Enter the weight or volume in ounces below to calculate the volume in cups.
How to Convert Ounces to Cups
By
Joe Sexton
Joe is the creator of Inch Calculator and has over 20 years of experience in engineering and construction. He holds several degrees and certifications.
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Cite As:
Sexton, J. (n.d.). Ounces to Cups Converter (oz to cups). Inch Calculator. Retrieved August 20, 2024, from https://www.inchcalculator.com/convert/ounce-to-cup/
Since ounces are a unit of mass and cups are a unit of volume, which are different physical quantities, we need to know one more physical quantity of the ingredient or substance to convert between them.In this case, we need to account for the density of the substance whenever we do a conversion.
Therefore, to convert between ounces and cups of an ingredient or substance, we must either multiply or divide by its density, depending on which direction we are performing the conversion.
Dry vs. Liquid Ounces
When converting ounces to cups, it's important to keep in mind that dry measurements, such as flour or sugar, are measured by weight, and liquid measurements, such as water, are measured by volume.
When measuring a liquid, the measurement is actually the volume of liquid in fluid ounces, while for dry measurements, it's a weight.This is important to remember since there are different conversion formulas for each.
You'll also need a different type of measuring cup, depending on whether the ingredient is dry or liquid.Dry measuring cups are typically made of plastic or metal and are shaped more like a scoop, while liquid measuring cups are usually transparent glass, plastic, or silicone with measurement lines along the outside.
How to Convert Dry Ounces to Cups
To convert a measurement in ounces to cups, divide the weight by 8.3454 times the density of the ingredient or material.
You can use this simple formula to convert:
cups = ounces / 8.3454 × density
Thus, the volume in cups is equal to the weight in ounces divided by 8.3454 times the density of the ingredient or material.
For example, here's how to convert 5 ounces to cups for an ingredient with a density of 0.7 g/mL.
cups = 5 oz / 8.3454 × 0.7 g/mL = 0.8559 c
How to Convert Fluid Ounces to Cups
The conversion for fluid ounces is more straightforward since both units are volumes.
To convert fluid ounces to cups, divide the volume by the conversion ratio.
Since one cup is equal to 8 fluid ounces, you can use this simple formula to convert:
cups = fluid ounces ÷ 8
The volume in cups is equal to the fluid ounces divided by 8.
For example, here's how to convert 5 fluid ounces to cups using the formula above.
cups = 5 fl oz ÷ 8 = 0.625 c
When to Convert Ounces to Cups
Ounces and cups are both commonly used to measure cooking ingredients.
For cooking applications, most chefs suggest measuring dry ingredients by weight rather than volume to improve accuracy in the measurements.[1] The density of dry ingredients can vary for a variety of reasons, such as compaction and clumping.
The best way to ensure an accurate conversion is to use a scale. When a scale is not available, a calculator like the one above is a good way to estimate the weight to volume conversion.
For cooking and baking ingredients, you can get more specific results using our butter, flour, and sugar conversion calculators.
Another useful application of weight and volume conversions is chemistry.When performing chemical reactions by combining separate chemicals to produce a new chemical, one must know the exact amount of each chemical to add in order to maximize the yield of the reaction.
It is common to mix powdered chemicals with liquid, or aqueous, chemicals, and this is where it becomes very useful to convert between weights and volumes.[2]
Keep reading to learn more about each unit of measure.
What Is an Ounce?
One ounce is a unit of mass/weight equal to 1/16 of a pound or 28.349523 grams.The common ounce should not be confused with the troy ounce, which is equal to 1/12 of a troy pound.[3]
The ounce is a US customary and imperial unit of mass. Ounces can be abbreviated as oz; for example, 1 ounce can be written as 1 oz.
An ounce is frequently referred to as a unit of weight.While technically, an ounce is a measure of mass, and weight is actually a measure of force, the two are equivalent as long as we are performing our calculations on Earth.
For example, an object with a mass of 1 ounce weighs 1 ounce on Earth, but only weighs one-sixth of that on the moon, yet still has the same mass.
Remember that liquid measurements use the fluid ounce, which is a volume measurement.
The US fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to 1/16 of a pint or 1/8 of a cup.The fluid ounce is sometimes referred to as just an "ounce" but should not be confused with the unit of weight.One fluid ounce is equal to approximately 29.5735 milliliters, but in nutrition labeling, one fluid ounce is rounded to exactly 30 milliliters.[4]
It's also denoted a little differently, so you can distinguish both forms of measurement on packaging or in recipes.
The fluid ounce is a US customary unit of volume. Fluid ounces can be abbreviated as fl oz, and are also sometimes abbreviated as oz fl. For example, 1 fluid ounce can be written as 1 fl oz or 1 oz fl.
Learn more about ounces.
What Is a Cup?
The cup is a unit of volume equal to 16 tablespoons or 8 fluid ounces.The cup should not be confused with the metric cup or the teacup, which are different units of volume.
One standard cup is equal to 236.588 milliliters, but for nutrition labeling, one cup is defined as 240 milliliters.[4] To further confuse things, a metric cup is equal to 250 mL, while in Japan, a cup is equivalent to only 200 mL.
The cup is a US customary unit of volume. Cups can be abbreviated as c, and are also sometimes abbreviated as C. For example, 1 cup can be written as 1 c or 1 C.
Learn more about cups.
