Cups to Ounces (cups to fl oz)

How to convert cups to fluid ounces

Multiply the cups by 8:

fl oz = cups × 8

2 cups × 8 = 16 fl oz. The factor is exact: a U.S. customary cup is half a pint, and a pint is 16 fluid ounces. The result also shows milliliters and tablespoons. To go the other way, divide by 8, or use ounces to cups.

Measuring cups in ounces

Cups to ounces chart

A cup of flour is not 8 ounces

Fluid ounces measure volume; ounces on a kitchen scale measure weight. Only for water and similar liquids do 8 fluid ounces weigh about 8 ounces. A cup of all-purpose flour weighs about 4.25 oz, a cup of granulated sugar about 7 oz, and a cup of honey about 12 oz. When a recipe gives dry ingredients in ounces, weigh them; the ounces to grams converter helps if your scale is metric.

Scaling a recipe

When you double or halve a recipe, converting cups to ounces first avoids awkward fractions: 3/4 cup halved is 3 fluid ounces, easier to measure in a liquid measuring cup marked in ounces than “3/8 cup”. To convert every liquid in a recipe at once, open Convert a list of values and paste the cups one per line; the CSV gives each in fluid ounces. Measure liquids at eye level in a clear cup — reading from above makes the amount look larger.

U.S., label and metric cups

Three cups are in use. The U.S. customary cup is 236.6 mL (8 fl oz). Nutrition labels use a cup of 240 mL, set by FDA rules, which is 8.12 fl oz. The metric cup used in Canada, Australia and many recipes from abroad is 250 mL, or 8.45 U.S. fl oz. For drinks the difference is small; in baking it adds up to about 6% between the U.S. and metric cups. For quarts and pints, see quarts to cups.