- Why is everything in 'US' units?
- Because US measures dominate English-language recipes — and because US cups, tablespoons, and fluid ounces are NOT the same as their UK Imperial cousins. A US cup is 236.6 mL; a UK Imperial cup is 284 mL — about 20% bigger. A US tablespoon is 14.79 mL; a UK tablespoon is 17.76 mL; an Australian tablespoon is 20 mL (4 teaspoons, not 3). If your recipe is from the UK or Australia, multiply your amount by the right factor first (UK cup × 1.20 = US cup; AU tbsp × 1.35 = US tbsp), THEN use this converter.
- What's a 'stick' of butter?
- A US butter stick. Sold in 4-stick blocks (1 lb total) on the East Coast, in flat 4-stick boxes (also 1 lb) on the West Coast. One stick = 1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons = 4 oz by weight = 113.4 grams. Recipes outside the US won't say 'one stick' — they'll say grams. This converter shows both sides.
- Is 1 cup of flour the same as 1 cup of water?
- By volume, yes — both fill a 1-cup measuring cup. By weight, no — a cup of water weighs 237 g, a cup of all-purpose flour weighs around 120 g. This is a VOLUME converter, not a weight converter. If you need grams, use the Tablespoon to Grams Converter (ingredient-aware) or the Grams to Ounces Converter.
- Why are there two cup sizes in my measuring cup set?
- Common confusion. Most US measuring cup sets include 1, 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 cup — all the same definition (US legal cup = 236.6 mL). If your set has a 250 mL marking, that's the 'metric cup' used in some Australian and European recipes — slightly larger than US. Some Pyrex measures show both — read carefully.
- How accurate is this?
- Exact. US measures are defined precisely: 1 US fluid ounce = 29.5735295625 mL by definition (derived from 1 US gallon = 231 cubic inches). Every conversion in the table chains off that constant. The displayed rounding is for readability; the underlying math is full precision.
- What's the difference between fluid ounces and ounces?
- Fluid ounces measure VOLUME (a fluid ounce of water and a fluid ounce of honey take up the same space). Ounces (oz) without 'fluid' measure WEIGHT. They happen to be close for water (1 fl oz of water weighs almost exactly 1 oz), which is where the confusion comes from. Outside of water, they diverge — a fluid ounce of honey weighs 1.5 oz, a fluid ounce of olive oil weighs about 0.92 oz.
- Why no 'dry cup' vs 'wet cup' option?
- Because they're the same thing — by volume. A 1-cup dry measuring cup and a 1-cup liquid measuring cup hold identical volume (236.6 mL). The difference is shape: liquid cups have a spout and headspace so you can fill to the line without spilling; dry cups are flush so you can level the top with a knife. The cups themselves are the same size — pick whichever makes the ingredient easier to measure.
- Is my input saved or sent anywhere?
- No. Conversion runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript — nothing is sent to a server, logged, or stored.
