Grams of Flour to Cups
250 g of all-purpose flour is 2.08 US cups, which in a kitchen means 2 cups + 1 tbsp. The rule behind it is simple: divide the grams by 120, the weight of one spooned-and-levelled cup (King Arthur Baking). The rest of this page covers the awkward amounts that British, European and Australian recipes love to use.
Source: All-Purpose Flour: 1 cup = 120 g (King Arthur Baking, Ingredient Weight Chart). Spooned and levelled. Scooped straight from the bag it can weigh 140 g or more. USDA lists 125 g (fdcId 169761).
| Grams | US cups | Measuring-cup version |
|---|---|---|
| 25 g | 0.208 | 3 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 50 g | 0.417 | ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 100 g | 0.833 | ¾ cup + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 125 g | 1.04 | 1 cup + 2 tsp |
| 150 g | 1.25 | 1 ¼ cups |
| 200 g | 1.67 | 1 ⅔ cups |
| 250 g | 2.08 | 2 cups + 1 tbsp + 1 tsp |
| 300 g | 2.5 | 2 ½ cups |
| 400 g | 3.33 | 3 ⅓ cups |
| 500 g | 4.17 | 4 cups + 2 tbsp + 2 tsp |
| 1,000 g | 8.33 | 8 ⅓ cups |
| Cups | Grams (US cup) | Ounces (US cup) | Grams (metric cup, 250 ml) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 15 | 0.529 | 16 |
| 1/4 cup | 30 | 1.06 | 32 |
| 1/3 cup | 40 | 1.41 | 42 |
| 1/2 cup | 60 | 2.12 | 63 |
| 2/3 cup | 80 | 2.82 | 85 |
| 3/4 cup | 90 | 3.17 | 95 |
| 1 cup | 120 | 4.23 | 127 |
| 1 1/2 cups | 180 | 6.35 | 190 |
| 2 cups | 240 | 8.47 | 254 |
| 3 cups | 360 | 12.7 | 380 |
| 4 cups | 480 | 16.93 | 507 |
| Measure | Grams | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4 tsp | 0.6 | 1.23 |
| 1/2 tsp | 1.2 | 2.46 |
| 1 tsp | 2.5 | 4.93 |
| 1 tbsp (3 tsp) | 7.5 | 14.79 |
| 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) | 15 | 29.57 |
| 4 tbsp (1/4 cup) | 30 | 59.15 |
| 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) | 60 | 118.3 |
Worked example: a 450 g cake flour quantity
- Start with the recipe: 450 g of all-purpose flour.
- Divide by the cup weight: 450 ÷ 120 = 3.75 cups.
- Split the whole cups from the fraction: 3 cups use 360 g, leaving 90 g.
- Convert the remainder to tablespoons: 90 ÷ 7.5 = 12 tbsp.
- Measure 3 cups + 12 tbsp, spooned and levelled.
The weights you will meet most often
Metric recipes tend to land on round gram counts. Rounded to the nearest practical measuring-cup size, these are the ones flour recipes use most:
- 100 g → ⅞ cup (0.83)
- 125 g → 1 cup (1.04)
- 150 g → 1 ¼ cups (1.25)
- 200 g → 1 ⅔ cups (1.67)
- 300 g → 2 ½ cups (2.5)
- 500 g → 4 ⅛ cups (4.17)
Decimals matter when the answer is not a neat fraction. 200 g comes out at 1.67 cups, so you would use 1 cup + 11 tbsp rather than guess at "a little over one and a half cups".
Why the cup answer is only approximate
Measuring flour by volume has a built-in margin. A scooped cup can be 140 g or more, so your 2 ⅛ cups of scooped flour might hold well over 250 g. Going the other way, the King Arthur Baking chart assumes you spooned. For anything delicate, such as sponge cake or shortbread, a scale is worth the small cost.
Another wrinkle is the USDA FoodData Central cup figure of 125 g. Divide 250 g by 125 and you get 2 cups instead of 2.08, a difference of 0.08 cup. It is small, but it shows why this site states its source.
Self-raising flour in UK recipes
If the recipe says self-raising flour, the cup is lighter: 113 g per cup rather than 120 g. That means 250 g of self-raising flour is 2.21 cups, or 2 cups + 3 tbsp, a little more than plain flour needs. Convert using the right ingredient, not the nearest one.
Small amounts: switch to tablespoons
Below about a quarter cup, tablespoons are more accurate than fractions of a cup. One tablespoon of all-purpose flour is 7.5 g, so 30 g is exactly 4 tablespoons (4). The tablespoon to cup converter handles liquids, and the tablespoon to grams table lists other dry goods.
Rounding without losing accuracy
Round to whole tablespoons and the most you can be out is half a tablespoon, about 3.75 g of flour. On a 250 g recipe that is 1.5% of the total at worst, far less than the swing between a scooped and a spooned cup. Round the cups instead and the error can be several times larger, so work in tablespoons for the last fraction.
Common slips when converting down
- Rounding every ingredient in a recipe the same direction, so errors add up instead of cancelling.
- Using a 250 ml measuring cup when the recipe was written for the US cup, or the reverse.
- Assuming bread flour and all-purpose differ on a cup chart. They match here, but protein differs.
Frequently asked questions
How many cups is 250 g of flour?
250 g of all-purpose flour is 2.08 cups, or 2 cups + 1 tbsp.
How many cups is 500 g of flour?
500 g of all-purpose flour is 4.17 cups, roughly 4 ⅛ cups.
How many cups is 100 g of flour?
100 g of all-purpose flour is 0.83 cups, a little under ⅞ cup.
Is the answer different for a metric cup?
Yes. A 250 ml cup of flour holds about 127 g, so 250 g is 1.97 metric cups.
What if my recipe says self-raising flour?
Use the self-raising weight of 113 g per cup, so 250 g is 2.21 cups.