | 6.98 | 209 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 297 | 10.48 | 314 |
| 2 cups | 396 | 13.97 | 418 |
| 3 cups | 594 | 20.95 | 628 |
| 4 cups | 792 | 27.94 | 837 |
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.126 | about 2 tbsp |
| 50 g | 0.253 | about ¼ cup |
| 100 g | 0.505 | about ½ cup |
| 125 g | 0.631 | about ½ cup + 2 tbsp |
| 150 g | 0.758 | about ¾ cup |
| 200 g | 1.01 | about 1 cup |
| 250 g | 1.26 | about 1 ¼ cups + 1 tsp |
| 300 g | 1.52 | about 1 ½ cups + 1 tsp |
| 400 g | 2.02 | 2 cups + 1 tsp |
| 500 g | 2.53 | about 2 ½ cups + 1 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 5.05 | about 5 cups + 2 tsp |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 1 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.1 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 4.1 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 12.4 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 24.7 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 49.5 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 99 | 118.3 |
Worked example: scaling a cookie recipe to 1 ¾ cups of sugar
- One cup is 198 g.
- Whole cup plus three-quarters: 1 × 198 g + 0.75 × 198 g = 198 g + 149 g.
- Total: 347 g.
- Your scale has a 5 g step? Round to 345 g and the batch will not notice.
- For a double batch, 1.75 × 2 = 3.5 cups, which is 3.5 × 198 g = 693 g.
Sugar crystals pack consistently
Unlike flour, granulated sugar does not compress much. It is free-flowing, so scooping and spooning pack it far more alike than they do with flour, which is why cup recipes for cookies and cakes survive so well. The one published disagreement is small: USDA FoodData Central lists 200 g, only 2 g above King Arthur Baking. Over 4 cups that is 8 g, hardly noticeable in a batch of dough.
Not every sugar is the same cup
Crystal size and moisture change how sugar packs. Per cup, the other common white and raw sugars come out like this:
- superfine (caster) sugar: 190 g, which is 8 g less than granulated
- turbinado (raw) sugar: 180 g, which is 18 g less than granulated
- demerara sugar: 220 g, which is 22 g more than granulated
- coconut sugar: 154 g, which is 44 g less than granulated
Brown sugar behaves differently again, so it has its own page: see brown sugar cups to grams. For frosting sugar, go to the powdered sugar guide.
Where sugar quantity matters most
Sugar does more than sweeten. It tenderises crumb, browns crust and keeps cakes moist, so a few grams here and there can show up in the finished texture.
- Meringues and macarons rely on exact ratios of sugar to egg white, which is why those recipes list grams.
- Caramel and jam depend on the weight of sugar against fruit or water, not on how full the cup looks.
- Cookies spread more with extra sugar; a heaped cup can turn a chewy cookie into a flat one.
The 250 ml cup
A metric cup of granulated sugar weighs about 209 g (0.8369 g per ml × 250 ml). That is 11.2 g more than a US cup, so an Australian recipe written in metric cups uses more sugar than the same words read as US cups.
Sugar and water: a simple syrup
Equal parts sugar and water by volume is the classic simple syrup. One cup of granulated sugar (198 g) dissolved in one cup of water (237 g) gives 435 g of syrup before any water evaporates. Sugar is a bit lighter than the water beside it, so a cup-for-cup syrup is actually 20% more water than sugar by weight.
Habits worth building
- Level the cup with a knife; do not shake it until sugar domes.
- Spoon sugar rather than using the cup as a scoop if your cup has a rounded rim.
- Skip the cup entirely when you can: sugar poured onto a scale reads the same every time.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams are in 1 cup of granulated sugar?
1 US cup of granulated sugar is 198 g (King Arthur Baking). USDA lists 200 g.
How many grams are in half a cup of sugar?
Half a cup is 99 g, a third is 66 g and a quarter is 49.5 g.
How much does a tablespoon of sugar weigh?
One US tablespoon of granulated sugar is about 12.4 g, and a teaspoon is 4.13 g.
Is caster sugar the same weight as granulated?
Not quite. Superfine (caster) sugar is 190 g per cup against 198 g for granulated.
Does a metric cup of sugar weigh more?
Yes. A 250 ml cup holds about 209 g of granulated sugar.