Unit converter

Milliliters to Cups (mL to cups)

To convert milliliters to US cups, divide by 236.5882365, the exact volume of a US customary cup. 250 mL is 1.06 US cups (exactly one metric cup), and 500 mL is 2.11 US cups. The table also shows metric cups for Australian and New Zealand recipes.

Convert mL to cups

mL to cups

250 mL = 1.05669 cup

1 mL = 0.00422675 cup · 1 cup = 236.588 mL

Show the math

cup = mL ÷ 236.5882365

Uses exact legal definitions; results are rounded to 6 significant figures for display. Ounces, cups and gallons are US customary units unless noted.

How to convert mL to cups

cup = mL ÷ 236.5882365

One US cup is exactly 236.5882365 milliliters, so divide by 236.5882365. If you'd rather multiply, use 0.00422675 (rounded).

Worked example: converting 250 mL:

cup = mL ÷ 236.5882365
250 mL ÷ 236.5882365 = 1.05669 cup

ML to cups conversion table

Common values, each computed with the exact formula and rounded to 6 significant figures.

Milliliters (mL) to US cups (cup)
Milliliters (mL)	US cups (cup)	Metric cups (250 mL)
15 mL	0.0634013 cup	0.06
30 mL	0.126803 cup	0.12
45 mL	0.190204 cup	0.18
50 mL	0.211338 cup	0.2
60 mL	0.253605 cup	0.24
75 mL	0.317006 cup	0.3
80 mL	0.33814 cup	0.32
100 mL	0.422675 cup	0.4
120 mL	0.50721 cup	0.48
125 mL	0.528344 cup	0.5
150 mL	0.634013 cup	0.6
175 mL	0.739682 cup	0.7
180 mL	0.760816 cup	0.72
200 mL	0.845351 cup	0.8
237 mL	1.00174 cup	0.948
240 mL	1.01442 cup	0.96
250 mL	1.05669 cup	1
300 mL	1.26803 cup	1.2
330 mL	1.39483 cup	1.32
350 mL	1.47936 cup	1.4
375 mL	1.58503 cup	1.5
400 mL	1.6907 cup	1.6
473 mL	1.99925 cup	1.892
500 mL	2.11338 cup	2
600 mL	2.53605 cup	2.4
750 mL	3.17006 cup	3
1,000 mL	4.22675 cup	4

Quick reference: everyday milliliters in US cups

Metric tablespoon
15 mL = 0.0634013 cup
A small 125 mL yogurt pot
125 mL = 0.528344 cup
One US cup
236.588 mL = 1 cup
One metric cup
250 mL = 1.05669 cup
A 500 mL carton or bottle
500 mL = 2.11338 cup
One liter
1,000 mL = 4.22675 cup

Making metric recipes with US measuring cups

European and many online recipes list liquids in mL. With a US cup set, 125 mL is just over ½ cup (0.53), 200 mL is a little under ⅞ cup (0.85), and 300 mL is 1¼ cups (1.27). For liquids, a measuring jug marked in mL avoids rounding altogether. Most US jugs carry a metric scale on the opposite side.

If the recipe gives grams instead of mL, you can't convert straight to cups. You need the ingredient's density, and that varies a lot: a cup of sugar weighs far more than a cup of flour. Use a scale for grams, and use this converter only for liquid measures given in mL.

Which cup is the recipe using?

Recipes from Australia and New Zealand use a 250 mL metric cup, so '1 cup stock' there is 250 mL, not 236.6. Canadian recipes often follow the metric cup too. Recipes from the US use the customary cup of 236.6 mL, and nutrition labels use a rounded 240 mL. Older British recipes may mean the imperial cup of 284 mL.

When a recipe gives both cups and mL, trust the mL figure, because it doesn't depend on which cup the author owned. To scale a converted amount up or down, our fraction calculator keeps fractional cups exact, and the percentage calculator handles scaling by a percentage.

Frequently asked questions

Is 250 mL one cup?

It's exactly one metric cup, the standard in Australia and New Zealand, but 1.057 US cups. In a US measuring cup, 250 mL fills the cup with about 13 mL (roughly 2½ teaspoons) left over. For most recipes either interpretation works; for baking, follow the cup standard of the recipe's country.

How many cups is 1 liter?

1 liter is 4.227 US cups, or exactly 4 metric cups. So a liter of stock fills four US measuring cups with a little under ¼ cup left over. A US quart, at 4 cups (946 mL), is slightly smaller than a liter, about 54 mL less.

How many mL are in half a cup, a third and a quarter?

In US customary measures, ½ cup is 118.3 mL, ⅓ cup is 78.9 mL and ¼ cup is 59.1 mL. In metric cups they're 125 mL, 83.3 mL and 62.5 mL. The cups to mL converter has a full fractional chart going the other way.