How many cups is 250 ml?

250 milliliters is 1.06 US cups, or about 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon. 250 ml is also the size of the Australian metric cup, so an Australian recipe that says 1 cup wants 1.06 US cups.

How many cups is 500 ml?

500 milliliters is about 2.11 US cups, or 2 cups plus 1.7 tablespoons. Most recipes round it to 2 cups.

Is 240 ml exactly 1 cup?

Almost. The true US cup is 236.59 ml. Many writers round to 240 ml for simple math. The gap is 1.4 percent, small enough that it does not change cooking results.

How many ml is 1/2 cup?

1/2 US cup is 118.29 ml. Most cookbooks round it to 120 ml.

How many ml is 1/4 cup?

1/4 US cup is 59.15 ml. Most cookbooks round it to 60 ml.

Milliliters to cups converter

Most of the world measures liquids in milliliters. The US uses cups. The two scales are close but not exact. This page gives the numbers you need and the tool above swaps any volume both ways.

milliliters

cups

Pick units or type in either box.

Common milliliter to cup amounts

Most-used metric liquid amounts and their US cup match:

50 ml = 0.21 cup (3.4 tablespoons)
100 ml = 0.42 cup (6.8 tablespoons)
120 ml = 1/2 cup (rounded)
150 ml = 0.63 cup (about 2/3 cup)
200 ml = 0.85 cup
240 ml = 1 cup (rounded; true value 237 ml)
250 ml = 1.06 cups (the Australian metric cup)
300 ml = 1.27 cups
500 ml = 2.11 cups
750 ml = 3.17 cups
1000 ml (1 liter) = 4.23 cups

How the conversion works

1 US cup is 236.59 milliliters. To go from milliliters to cups, divide your milliliters by 236.59. To go from cups to milliliters, multiply.

Some recipes round the cup to 240 ml for clean math. The 1.4 percent gap is small enough that it does not change cooking and almost never changes baking.

When 240 ml vs 237 ml matters

For everyday cooking, the difference does not show up. Soups, sauces, stir-fries: cook by taste, not by exact volume.

For baking, the difference is still under 2 percent, which is inside the variation you get from measuring style anyway. If your recipe says 240 ml, just use 1 cup.

Where it does start to matter is the Australian metric cup of 250 ml. That is 6 percent bigger than the US cup. If your recipe came from Australia and you use US cups, you will be short.

Cup sizes around the world

US cup: 236.59 ml (also written as 237 ml or rounded to 240 ml). Australian and Canadian metric cup: 250 ml. UK imperial cup, old-style: 284 ml. Modern UK recipes use the metric cup of 250 ml or skip cups and use grams. Always check which cup a recipe wants.

Common milliliter to cup mistakes

Treating 250 ml as 1 cup. That is the Australian metric cup, not US. It is 6 percent too big for US recipes.
Mixing milliliters with grams. Milliliters measure space. Grams measure weight. For water they match, but for honey, oil, and other foods they do not.
Reading a 1-liter measure as 4 cups exactly. 1 liter is 4.23 cups. Most recipe writers round it to 4, which is fine for soup, less fine for batter.
Confusing ml with fluid ounces. 1 US fluid ounce is 29.6 ml. 1 cup is 8 fluid ounces, which is 237 ml.

FAQ

How many cups is 250 ml?: 250 milliliters is 1.06 US cups, or about 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon. 250 ml is also the size of the Australian metric cup, so an Australian recipe that says 1 cup wants 1.06 US cups.
How many cups is 500 ml?: 500 milliliters is about 2.11 US cups, or 2 cups plus 1.7 tablespoons. Most recipes round it to 2 cups.
Is 240 ml exactly 1 cup?: Almost. The true US cup is 236.59 ml. Many writers round to 240 ml for simple math. The gap is 1.4 percent, small enough that it does not change cooking results.
How many ml is 1/2 cup?: 1/2 US cup is 118.29 ml. Most cookbooks round it to 120 ml.
How many ml is 1/4 cup?: 1/4 US cup is 59.15 ml. Most cookbooks round it to 60 ml.

Why the US cup is 236.59 ml

The US cup is defined as one-half of a US liquid pint. The pint is 473.176 ml. So the cup is half that, 236.588 ml. NIST keeps the official value.

Last updated: May 11, 2026