US vs UK Cooking Measurements

US and UK cooking volumes share the same names but different sizes. A US cup is 236.588 mL; a UK cup is 284.131 mL — about 20% larger. This gap accumulates: a UK recipe calling for 3 cups of milk would add 142 mL more liquid than the same recipe followed with US cups.

The formula

UK mL = US mL × (UK unit size ÷ US unit size)

Example for cups:
UK cups → mL: cups × 284.131
US cups → mL: cups × 236.588

Use this tool to enter any scale factor and see all unit equivalents at once.

Practical examples

Example 1: A UK recipe needs 2 cups of flour. How much is that in US cups? 2 UK cups × 284.131 mL = 568.26 mL ÷ 236.588 mL/US cup = 2.4 US cups

Example 2: A US recipe calls for 1 pint of cream. How many mL is that in the UK? 1 US pint = 473.176 mL. A UK pint = 568.261 mL. So the US pint is smaller — use 473 mL.

Example 3: A recipe needs 4 tablespoons of honey. US vs UK tablespoon? 4 × 14.787 mL (US) = 59.15 mL vs 4 × 17.758 mL (UK) = 71.03 mL — a 12 mL difference

Common mistakes

Assuming 1 cup = 250 mL. This is the metric cup used in Australia, Canada, and South Africa — not the US cup (236.588 mL) or the UK imperial cup (284.131 mL). When a recipe simply says "cups," the origin of the recipe determines which cup.

Treating UK and US tablespoons as identical. UK tablespoons are slightly larger (17.758 mL vs 14.787 mL). For small amounts, the difference is minor; across 10 tablespoons it adds up to 30 mL (about 2 US tablespoons extra).

Not adjusting for UK pint differences. The UK pint beer measure (568 mL) is larger than a US pint (473 mL). If you see "1 pint" in a UK recipe context, verify which standard applies.

International and regional variations

Quick reference