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mL to Cups Converter

ConvertersVolume
Cups (US) — cup

To convert millilitres to US cups, divide by 236.5882365, the exact size of one US customary cup. That makes 1 mL equal to 0.00422675 cups, so a 500 mL bottle of water holds about 2.113 cups and a 1 litre carton about 4.227 cups.

Milliliters to Cups (US) conversion table

mLcup
10.004227
20.008454
50.021134
100.042268
200.084535
250.105669
500.211338
1000.422675
2501.05669
5002.11338
1,0004.22675

About this tool

Home cooks following an American recipe with a metric measuring jug, and bakers scaling a European recipe for US cups, both need to turn millilitres into cups. This converter divides your millilitre amount by 236.5882365 mL, the US customary cup defined from the US fluid ounce, and shows the result as you type along with the working. The answer is in US customary cups only. A metric cup is 250 mL, an imperial cup is about 284 mL, and the US legal cup used on nutrition labels is 240 mL, so a recipe written for one of those will be off by up to 20 % if you treat it as a US cup.

How to use it

  1. Type the volume in mL

    Enter the millilitre amount from a jug, bottle or recipe. Decimals work, such as 12.5 for a measuring spoon amount.

  2. Read the cups

    The US cup figure updates while you type, together with the division used to get it.

  3. Swap or share

    Use Swap to go from cups back to millilitres, or Share to send a link that reopens the same amount.

Examples

A one-litre carton

Milliliters
1000

Result Cups (US): 4.2268

  1. 1,000 mL × 0.00422675 = 4.2268 cup

A litre of milk or stock holds just over four and a quarter US cups, so a recipe asking for 4 cups leaves a little in the carton.

A 250 mL metric cup

Milliliters
250

Result Cups (US): 1.0567

  1. 250 mL × 0.00422675 = 1.0567 cup

Australian and Canadian recipes use a 250 mL cup, which is about 5.7 % larger than the US customary cup.

A 500 mL bottle of water

Milliliters
500

Result Cups (US): 2.1134

  1. 500 mL × 0.00422675 = 2.1134 cup

A standard half-litre bottle pours a little over two US cups.

How it is calculated

cups = mL ÷ 236.5882365

mL
volume in millilitres (cubic centimetres)
cups
volume in US customary cups

The US cup is defined as 8 US fluid ounces, and one US fluid ounce is exactly 29.5735295625 mL because the US gallon is fixed at 231 cubic inches and the inch at 2.54 cm. Eight times 29.5735295625 gives 236.5882365 mL per cup, so dividing a millilitre amount by that figure, or multiplying by 0.00422675, gives cups. There is no offset, so zero millilitres is zero cups.

When not to use it

  • Do not use it for recipes written in metric cups of 250 mL; those convert one to one with their own cup.
  • Do not use it for dry ingredients like flour if the recipe gives grams, because volume does not fix weight.

Common mistakes

  • Treating 250 mL as exactly one US cup overstates the cup count by about 5.7 %.
  • Using the 240 mL nutrition-label cup in place of the 236.6 mL customary cup when precision matters in baking.

Frequently asked questions

How many mL are in one US cup?

One US customary cup is 236.5882365 mL, usually rounded to 236.6 mL or 237 mL. It is exactly 8 US fluid ounces.

Why do some labels say a cup is 240 mL?

US nutrition labelling rules round the cup to 240 mL for serving sizes. It is a legal convention, about 1.4 % larger than the customary cup used in cookbooks.

Is a metric cup the same as a US cup?

No. The metric cup used in Australia, New Zealand and Canada is 250 mL, which is 1.057 US cups. For most soups and sauces the gap does not matter, but in baking it can.

How many cups is 100 mL?

100 mL is about 0.423 US cups, a little under half a cup. Enter 100 in the field to see the full figure and the working.

What about the imperial cup used in older British recipes?

The imperial cup is half an imperial pint, about 284 mL. This converter uses the US cup, so an older British recipe calling for one cup needs about 1.2 US cups.

Cite this tool

Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.

APA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 25). mL to Cups Converter. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/converters/volume/ml-to-cups-converter/

MLA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “mL to Cups Converter.” Tools Directory, 25 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/converters/volume/ml-to-cups-converter/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “mL to Cups Converter.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 25, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/converters/volume/ml-to-cups-converter/.

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