US Cup

A unit of volume equal to 236.588 milliliters, defined by the US customary system and standardized by NIST.

Why it matters

The US cup is the standard measuring unit in American recipes. When a recipe published in the United States calls for a cup, it means exactly 236.588 ml — not the 250 ml metric cup used in Australia, Canada, and South Africa.

Examples

• 1 US cup of water weighs approximately 236.6 grams.
• A standard US liquid measuring cup is marked at 1 cup (236.588 ml), ½ cup, ⅓ cup, and ¼ cup.