Cups of packed brown sugar to ounces runs on one number, 7.7602716 ounces per cup. It is a measured property of this ingredient rather than a defined conversion, which is why a generic volume-to-weight tool cannot give you it.
Put next to water — 1 g per mL exactly — packed brown sugar measures 0.92989 g per mL. That ratio, 92.99%, is what separates this page from every other ingredient in the same units, and it is measured rather than defined.
A cup of packed brown sugar is 220 g when it is measured the standard way, but how it gets into the cup changes the answer: between about 198 g and 264 g covers the range from lightly spooned to firmly packed. That 20% spread is larger than most of the adjustments recipes fuss over, and it disappears entirely the moment the ingredient is weighed instead.
One cup of packed brown sugar is 7.76 oz. US kitchen scales usually step in eighths of an ounce, which is 3.54 g — around 1.61% of a cup of this ingredient, so the scale is precise enough for a full cup and coarse for a spoonful. That is why recipes mix the two systems: ounces for the bulk, spoons for the small amounts.
What the number depends on: Firmly packed, which is the US recipe convention. Spooned in loosely it is closer to 145 g per cup.
The formula
cups- The amount of packed brown sugar you are converting, in cups
7.76027162891- Ounces per cup for packed brown sugar, from its density of 0.92989 g/mL
ounces- The equivalent quantity in ounces
How it works, step by step
- Enter the quantity in cups.
- It is multiplied by 7.76027162891, the ounces-per-cup figure for packed brown sugar.
- The result appears in ounces, with a second reading in g beneath it.
- Use the measure table if you want a standard recipe quantity rather than a number you type in.
Worked examples
1/3 cup of packed brown sugar in ounces
A recipe calling for 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar needs 2.58676 ounces on the scale. The arithmetic is 0.333333 × 7.7602716 = 2.5867572, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 1.29338 ounces.
3/4 cup of packed brown sugar in ounces
Take 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar: 0.75 × 7.7602716 gives 5.8202 ounces. Doubling the batch takes it to 11.6404 ounces, because the relationship is a straight proportion once the density is known.
3 cup of packed brown sugar in ounces
A recipe calling for 3 cup of packed brown sugar needs 23.2808 ounces on the scale. The arithmetic is 3 × 7.7602716 = 23.280815, and halving the recipe halves the weight to 11.6404 ounces.
How to read your score
Frequently asked questions
How many ounces are in 1 cup of packed brown sugar?
One cup of packed brown sugar is 7.7602716 ounces. Half that quantity is 3.88014 ounces and double it is 15.5205 ounces, so the figure scales straight up and down — there is no offset in this conversion, only the factor.
Why is a cup of packed brown sugar not 236 g like water?
Because weight per cup depends on what is in the cup. Packed brown sugar has a density of 0.92989 g per mL where water has 1.00, so a cup of it weighs 220 g rather than 236.6 g. That is a difference of 16.6 g per cup, and it is the reason a single volume-to-weight factor cannot be applied to every ingredient.
Does how I measure it change the weight?
Yes, and by more than most people expect. Handling changes the weight of a cup of packed brown sugar by roughly 20% — about 22 g either side of 220 g — because firmly packed, which is the US recipe convention. Weighing removes the question entirely.
Is a fluid ounce of packed brown sugar the same as an ounce?
No. A fluid ounce is a volume — one eighth of a US cup, 29.57 mL — and an ounce is a weight. One fluid ounce of packed brown sugar weighs 0.97 oz, so the two readings differ by 3%. They coincide only for something with the density of water, and then only roughly.
Is this a US cup or a metric cup?
US customary: 236.59 mL, which is the cup every US recipe means. A metric cup is 250 mL, so the same cup of packed brown sugar would weigh 232.47 g instead of 220 g — 12.5 g more, or 5.67%. Australian and some European recipes use the metric cup, and the difference is large enough to matter in baking.
Do I need a scale for this, or will measuring cups do?
A scale, if the result matters. Volume measuring carries a spread of about 20% for packed brown sugar — roughly 44 g on a 220 g cup — while a domestic scale is accurate to a gram or two. For anything where the ratio of ingredients drives the outcome, bread and pastry above all, weigh it.
How many cups of packed brown sugar is 16 oz?
16 oz of packed brown sugar is 2.0618 cups — 0.128861 cups to one ounce, so 16 × 0.128861 = 2.0618. Going that way is a division by 7.76027, or a multiplication by 0.128861 if you prefer.
Packed brown sugar in cups and ounces
| Cups | Ounces | Unrounded |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 cup | 0.970034 oz | 0.9700339536 |
| 1/4 cup | 1.94007 oz | 1.940067907 |
| 1/3 cup | 2.58676 oz | 2.58675721 |
| 1/2 cup | 3.88014 oz | 3.880135814 |
| 2/3 cup | 5.17351 oz | 5.173514419 |
| 3/4 cup | 5.8202 oz | 5.820203722 |
| 1 cup | 7.76027 oz | 7.760271629 |
| 1 1/2 cup | 11.6404 oz | 11.64040744 |
| 2 cup | 15.5205 oz | 15.52054326 |
| 3 cup | 23.2808 oz | 23.28081489 |
| 4 cup | 31.0411 oz | 31.04108652 |
Based on 220 g per cup of packed brown sugar. One cup of packed brown sugar is 7.7602716 ounces.
| Measure | Grams | Ounces | Millilitres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 236.6 mL |
| 3/4 cup | 165 g | 5.82 oz | 177.4 mL |
| 2/3 cup | 146.7 g | 5.17 oz | 157.7 mL |
| 1/2 cup | 110 g | 3.88 oz | 118.3 mL |
| 1/3 cup | 73.33 g | 2.59 oz | 78.86 mL |
| 1/4 cup | 55 g | 1.94 oz | 59.15 mL |
| 1 tbsp | 13.75 g | 0.485 oz | 14.79 mL |
| 1 tsp | 4.583 g | 0.162 oz | 4.929 mL |
US customary measures: 1 cup = 236.59 mL, 1 tbsp = 14.79 mL, 1 tsp = 4.93 mL.
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Ounces per cup | Density (g/mL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncooked white rice | 185 g | 6.526 oz | 0.7819 |
| Uncooked brown rice | 190 g | 6.702 oz | 0.8031 |
| Dried lentils | 192 g | 6.773 oz | 0.8115 |
| Granulated sugar | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Arborio rice | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Dried chickpeas | 200 g | 7.055 oz | 0.8454 |
| Packed brown sugar (this page) | 220 g | 7.76 oz | 0.9299 |
Ordered by weight. The spread across this group is why a single generic cups-to-grams factor cannot work.