Ingredient Weight Converter · sweetener
Granulated Sugar: cups to grams
1 cup of granulated sugar weighs 200 grams. Use the converter below for any other amount, or check the quick-reference table.
By Andrew Flores, Editor and publisher, Nathan Management. Last reviewed .
Density source: USDA FoodData Central, cross-checked against the King Arthur Baking weight chart. How these figures are derived and corrected is documented in our editorial standards.
Granulated Sugar baseline: 1 cup = 200 g.
Common amounts
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces (weight) | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4.0 | 50 g | 1.76 oz | 59 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.3 | 67 g | 2.35 oz | 79 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8.0 | 100 g | 3.53 oz | 118 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 10.7 | 133 g | 4.71 oz | 158 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 12.0 | 150 g | 5.29 oz | 177 mL |
| 1 cup | 16.0 | 200 g | 7.05 oz | 237 mL |
| 1.5 cups | 24.0 | 300 g | 10.58 oz | 355 mL |
| 2 cups | 32.0 | 400 g | 14.11 oz | 473 mL |
| 3 cups | 48.0 | 600 g | 21.16 oz | 710 mL |
| 4 cups | 64.0 | 800 g | 28.22 oz | 946 mL |
Spoon weights
Derived from the same 200 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 13 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 4.2 g |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 2.1 g |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 1.0 g |
Granulated Sugar at a glance
- 4 lb bag yields
- about 9 cups (1,814 g ÷ 200 g)
- Caramel starts
- around 320 °F for dry sugar; it goes from amber to burnt in under a minute
- It is also a liquid
- Sugar holds water in the crumb — reducing it makes a cake drier and staler, not just less sweet
What a cup of granulated sugar actually weighs
The published 200 g assumes one specific way of filling the cup. Here is what the same cup weighs under the other common handling methods and product forms, and how far off the recipe you end up.
| How it was measured | Grams per cup | vs. published | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spooned and leveled | 200 g | published figure | The published figure. |
| Scooped straight from the bag | 200 g | published figure | Sugar crystals do not compress under the rim of a cup the way flour does. Both methods land on the same number, which is exactly why volume-measured American dessert recipes still work. |
Why measuring granulated sugar by cup goes wrong
Granulated sugar is the most predictable ingredient in baking by volume because its crystal size is standardized — every American grocery brand falls within a couple of grams of 200 grams per cup. That's why early American cookbooks could use cup measurements and still produce reliable results: sugar, butter, and water are the ingredients that least mind the volume system.
Practical tips for working with granulated sugar
Superfine sugar is the same chemistry, just smaller crystals; it dissolves faster in meringues, cold drinks, and creamed butter. If a recipe specifies superfine and you only have granulated, pulse the granulated in a food processor for 30 seconds — you'll lose a small amount as dust but the rest works fine. Sugar is not only sweetness: it holds water, so cutting it back dries out a cake and shortens its shelf life more than most bakers expect.
Note from this ingredient's record: Refined white cane or beet sugar. Stable density, which is why classic American recipes hold up so well when measured by volume.
Substitutions that work — and what they cost you
Brown sugar
Ratio: 1:1 by volume, packed
Trade-off: Adds moisture and a little acid: chewier, softer, browner, and it will react with any baking soda in the recipe.
Honey
Ratio: 3/4 cup honey per 1 cup sugar; cut other liquid by 1/4 cup; drop the oven 25 °F; add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Trade-off: Works for cakes and quick breads. Fails anywhere the sugar crystal itself is doing the work — meringue, creamed-butter aeration, crisp cookies.
When granulated sugar ruins the recipe
| What you see | What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies spread thin and lacy | Sugar melts and thins the dough; too much sugar, or dough that started warm. | Chill the dough, check that the sugar was leveled rather than heaped, and bake on a cool sheet. |
| Buttercream or meringue feels gritty on the tongue | Granulated crystals never dissolved. | Use superfine sugar, or heat the whites and sugar over a water bath to 160 °F and rub a drop between your fingers before whipping — no grit means it is ready. |
Storing granulated sugar
Airtight at room temperature, indefinitely. Sugar does not spoil; if it hardens it has picked up moisture, and breaking up the lumps restores it completely.
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