ML to cups converter, for any size of cup.

To convert milliliters to US cups, divide by 236.588, the size of one US cup in mL. So 250 mL is 1.0567 cups, 120 mL is 0.5072 cups and 500 mL is 2.1134 cups. If your recipe is metric and says "1 cup" for 250 mL, then 250 mL is exactly 1 of those cups. The card Metric cups (250 mL) shows it.

How to use the converter

1. Type the amount in the Milliliters (mL) box. A decimal such as 2.5 or a fraction such as 3/4 works.
2. The big result shows US cups (cup). Use Decimals in the side column to fix the number of places.
3. The cards show the same amount in metric cups, nutrition-label cups, US fluid ounces and US tablespoons.
4. Type cups in the second box, or press ⇄, for cups to mL.
5. Click a row in Common values to load it. Copy result, Copy link, Copy table and Print chart keep the answer. Start again resets the box.

One cup, three sizes in mL

NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C defines the measuring cup as 8 fluid ounces exactly, which it states as 237 milliliters, and the fluid ounce as 29.573 53 mL, so the exact cup is 236.5882 mL (checked 24 Oct 2026). The US nutrition-label rule, 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5)(viii), uses 240 mL for a cup (checked 24 Oct 2026). The 250 mL metric cup is used by recipes that adopt it; no official page was found for it.

Worked examples

• 100 mL of cream. 100 ÷ 236.588 = 0.423 cups, a little under half a cup.
• 175 mL of milk. 0.74 US cups, which is 5.92 fl oz.
• 350 mL of broth. 1.479 US cups, or 1.4 metric cups.
• 15 mL. 0.0634 cups. That is one label tablespoon, and 1.0144 US tablespoons.
• 750 mL, a wine bottle size. 3.17 US cups.
• Cups back to mL. 2 1/2 US cups = 591.5 mL. Type 2 1/2 in the cups box.

Cup fractions in mL

Recipes in cups use fractions. This table gives each in mL for the three cups.

Converting a whole metric recipe

Convert every amount with the same cup, not a mix. A recipe with 300 mL milk, 150 mL oil and 500 mL flour-water batter comes to 950 mL in all. In US cups that is 4.02. In metric cups it is 3.8. If the first number is for a pan and the pan is labelled in cups, check the pan's real volume in mL first and compare it to your total.

A chain for one amount

Take 180 mL of milk. In US cups it is 0.761. In fluid ounces it is 6.09. In tablespoons it is 12.17. In label cups it is 0.75. All four are the same milk. If a method asks for a cup and a half, the one-cup mark is wrong for a metric recipe, because 1.5 US cups is 354.9 mL and 1.5 metric cups is 375 mL.

Fitting an amount to a measuring cup

If your answer is 0.4 cup, that sits between 1/3 (78.9 mL) and 1/2 cup (118.3 mL), so it is better to measure in mL on the jug's metric side or use tablespoons. The conversion is only as good as the cup you hold, so look for a size printed on it.

Mistakes to avoid

The first is calling 250 mL "one cup" and then using it for a US recipe. The error is 5.7 percent per cup, which shows in bread and cake. The second is mixing dry and liquid measuring. Dry cups are filled and levelled, and the volume is still volume, but a "cup of flour" by weight changes with how it is packed. The third is using the cup of a different country. If the recipe does not say, treat the size as unknown and check a second source.

More: Liters to cups, ML to oz, mL to tablespoons, Ounces to cups and mL to grams.