Ingredient Weight Converter · sweetener
Powdered Sugar: cups to grams
1 cup of powdered sugar weighs 113 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.
Powdered Sugar baseline: 1 cup = 113 g.
Common amounts
| Cups | Tablespoons | Grams | Ounces (weight) | Milliliters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 4.0 | 28 g | 1.00 oz | 59 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 5.3 | 38 g | 1.33 oz | 79 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 8.0 | 57 g | 1.99 oz | 118 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 10.7 | 75 g | 2.66 oz | 158 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 12.0 | 85 g | 2.99 oz | 177 mL |
| 1 cup | 16.0 | 113 g | 3.99 oz | 237 mL |
| 1.5 cups | 24.0 | 170 g | 5.98 oz | 355 mL |
| 2 cups | 32.0 | 226 g | 7.97 oz | 473 mL |
| 3 cups | 48.0 | 339 g | 11.96 oz | 710 mL |
| 4 cups | 64.0 | 452 g | 15.94 oz | 946 mL |
Spoon weights
Derived from the same 113 g per cup — a US tablespoon is 1/16 of a cup and a teaspoon is 1/48.
| Amount | Grams |
|---|---|
| 1 tablespoon | 7.1 g |
| 1 teaspoon | 2.4 g |
| 1/2 teaspoon | 1.2 g |
| 1/4 teaspoon | 0.59 g |
Powdered Sugar at a glance
- Cornstarch content
- about 3%, added as an anti-caking agent
- 1 lb box yields
- about 4 cups sifted (454 g ÷ 113 g)
- Grind grades
- 10X is the standard US grocery grind; 6X is coarser and used commercially
What a cup of powdered sugar actually weighs
The published 113 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sifted, then spooned | 113 g | published figure | The published figure and what frosting recipes assume. |
| Scooped from the bag, unsifted | ~130 g | +15% | The powder settles hard in the bag and compacts further under the cup's rim. |
A tilde (~) marks a working estimate rather than a published figure — it varies with brand, grind, or how hard the cup was packed.
Why measuring powdered sugar by cup goes wrong
Powdered sugar is granulated sugar pulverized to a fine dust with about 3 percent cornstarch added to prevent caking. The cornstarch is what makes royal icing dry into a hard shell and what makes a too-thick glaze taste faintly starchy. A cup, sifted, weighs about 113 grams; unsifted and scooped it can be 130 grams because the powder compacts.
Practical tips for working with powdered sugar
Always sift powdered sugar through a fine-mesh strainer before adding it to a glaze, frosting, or anywhere it needs to dissolve into a small amount of liquid. The lumps that look microscopic in the bag become unmistakable in a thin glaze on a lemon loaf. For dusting cookies, no need to sift — gravity sorts it as it falls through a small sieve.
Note from this ingredient's record: Also called confectioners' or icing sugar. Always sift before using in royal icing or glaze — clumps will not dissolve into a small amount of liquid.
Substitutions that work — and what they cost you
Make it from granulated sugar
Ratio: 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch, blended 60 seconds
Trade-off: Weight is conserved, volume is not — 200 g granulated makes 200 g powdered, which is a much bigger pile. Home blenders leave it grittier than commercial, so it is fine for glaze and wrong for smooth buttercream.
When powdered sugar ruins the recipe
| What you see | What went wrong | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Glaze has hard white lumps that will not whisk out | Unsifted powdered sugar. Small lumps do not dissolve in a tablespoon or two of liquid. | Sift through a fine-mesh strainer first. Once the lumps are in the glaze, pushing it through the strainer is the only rescue. |
| Frosting tastes faintly starchy or chalky | The 3% cornstarch is noticeable when the sugar-to-fat ratio is high. | Add a pinch of salt and a splash of cream, or switch to a cooked flour (ermine) frosting, which uses no powdered sugar at all. |
Storing powdered sugar
Airtight; it takes on humidity fast and sets into rocks. Sift after any long storage.
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